Los Angeles herald., 1909-05-23
JAPANESE NAVAL
HERO STRUGGLED
COLLECTOR MAKES CHARGES
AGAINST CAPTAIN
ADMIRAL URlU AND WIFE NOT
LANDED PROPERLY
Commander of Steamship May Have
to Pay $4,000 Fine as Result of
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Are
Guests of Honor
tRv Associated Press.J

SAN FRANCISCO. May 22.-Were
the naval aide appointed to meet Ad-
miral Uriu guilty of smuggling the
famous Japanese sea fighter, the baron
ess. his wife, their baggage and their
valet into this country?
This is the momentous question:
which has been agitating federal OF
fetal circles ever since Captain Edward
w E,herle. commandant of the Yerba
Buena. training station, in his eager
ness to welcome the distinguished visit
ors on behalf of the army and navy,
took them from the Nippon Maru yes
terdav without the formality OF hrst
securing the consent of the boarding
officer, Charles Stephens, the personal
representative of Collector Stratton,
who, in the present case, also canned i
tn be the personal representative or
President Taft.
Now Stratton claims the rules OF the
United States treasury have been vio-
lated by Eberle and the latter has lal1
himself liable to fine of $1,000. $lOOO
each for landing the noted admiral ana
his charming wife before the forlnall-
ties of the customs service had been
complied with.
Complaint Filed
Acting on instructions from Collector
Stratton, Chief Boarding Otflcer
Charles Stephens preferred charges To-
day against Captain w. e. t1lmer OF
the Japanese liner Nippon Maru, VINO
is accused of violating section OF the
passenger act making it an offense
punishable with fine of $1,000 in each
case. to permit passengers to land from
a foreign vessel without the express
consent of the collector of the port,
which was not given yesterday When
Vice Admiral Uriu and his wife were
landed by Captain Eberle, commandant
of the naval training station in the tug
Vigilant.
It is believed the charge is merely
formal and will not be pushed.
Early yesterday morning the navy
officials sailed forth in the tug Wig
liant to meet the visitors, and at the
same time, as is his custom when
liner appears in port. Chief Boarding
Officer stephens started out In the rev.
enue cutter Golden Gate. But, unlike
ordinary trips, he went armed with
instructions to pass the admiral and
his party into this port free of duty and
the petty annoyances which less dis
tinguished travellers must endure.
Navy Tug Faster
The navy tug proved the faster. how
ever, and when Stephens arrived cap
tain EDerle naQ lnaue Oh WITH Aoilli al
Uriu, his wife and his baggage with
out even a "by your leave" to the rep
resentative of another arm of the gov
eminent seeking to do honor to the IA
nous visitor. There was nothing for
the official representative of the presi-
dent to do but report to his superior,
the collector of the port, and nothing
for the latter to do but report to Wash
ington. Both did so and the outcome is
awaited with interest.
Admiral Uriu and his wife, Baroness
Uriu, were the guests of honor at two
luncheons given at the Paramount and
ST. Francis hotels today. Consul Cen
eral Nagai was host at the affair in
honor of the admiral, and Mrs. Nagai,
assisted by women of the Century club
and the Japanese Womens society en-
tertaihed the baroness at the st. Fran
els.
Among those who attended the con-
sui generals luncheon We're Chief JUS
tice Beatty and Justice Melvin of the
supreme court, Judges Morrow and Gill
bert of the federal court, Rear Admiral
Miller Lieutenant Colonel Haines of
Washington, editors of the leading San
Francisco dailies and officers of all the
larger commercial organizations.