The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-10-07
net FIVE IN OPIUM RAIDS
CUSTOMS MEN JCBILANT OVER
AN IMPORTANT CAPTURE.
Invaders Of Uptown Dwelling Find Plant
for Converting Crude Drug to SmOk.
ing Purposes-lexingtOn Avenue
Pharmacist and Clerk Also IN Tolls.

MS l'urDOses-uF<WRtOV NNeUue
Pharmacist and Clerk Also IN Tolls.
Customs inspectors madc an opium
raid in this city yesterday which is con-
sidered most important in the general
campaign which is being made to stamp
out opium smoking in this STATE. Really
two reids were made. but the customs
inspectors referred to it as joint raid.
Isaac Marks, who has been living in
an old fashioned dwelling houss at i3i
East ii3th street. was arrested with his
wife. Catherine. The raiders also took
along Thomas LOTUS. who has been
helping Marks and his wife in the prepara-
ton Of opium for smoking purposes.
according to the inspectors. Then the
inspectors went around the corner and
arrested Quillas Meyers. who has n drug
store at 1872 Lexington avenue. and his
clerk Edward Sable
II it hadn't been that Joseph Mangini.
who was srraiened on Thursday before
Judge Ray of the United States Circuit
! Court AT Auburn. had told something
OF tho operations of a gang which was
| selling opium for smoking purposes in
this city probably Marks's house and the
Meyers drug store would not have been
| visited yesterday, although the Gust oms
rcn have had both places under sur
| vcillance for some time. Mangini who
was arrested for having opium in his
! possession said that he knew a man
here who had been buying opium from
Marks for fifteen years. Mangini, who
knew a great deal about the opium busi-
ness, said that the opium he got came
from Walter l.. Funk a brakeman on the
Delaware end Hudson Railroad who
was arrested for smuggling opium into
this country from Montreal. Funk was
sentenced to four years and to pay a
| fine of 600
When the Surveyor of the Port here
heard that Mangini had been talking in
| Auburn and had mentioned Marks. Deputy
Surveyor Norwood. who has been in
charge Of the opium investigation. de-
| cided to get busy. A squad Of inspectors
went to iiSth street and got into Marks s
house without much trouble. as they had
search warrant. Marks and his wife
used the first floor and the rooms on the
floor above we're rented But in the
basement. where thev came across LOTUS,
they made the most interesting discovery
|
crude opium into the form. sonnet ing
like molasses. which is used for smoking
The basement was equipped with copper
kettles. strniners and stoves. The in
spectors found about $1,000 worth Of
| crude opium. $3.50 worth of the smoking
kind and some of the opium dust which
| is known IA ven shee.
Marks protested that il was shame to
arrest him. He was a benefactor rather
than criminal. He made opium as a
cure for those who had acquired the
| habit. He had about "A thousand per-
sons to whom he sent the cure" he said
The inspectors did not dispute his
statement that he supplied opium to many
| persons. They say that he has the
largest plant as we'll as the largest opium
business in town: He had a number of
opium, the agents disposink Of the opium
in the form TO be smoked to the so called
~fiends"
After. they had conescatcd the para
phernalia and opium at the Marks house
| the inspectors arrested Movers and his
clerk. They found no opium in the drug
store. but there were fifty cans which had
contained opium. Deputy Surveyor Nor
wood said that Meyers was one of the
men who received opium from Marks and
| sold IL to his customers.
| 1t is a violation of the law to import
| opium for other than medicinal purposes
Yet according to the statistics az the
Custom House enough opium is received
here in a year TO do for medicine of that
nature for over n hundred years Hence
the conclusion that houses that import
opium under bond have been selling il
for Illicit purposes. II was said at the
Custom House yesterday that certain i'm
porters were under suspicion Of having
disposed of opium To such men as Ma rks
According 10 the inspectors the general
belief is that most of the opium goes to
the Chinese in this city and other parts
of The country. but thev say that nine
tenths of the opium sold in Chinato own
here is for white persons and that opium
smoking IL greatly on the increase.
why" said Mangini 10 Judge Raw at
| Auburn. Il smoked from fifty to sixty
pills a day. II would take me a second
or two 10 smoke n nil. | got my pipes
in Chinatown, New York"
at seems incredible. but you say YOU
have smoked three cans Of opium since
September" sail Judge Ray. "You must
have had the habits ~ "A swine and the
capa city of n crocodile"
Marks and the other crisoncrs were
arraigned before United States Commits
.oner Shields Movers was held in S. oo0
bail. Marks in $3.50. LOTUS and Sable in
S! 800 each and Mrs. Marks in 81 ,ODo.
HENTlL TEST EIIDENFE