The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-12-19


ed, for 'when a man dies he pays all
debts.''
In one way he came against opium
dealers as an administrative officer.
And he would cinch a fellow tight
enough if it suited him. Another way
ne came against opium handlers was in
the role of purchaser. He played the
game both ways and waxed rich.
Twenty years ago I was on Maui, and
this is the story told me by man who
played the game:
81 was on the old Pele making the
circuit of Maui he said, "and at
one of the ports two officers came
aboard on their way to the place where
a trial was to be held, the culprit be-
ing a Chinese who had been caught
with the goods on him. The officers
were going as witnesses--at least, one
of them was, and the other as arrest
ing officer. One of the men on the
steamer handled good deal of the
stuff at different times, and on this
trip he had few pounds for an of
| fetal concerned in the case to be tried.
At the port where the party was to
go ashore, the landing was some dis
lance above the water, and assistance
was needed to get to the top. It was
the custom, then, for the purser to go
ashore in the first boat, with the pas
sengers and the small packages. This
| trip, the officer of the steamer who had
the dope was on the small boat, and
at the landing he handed to one of
the policemen his package, the one
that contained the opium, and it was
handed to him after he had reached
the wharf. Arriving at the shack
where the trial was to be held, some
one whispered to the judge, and the
man with the dope went away with
him after he had announced an adj
iournment until noon. When court
convened, the deal had been made and
the Chinese prisoner put on trial. He
was given a wear. He was a competi-
tor of the man who imposed the SEN
tenee'
It is safe to tell that story now, be-
cause. as matter of fact, every man
who was connected directly with the
opium transaction is dead or has left
the country. The steamship employee
went to the Coast and engaged indus
triously in the business and was given
a term in a federal prison, and was
afterwards shot while attempting to
escape.
Profits More Than Fines.
Often the sentence here was a fine
without Imprisonment, and the handlers
of the stuff did not mind it very much,
because the profits were large. They
were the small fellows and were inter-
mediaries for other small fry. The big
ones, the higher-ups, were those who
did the importing. Occasionally one
was caught, but not often, and a term
of Imprisonment followed. 1t has been
/ said. with a good deal of truth. that
! the big importers We're jealous of each
other, and if it was learned by one
that rival had a lot of it coming
down on a steamer. he saw to it that
the customs officers were notified and
the stuff captured. Thousands of dol
lars have gone in that way, and the
informer would often be the next one
to be informed upon.
Landing Ticklish.
In the old days all of the small work
was done on the steamers by men in
the engineers department and among
the stewards. They would buy on the
Coast at the regular price-for the
price of opium was regulated as any
COMMUNICATING it to Honolulu and
get rid of it among the men on the is
land steamers. To get it ashore was
the troublesome part. for most of the
steamer men would not take the
chance of bringing it on the wharf IT,
be caught with It in possession, leav-
ing a vessel from foreign, meant more
in the court, than merely having it in
possession. The fixed price for carry
ing the opium from steamer or sail
ing vessel was in the neighborhood of
a dollar tin, depending upon who
was on watch in the customs.
| remember sitting in the room of a
friend waiting for him to return from
a business call. Before he came back
there was a knock on the door. which
/ opened to admit two tough-looking
fellows from steamer in port. They
maze an excuse 70 20 10 dHotuef pdI'
of the house. and when they came back
into the room, few minutes later
commonplace remarks were made and
they passed out into the night. When
the gentleman returned. he asked if
had had any visitors during his alb
sence. When he heard my answer. h.
remarked that they were men will
dope from the steamer. Into a closet
in the next room they had deposited {
number of half pound boxes of the
stuff A few days later l passed hin
on the street carrying box which hi
afterwards told me contained some Of
the opium that had been placed in tn;
room while [ was there. He was on,
OF the many successful smugglers dur
ing the old days.
Coal-OiI Route
4 favorite way for the men living
here. who were interested in the sport
10 get in stuff was by the keroseHe-ol
route. OF course, they had connection
on the Coast as well as here. Their,
would be an order placed with dealer
on the Coast for a thousand or NOR
pounds of opium. The man on III
: Coast would order so many cases o
kerosene oil. ten gallons to the case
LoT -