Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-22
OFFICERS NAB IA
CHINESE IN CAR
FOIL EFFORT TO SMUGGLE CE'
LESTIALS
Thomas Montez Arrested on Charge
of Attempting to Bring in
OrientaIs from
Mexico

Fourteen Chinese, rudely awakened
from their repose in a sealed box car
of the Southern Pacific railway at
River station late Sunday night, are
confined in the county Jail charged
with being smuggled into the United
States from across the Mexican border
line.
The apprehension of the celestials,
which was effected by Los Angeles i'm
migration inspectors, was kept secret
until last night, when Thomas A.
Montez, said by the police to be an
old offender in smuggling Chinese INTO
the United States, was arrested ana
locked up at central police headquaf-
ters.
The word that q wholesale attempt
TO smuggle Chinese into the United
States was received from an immlgra-
tion inspector of Yuma, Ar1z., ana
plans were made to stop the train as
it passed through Los Angeles.
That the work might be done quietly
and without arousipg suspicion. the
through freight bound for san Fran
cisco was stopped at River station
where a number of immigration otil-
Gers and attaches of the sheriff ONCE
were in waiting. After searching, a
sealed box car, labeled From Mem
nhis. Tenn, to San Francisco" was
located and an odor of opium per-
meated the atmosphere.
The lock was broken, and huddled
on ton of a number of barrel slaves
fourteen Chinese were found.
At the point of revolvers, they We're
ordered to leave the car. were hand-
cuffed two together and taken TO the
county Jail.
cans of water were found, and bread,
rice and enough edibles to have Kept
the prisoners from starvation LOT
many days. a
THE immigration officers, under lead
of INSPECTOR w. A. Hutchins, then pro-
ceeded to look up the two men sup
posed to have been responsible for the
attempted smuggling, and who are
well known to every immigration III
spector in the west.
The result was the arrest last night
of MonteZ, who was caught at lue
Santa Fe station by Inspector Hulch-
ms and Patrolman Johnson as ne was
waiting to board train for El Paso.
Montez was Indignant at his arrest
and stoutly denied he had anything to
do with conducting the "priVate eXcur-
sion' of the Chinese from Ell PaSo. lie
stated he was on his way to look up
records concerning the arrest OF ms
brother, who was sent to san quentin
six years ago from lhdI clly' 0hei sou
with killing a man.
Montez said he had never been en-
gagged in the Chinese smuggling busl-
ness and declared his arrest an out
rage. .5
Tnsnector Hutchins said that accord
ing to information received at the local
Immigration office, Montez and com
panion, whose arrest is expected at
any time, made the plan to land the
Chinese in San Francisco, having re-
ceiyed $3.50 for each celestial, or S3oOo
for the carload.
He said that Montez and his asso-
ciate. whose name is known, but not
diyulged. were seen and recognized at
Yuma by an immigration officer. The
men were acting suspiciously about the
Southern Pacific tracks and paying
particular attention to the sealed car
tagged From Memphis to san Fran
CISCO"
1t is believed the Chinese were placed
aboard the car at Ell Paso, and when
released Sunday night showed the et-
fects of their cramped positions during
the long journey.