The Detroit times., 1911-09-08
Customs Inspectors, Fighting Snug
glers, Are Willing Witnesses To
Fact That Bret Harte Had a Good
Knowledge of the Celestial.
How Customs Officers Pursued Their
Prey To Capture Supplies
Of Opium.
BY r. w. MADISON.
SAN FRANCISCO, Cal, Sept. g.
For ways that are dark
And tricks that are vain,

And trlckS tnat are VAIN,
The heather Chinee is peculiar.
It's an old quotation, to be sure. But
it's the only one that seems TO fit; and
it's the one that has convinced the
San Francisco customs house inspec-
tors. now fighting the opium SNUG
gler. that Bret arte had mode than
working knowledge OF the wiles or
John Chinaman.
When the opium is successfully
landed, the customs officials are not
through with IT, Working through tips
from underground" they soon get
wind of successful smuggling. Then
follows chase, perhaps a chase only
OF cunning against cunning, maybe the
real dime novel affair, punctuated by
pistol shots and colored with blood, the
scene laid In the dark by-ways OF
Chinatown or the water front. In
either case It's Fascinating game.
this pitting cleverness and skill against
John Chinaman, but dangerous game
sometimes.
In the San Francisco customs service.
The opium chase that netted not
opium, but struggled Cinnamon.
Customs inspectors cad, Benniger,
Sackett and offaker were guarding an
Oriental liner, tied to her dock In San
Francisco harbor. The night was dark,
rain falling In torrents. The men We're
soaked to the skin and shivering from
the cutting wind that dashed the rain
into their faces. Suddenly out OF the
darkness, came the sound OF muffled
oars and the squeak Of oars In the
locks. The inspectors couldn't see the
boat, but they could hear II drawing
rapidly away. They gave chase, racing
along the bulkhead. They stopped for
an instant to locate the boat, when
talking in rapid fire, and the low,
harsh command of someone to shut
their traps" The inspectors drew
closer. In front of them was row.
boat, while on the sand, crouched low,
was crowd. With shout OF warn
ing, as he saw the officers, one man
leaped for the boat, followed by an
other.
Come back here or Wen fire."
shouted the officer. Is answer was q
fash Of flame, sharp report and the
whine OF bullet Revolver flash after
fash lit the scene From the boat
came cry OF pain. During the battle
fifteen Cinnamon had huddled together
on the beach, strangers In a strange
land. chattering and shivering, and
when the officers came up to them
they went willingly to the immigration
station to be deported.
Two days later woundedQman was
found In hospital. A bullet had en-
tered his thigh. He was Schultz. a
stevedore long suspected of smuggling
opium and Cinnamon from the liners.
Is now facing charge Of violating
the immigration laws.
The thin chlnaman who became
fat.
When Customs Inspector K. e. En-
low OF San Francisco left his home
one morning he wasn't thinking OF
opium. AS the street car swung
through Chinatown he noticed a fat,
gorgeously dressed Chinaman wad-
ding down the street The China
man turned and the inspector gasped.
Two days before Wong Suey had been
thin. Now he looked to weigh 200
pounds. Inspector Enlow left the car
and sauntered up to Wong.
pSttiHB iaI ali VI n buuuen, en-,
Wong?" he asked. The Chinaman
eyed him calmly, as he answered:
No gettee fat. No sabe you say
fat"
Inspector Enlow slid his hand gent
ly down Wongs back; II struck hard
bumps here and there and the bumps
didn't feel like flesh.
Then the inspector suggested that
Wong take walk with him. At the
customs house 20 0pounds of opium,
in half pound tins, worth about $1,000, |
was taken from specially made |
jacket. Now IL Enlow hadn't suspect.
ed Wong before and also known that
Wong's father had been convicted OF
smuggling, Wong would be still get
ting fatter and fatter, financially, on
struggled opium. AS II is, he faces
either a heavy fine or Imprisonment.
2 The Story Of We Fong Laundry
man.
When We Fong, laundryman, stop
ped his wagon In Chinatown at -
O'Clock one night. he probably didn't
know that two customs officers were
piping" him from a nearby hallway.
But Fong soon discovered II. He
was about TO unload a basket or
laundry when another Chinaman tip
ped him on. Fong slammed his basket
in the wagon. dashed his horses into a
gallop and ran away with the inspec-
tors in pursuit. Up hill, around cor
ner, down steep inclines. with his
rickety wagon swaying from side TO
side and threatening to upset every
second, went Fong madly. One in
spector cut across lot TO head him
OF and lost him. but Inspector Enlow
held on.
At last, confident that he had out
dfatanced the of1cera FonQ drove into