Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-28
MANY CHINESE
ARE SMUGGLED
INTO AMERICA
Port Of Los Angeles
Closely Watched
Captains Of Certain Vessels Are
Known to BE Engaged in 5rng-
ing to California Moneoli-
ans from Mexico

"Chinese are being smuggled into tht
United St by the hundred eacf
week, and the majority of them are
being landed on the California coas
near Redondo and Port Los Angeles,
said q government official who fol
years has studied the Chinese situation
in this country and is thoroughly
familiar with it.
Few persons can understand the diff
ficulties It is necessary to overcome
when running down the smuggling ves-
sells which bring these Chinese to our
Shores" continued this official, but
when L tell you that the government
makes a rule of putting the shrewdest
men in the secret service department
at work and that it frequently takes
them years to get sufficient proof
against a captain of a vessel to arrest
him, you will understand that the work
must be very tedious and done in a
careful manner.
Captains Reap a Harvest
"On the west coast Of Mexico there
are hundreds of small towns at which
the Chinese who wish to reach this
country can board the vessels. They
can then sail north and land at any
of the small ports near Los Angeles.
Tic government VI lllt NillNCu
States employs agents in many of
these towns. and these agents, as a
rule, are shrewd, experienced detec-
tives, frequently parties of Chinese
manage to elude them and reach this
country, while the agent does not even
know they have been in his town or
district.
1.-The captains of the vessels agree
when taking the men on board to land
them at some point in the United
States. It makes no difference to the
commander whether that point is near
a city or three hundred miles from one.
Just so long as they have landed the
party in the country they have full
filled their part of the contract and the
Chinese have no comeback on him.
1.-THE usual price for smuggling a
Chinese into America is $500, and fire.
quently as many as twenty men are
carried in a party. They make their
agreement with some agent in Mexico,
who, in turn, makes the agreement
with the captain of tbs vessel.
1.-The towns in the vicinity of Los
Angeles offer ideal spots for the dis
embarkment of parties of Chinese.
don't hesitate to say that several
thousand Chinese have been landed in
the vicinity of Port Los Angeles. Word
to this effect reached the government
agents at Washington several years ago
and since that time a government rev.
enue cutter has been kept on duty al
most constantly at that point.
Port Closely Watched
about year ago word was received
that large parties of Chinese were
each week and since that time secret
service men have been on duty there at
all times.
"That place offers an ideal hiding
place for both vessel and Chinese. A
small boat can sail in shore after dark
and land the Chinese that have been
brought up from Mexico. 1t can then
get away within an hour and sail to
Redondo or San Pedro where, for all
the knowledge the detectives have of it,
the vessel may have been out on a
fishing trip.
TN the meantime the Chinese, under
one of their countrymen who is in
charge of the party, will go several
miles into Santa Monica canyon, where
they can find hiding places where they
may remain for weeks if necessary.
They generally have sufficient food with
them TO last, and any extra clothing
they may have is worn beneath the
outer garments.
"In time they can drift into Los An
geles by two and threes and no one will
even suspect they have just been snug
gled into the country. Their country
men protect them and will seldom give
the officers any aid in learning whether
a Chinese is in the United States
Illegally.
smugge Opium, Too
"The situation is a hard one to deal
with, and officers with years of service
behind them have frequently been COM
PEELED to acknowledge themselves
beaten by the smooth-tongued, almond
eyed sons of the orient.
'At present the department has att
its command information enough to ar
rest several owners of small vessels
which ply around the harbors of Re-
dondo and San Pedro, but it has been
harm than good, as at the present
time we can keep track of these men
by watching their actions and know
whether they are on a smuggling trip.
"a great deal of the opium which
comes to this country is brought here
in the same way. Shippers of sea-
going vessels purchase supplies of the
drug in foreign lands and then dispose
OF 1t at a fair profit to the owners of
small vessels in the Mexican ports.
These coasting captains then bring it
north, secreted i'm the cabins or holds
of their vessels and turn it over to some
agent to sell for them. They make at
least one hundred per cent profit, and
although the amount they are able to
bring to the country is small, the total
sum of money received for 1t amounts
to a great deal"