Evening star., 1907-08-25
DRAWINGS BY WALLACE MORGAN
Secret Service

to say that the Government net was spread and with
IN a few weeks were in possession of astounding
facts. The men we had trailed were only agents OF
a band of smugglers who were operating between
Canada and this country for hundreds of miles along
the frontier. The drug was being brought across
by various routes and methods and eventually all
of 1t found its way to headquarters in Detroit and
Buffalo The customs officials involved had been
shutting their eyes to the operations of the snug
gers and while none may have received share Of
the spolls, not one of the men charged could plead
that he had not been at least Crimnally careless.
There could be no other explanation for the ease
with which such immense quantities of the drug
Smuggled over.
From Detroit and Buffalo, the opium, packed in
boxes, was shipped by freight various parts OF
the country, where agents, who followed personally,
attended to the actual distribution to customers.
Thus was chance of tracing eliminated. We also
learned that the smugglers employed regular travel
ing statesmen, who kept in touch with the wholesale
drug houses and others who had objection
buying the Smugged goods.
Soon the Government was in position to lay its
hands upon everyone of Importance in the plot and
still action was delayed At the head of the con-
spiracy were four business who lived in various
parts of Canada, where the actual headquarters of
the band was, and it decided that the only way
to stamp out the smuggling for good to get
these leaders into the clutches of the law. There
was only one way to accomplish this, and that
to lure them across the border into America and
place them under arrest.
The headquarters of the quartet in Montreal,
where two of them lived in a certain hotel | had
been on duty in Malone, New York, and from there
my way into the good graces of the smuggling chiefs
day later had registered at their hotel where by
lnnuendo | allowed the impression to gain ground
that had left the States to allow bucket shopping
scandal to blow | found no difficulty in strk-
ing up acquaintance with my men, and, by
liberal expenditure of money, found myself a
welcome member of their party, and rapidly growing
in terms of intimacy
From veiled illusions to smuggling, they began
to talk openly of their vocation, and, because l
evinced such keen interest, finally offered to let
in on the game This was the opportunity had been
awaiting. Eagerly accepted and then managed to
convince them that through my brother supposed
manufacturer in Malone, we could ship the goods
all over the country without fear of detection
Snapped the Bait
THEY snapped at the bait like hungry trout, and
finally two of them agreed to go to Malone with me
to arrange details. In order to make certain that
they could be held legally a charge of smuggling
l got them to take sample cans of opium along. You
sur1nise the surprise and CONSERVATION of the
smugglers when they discovered they had walked
into trap laid by the United States Government.
But still we not satisfied There were two
more of the ring leaders at liberty, and volunteered
to make another try at Turing them Quick
acton was necessary, because realized that if
news of the arrest reached Montreal purpose
was defeated Quiet the arrest had been, there
was at least slight leak in the proceedings,
subsequent developments showed.
First we teegraphed to the smugglers in Montreal