The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-11-10
STRUGGLED CHINAMEN.
[From the New York SUM-

IF'rom the New York SUM-
William Grafton, a French Canadian,
who asserts that his home is in Malone,
N. r., was held for trial in 81 900 bail
yesterday by United States Commission
er Shields, charged with having illegally
brought Cinnamon into this country.
The Cinnamon five of them all told, are
held as prisoners at Albany.
Night Watchman Murphy, who pa
trolls the New York Central yards at
Rensselaer,, just acress the Hudson from
Albany, discovered the Cinnamon and
incidentally the smuggling plot short
time after midnight on Wednesday,. He
was coming up the yard by a long sid
ing filled with box cars when he saw
the door of one car standing little ajar.
As Murphy came near a head popped
out. Murphy lifted his lantern and saw
by it that the passenger in the side door
Pullman, to use the railroad parlance,
was Chinaman, and a badly scared,
half starved Chinaman at that.
bling water; gasped the yellow
Murphy brought the water. Then the
Chinaman said that there were four
more of his fellow countrynen inside the
car and that they were thirsty, too, and
Murphy made two more trips for water.
Finally the first Chinaman, who had
been in this country some years ago,
told the story of the party. They had
paid an agent in Montreal to bring
them to New York city, and they had
been packed for the trip in a car of
hay There they had been banged
around in the dark for hours without
food or water until their leader finally
decided that they must be in this city.
So he opened the door and saw Murphy.
The Waterman knew that he had
made a lind. He remembered, too, that
the railroad company is liable under
federal laws for transporting Cinnamon,
and he was scared. He made the pas
Sengers of the car get back into the
hay again and he locked the sliding
door on the outside. Then he sent word
to the Albany police, who came over
at daybreak, hauled the Cinnamon out
from under the hay where they lay,
trembling and hungry, and took them
In patrol wagon to headquarters. They
We're fed and then handed over to the
federal authorities
The railroad men at the East Albany
yards noted very carefully the car from
which the Cinnamon were distracted,
and they saw that it was consigned
from William Grafton. Bangor, Franklin
county, N. Y, to William Grafton, Man,
haitian Station, New York city. Bangor
is within a dozen miles of the Canada
line. Manhattan Station is on the
Dolly Warden branch of the New
York Central at one Hundred and
Twenty-ninth street and North Riverr
As usual thing hay cars are delivered
and emptied at Thirty third street and
Eleventh avenue, in this city. But the
station agent at Bangor said that Graf
ton was insistent and finally succeeded
in having the car sent to the uptown
stopping place.
The car started from Bangor last
Monday over the New York Central
from this city, and on Tuesday morning
William Grafton, eonsignee and con-
signor, arrived at the Grand Central sta
ton. He carried a little valise, and af-
ter he had left it at a cheap hotel he
started for One Hundred and Twenty
ninth street. Twice on Tuesday he in
quired at Manhattan Station for his car
of hay, but it had not come On We'd
nesday he came early in the morning
md T7fY 70 on I'M to
Bronx Park, see the animals, then come
back and try again. By Wednesday
evening Grafton began to grow uneasy
about the car of hay, and the agent
at Manhattan Station was getting sick
of hearing of it. Grafton came several
times on Thursday, and grew more and
more excited each trip, as he found that
the hay was still up the Hudson.
II ship her Monday night, he ex-
claimed excitedly, s'and she no come yet.
I bring one big suit against re New York
Central.
Some time after Grafton made his
last visit to Manhattan Station Thurs
day Special Agent Mclean, of the rail-
road, and Detectives Dunn and Davis,
of Mulberry street. went there, and tell
ing the agent what word had come from
Albany, learned that Grafton would
probably be around the following day.
All three policemen went up there
early yesterday morning, and had only
a little while to wait before Grafton
hove in sight. He was arrested and
taken to the Tombs police court. Mag
istrate Flammer turned the prisoner
over to United States Marshal Henkel,
who brought the consignee and con-
signor direct to Commissioner Shields
Office. There Grafton, who was almost
in tears, protested his innocence.
1T is une grande meestake, he wall
ed Z nevaire see those Ch1namens-
Then he begged to be allowed to go
home for trial He was sure the resi-
dents Of Malone would be glad to fur
nish his bail.