The Hawaiian gazette., 1911-09-29
SUSPECT
BACK IN TOWN


Continued from Page Three.
litical views were given freely. While
they were extremely watchful over
their charge, they were not harsh with
him, and allowed him as much liberty
as they possibly could.
commenting on the arrest of Smith,
the San Francisco Bulletin has the fol-
lowing to say.
king of Trahickers.'
Norman B. Smith, fugitive from
Honolulu, and considered by Chief Will
kie and his secret service operatives the
King of Opium Traffickers,' was ar
rested today on board the Matson liner
Wilhelmina as the vessel entered the
quarantine station at Angel Island.
Thirty.fve hundred dollars in gold
was found by the federal officers in
Smiths effects. The money represents
the prisoner IS profits on his latest trip
to the Islands with large consignment
of the restricted drug, say the secret
service men who have been on Smith Is
trail for many months.
Though Smith S luggage consisted of
four suit cases and a steamer trunk,
they contained only few small arti-
cles of clothing when seized by the
federal officials today. The latter de-
clare that they have evidence that each
of the suit cases and trunk were loaded
down with tins of opium when he left
this city to sell the poppy extract
to drug victims of Honolulu.
MOfRt Trailed Prisoner.
The capture of the liking of the
Opium Traffickersv is said in federal
circles to be the direct result of the
work of Chief Harry Moffitt of the local
secret service, who spent several weeks
investigating the operations of the
opium ring in Honolulu recently.
Moffitt was detailed to the Islands
by the Washington authorities when the
customs officials of this port had failed
to apprehend the "higher ups" in
volyed in the traffic Months investi-
cations resulted in the seizure of almost
half million dollars worth of the drug
consigned to this port from China, and
it is believed that the secret service
head at the same time secured the in
formation that identified Norman b.
Smith as the directing genius of the
smugglers.
Refuses to Talk.
When asked to explain his posses
sion OF the $4,000 in gold which was
found in a sack in his baggage, which
he would not even trust to the purser
of the Wilhelmina, Smith calmly re-
fused to make any statement to the
arresting officers Neither would he ex-
plain why he was registered on the pas
senger list as j. b. Smith, though he
admitted that his name was Norman b.
Smith.
The prisoner is dapper young man,
about thirty years old, dressed in the
height of fashion and possessed of un-
usual refinement and intelligence.
He refused to give any information
regarding his past or his family af-
tiliations to Marshal Elliott. declaring
with broad smile that his attorney
would do all the talking. 81 am well
Connected he volunteered, r'and I
can t see any reason why l should drag
my family into this affair at present. +"
Despite the fact that almost a mil
lion dollars worth of opium has been
| seized by the customs searehers at this
port in the past year very few arrests
have been made. A few minor cap
lures of small operators have been eff
fected, but the customs authorities have
made notable failure of landing any
of the higher ups' in the traffic be-
hind federal bars.
ohicials in League.
When opium smuggling assumed such
vast proportions here recently Chief
Wilkie of the secret service was as
| signed by the Washington authorities
to the task of stamping out the traffic
and running down the big operators
The latter have amassed fortunes from
smuggling the drug into this port and
distributing it to their agents in every
large city in the United States. The
effect of Wilkes efforts is apparent in
the arrest Of Smith, and it is expected
that score of local men, who have
been backing the opium ring, viii soon
be in federal tolls.
II is rumored that certain govern
ment officials, who are alleged to have
been In league with the opium Snug.
glers, will shortly be brought to JUS
tice. II is known that several customs
ohieials have been subjected 10 the con
slant shadowing of Harry Mofiitt aue
his sleuths