The Washington herald., 1908-05-27
COOLIES SHIPPED
HERE IN BOXES
Twelve, Struggled Across the
Border, Found Dead.
GOVERNMENT WILL GET BUSY
immigration Authorities to Probe
GrewsOme story from FL PasO.
Unable to LOcate BOdies-The Dead
Reported TO BE on the Way to New
York CitS-some Startling Details.

That twelve Chinese coolies died !n
| boxes while being shipped from Mexico
into this country TO avoid the immigra-
ton laws IS a report that has been re-
ceived and is being Investigated by the
officials Of the immigration Bureau.
The effort to violate the exclusion
laws. it is said. is the most daring ever
attempted, and while il does not seem
there is much chance for the apprehen-
sion OF those responsible for it, the
officials will make every effort TO see
that there is no repetition Of the scheme.
Coolies Found Dead.
According to the reports. which seem
entirely credible. the coolies were shipped
from FL Paso to New York in wooden
boxes, arriving AT their destination May
10 When the consignees opened the
boxes they were almost terrOr-stricken
to md in every one OF the twelve boxes
a dead coolie-some of them displaying
all the horrors OF an agonized death while
conscious Of their inevitable fate
Whether death occurred by suffocation,
by starvation. or by some other means.
the immigration Service does not know.
sisting of a telegram from the consignees
in New York to the consignor in FL Paso,
the receipt of which set the city Of FL
Paso's Chinatown in ferment of excite
ment The dispatch came to the knowI-
edge of Fung Ming. the official interpre-
ter, who declared that it was, verbatim,
as follows:
New York May Is. 1s0S.-Twelve boxes
has received all right but all qui hin.
(Signed) QUONG DOU YUEN."
Inspectors Get Busy.
Qui hin Is said TO mean dead"
Fung Ming picked up the story bit by
bit, and when he was assured of its
truth, he impaired il TO the official in
spector in charge, who at once wrote a
report of it TO F. w. Berkshire, super
vising Inspector at San Antonio. Tex. The
latter informed the Commissioner Cen
eral of immigration. and he was so i'm
pressed with the circumstantial account
OF thealleged violation of the law that
he not only ordered complete investiga-
ton of the matter. both in New York
and FL Paso. but after a fe wdays he
instruction to find out If such a con-
signment was ever delivered by the rail-
roads, II the Chinese were dead. as re-
ported what disposition was made OF the
bodies, and how the matter failed TO
reach the knowledge Of the authorities
of New York.
This is one outcome, it Is said. Of the
stringent watch kept by the Immigration
Bureau on the professional smugglers of
coolies into this country from MexiAo
1t has been predicted frequently Of late
that the activities of the smugglers were
being greatly curtailed, and the passing
Of theit business entirely was predicted
unless they could find new ways TO evade
the law.
Report Reaches Gotham.
New York. May 26.-According to an Of
fetal report from the immigration au-
thorities at El Paso. Tex, twelve dead
Cinnamon, packed in boxes, are en- route
TO this city.
They were smuggled over the Mexican
border alive about a week ago. and the.
design was to land them alive in this
city. but through some mischance they