The San Francisco call., 1910-12-06
Men Had Been Stationed to
Prevent Landing of Opium
From the Manchnria
QUESTION AS TO WHERE
ALIENS WERE HIDDEN
Four Inspectors Were Aboard
Liner and Small Boat Was
Heard Under Bow
RIGID INVESTIGATION
HAS BEEN ORDERED

a BLIND rush through the dark
| ~ ness along the seawaIl, cuImi-
mating at China basin with the
crackle and ping of a fusillade at
tended tn spectacular capture late
Saturday night by inspectors Of the
United States customs service, of a
band OF 10 Chinese being smuggled
into the country. Government officials.
thinking that the capture reveals. but
a small part of a widespread plot for
the smuggling Of Chinese are giving
the affair thorough investigation. the
peculiar circumstances surrounding
the case leading to a fear that there
has been on the part Of some of the
| inspectors either connivance or the
grossest negligence.
The theory, backed by facts and OBJ
servation, is that the Chinese were
stowaways in the Pacific Mail liner
Manchuria, which came into port Sun
day afternoon. This. the officers Of
the steamship deny. Luther G. Stew
ard, commissioner Of immigration at
this port, who recently took the place
LOT Hart North, has ordered his first
assistant, H. Edsell, to make a com
plete investigation
Where Were Four Guards?
If the belief Of the immigration au-
thorities to the effect that the Chinese
were slowed away on the Manchuria
proves correct. then the mystery is
intensified by still greater sensation.
because of the fact that at the time
the Chinese left the steamer it was
guarded by four inspectors Of the Gus
toms service. who could not have failed
to observe hefrAdeparture.
To cap the climax. thed fscoverey was
purely accidental The inspectors were
running down opium smugglers and it
was not until they had leaped down
among the covering Celestials that
they discovered the true value of their
prize. OF the lot. seven are women and
eight men.
When the Manchuria came into port
Colonel H. Blinn. acting surveyor, de-
cided to place an additional guard on
1t, information having come TO him OF
a plot to smugg1e a large amount OF
opium into the country. He detailed
four regular inspectors to watch the
vessel at night and secretly assigned
four others TO watch the docks. The
four on the ship were ". NJ Rohr-
bacher, who guarded a gangway;
Charles Freund. stationed at the stern:
John Kilemade. at the bow. and Charles
on shore were Joseph Head. S. H. Sack
ett C. J. Benninger and P. o. Huffaker.
Slight Sound Warns Watchers
The four on shore took up their
watch at the end Of pier No. "A, near
lumber wharf. Huraker watched the
docks north OF the mail docks. Ben
ninger the neighborhood around Chan
mel street, while Sackett and Head
waited by the lumber wharf For
three hours the men waited and
watched. The night was pitch dark.
They could scarcely see 20 feet ahead
of them.
At about 10 o'clock they caught the
sound of an oar in a rollock They
endeavorsd to catch sight OF the boat,
but the intense darkness made this
impossible Judging by the sound. the
boat was moving slowly up the bay. as
if it had left the stern of the Man
churia. AS they peered and listened
they heard second boat giving way in
the same direction
Light Reveals Boat
1t being flood tide they realized that
the boats would move in the direction
of China basin. and for that point the
four raced. They plunged through the
darkness, over the rough ground. pat
tered over the seawal1 and. leaping.
running and stumbling. found them
selves at Mission creek
Here a passing steamer cast it's lights
right on the boats and it was the first
glimpse they had of them Here also
they met their first check Unable TO
cross the creek they were forced to
rush to the bridge at Third street. cross
it and race down again on the opposite
side of the creek. The diversion, taking
10 or - minutes. lost them the trail
of their quarry. Painting and blowing.
the men. did not give in. but raced uD
the beach. hattening themselves against
the seawall and on the ground. listen
ing for the teIltale ereak OF the oar
being turned in the rollock.
Through the darkness it came again