The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1905-06-10
BOUND OYER TO
j. s. GRAND JURY
BURKE's BOND FURNISHED BY
w. E. SUTHERLAND.
Struggled Wool Identified by Gus
toms Inspectors Dean and Ball1n-
ger-Post-Intellige Report of
Arrest, Seizure and Hearing.

toms Inspectors Dean and Ball1n-
st-Intelligencer's Report OF
Arrest, Seizure and Hearing.
The Seattle Post Intelligencer Of
last Saturday contained the following
report of the Burke wool smuggling
| case, While it is noted that the Of
fcers who made the arrest and seiz:
IRE declined to be interviewed either
in Port. Townsend or Seattle, it is
evident that the paper managed to
obtain much better report than is
usual in such cases. Collector 1de
was in the city and seems to have
authorized the statements that he
had had officers especially employed
for several weeks with view to put
ting an end to wool smuggling. The
P. l. says:
The revenue cutter Arcata ar
rived in port shortly after noon yes
terday from the San Juan islands,
having on board Deputy Customs
Collector Culver, of Friday Harbor;
Inspectors Dean, of Port Townsend,
and Ballinger, of Seattle, with Alfred
Burke, of Shaw island, W. E. Suther-
land, of Orcas, and two large sacks
(there were all % small sacks)
of wool, alleged to have been SNUG
gled from one of the British Columbia
islands by Burke and sold by him to
Sutherland, who is one of the pioneer
merchants of San Juan county, a
member of the Republican central
committee and one of the county,
wealthiest citizens.
| cat Port Townsend, where the
Arcata stopped and left Burke's
boat, the officers refused to be inter
viewed and nothing was given out at
the custom house here relative to the
seizure and arrest, beyond the facts
above stated. 1t is learned that
Burke's arrest is looked upon by the
customs officials as one of the most
important made for years in the low
er Sound country, and that it is like
ly to put an end, for this year at
least, to wool smuggling to the San
Juan islands.
ssIt is known that Collector lde,
who is now in the city, has had Sc
cret service men employed for several
weeks on both sides of the boundary.
working on this side in connection
with the deputy collector at Friday
Harbor. He is reticent as to the
details of their work but frankly ad-
mits their employment and the little
that he says warrants the belief that
they have not only gathered great
deal of information about the WOO
/ product of the Canadian islands and
the operations Of smugglers, but that
they have succeeded in marking a
large quantity of wool in such man
ner as to insure its Identification il
brought to this side.
Sat present prices the temptation
to smuggle it is strong, especially as
the offense is not regarded as serious
among the people of the islands,
where many prominent citizens are
reputed to have been smugglefs when
the customs and revenue officers
we're not as watchful of the water
channels as thay have been in recent
years.
ssWool has been selling on the Can
adian islands at ten to twelve cents
a pound, which is high there, while
buyers in Friday Harbor, represent
ing Seattle dealers, are now paying
twenty-seven CENTS. There is very
much less wool raised on the other
side than is generally supposed and
much the greater part Of it is sold in
Victoria and Montreal. There are
few flocks of more than one hundred,
and the average is much less. The
wool product of San Juan county IS
believed to be at least four times as
great as that Of all Of the contiguous
CANADIAN islands. Flocks of one hum
dred are common and on some San
Juan places there are FIVE hundred
or more.
ssCollector Ide has determined TO
make wool smuggling 50 hazardous
that few are likely to engage u i.
ssBurke' is one Of the pioneers Of
the Sound country, having located