The Hawaiian gazette., 1918-05-07
TWOARRESTS MADE
. IN BIG OPIUM DEAL
Small Fortune In Dope Floats
Ashore On Nilhau Gets Cow
boy and Chinese Into Trouble

F,af'f HNfi' ~ 5000 s. va t-.F.fEt tN
Four months after approximately
$4,000 worth Of high grade opium
dtifted ashore on the little Is1Atd of
Niihau, and eventually came into ttke
possession Of the federal Authorities In
Honolulu, a Hawaiian and q Chinese
have been arrested for the sale and
pDrchase Of small portion Of this
shipment of the drug from the Orient
before the larger Quantity was turned
over to the government. 'TI'
The shipment Of opium was thrown
overheard from IN Oriental steamer
bound for Honolulu, but the cork
buoyed package was not of sufficient
buoyancy to keep II afioat above the
surface Of the sea, 80 It could be found
by a Japanese sampan which fruitless
ly cruised for days mp and down the
coast of Niihau in search of the smHll
fortune. Later, the package was found
on the Niihau beach by some Hawa
iians, who we're mot certain IL was
opium, and cached IL while they notified
the authorities In Honolulu.
| 1t was while the opium was hidden
in the home, Of q Hawaiian named
Keole that another Hayaiian, Joe IA
lua, let his eupidity and curiosity
overcome him. He confesses to hay
ing distracted four tins from the pack
aye, These four tins Kalua took to
! Mana, Kauai, and is alleged to have
sold them to Poo Lee Kan, a Chinese
rice planter, for $3.50.
When once supplied with what ap
peared to him a fortune Kalua was not
tempted to return TO Niihau and try
to steal the rich cache of over seventy
tins Of opium. Instead he sent 800
| to the wife Of the Hawaiian from
whose home he had taken the opium
and dispensed money freely among his
Kauai friends, explaining he had got
en- his pocket full Of gold by gam
bling. with Filipinos. Afterwards he
came TO Honolulu and remained here
spending his money until he was ar
rested last week by Marshal J, J
Spiddy, on information received from
Kr""i I'D Niihou.
i The Keole family, who first found
hn0 ma Ihe OPIUM, had asserted that
they had counted eighty tins, and sew
enty four were all, that were turneC
~ ", to the Narshal when he made 8
special trip in January to Niihau Il
get the package OF, drug. This wa
reported to the federal officials anC
suspicion was directed to Kalua, be
sause Of his unexplained wealth ap(
gratuities to- friends, =.
When confronted by the marshal AND
district attorney in Honolulu, Kalu,
admitted that he had taken four O
the tins of opium from the package
, and sold them TO Chinaman in Mana
Marshal Smiddy, accompanied b!
District Attorney Huber, went to Kau
| al Tuesday and located the purchaser
Poo Lee Kan, who admitted buying til
Opium. . BoIh the ,Chinaman and tn
former Niihau Hawaiian cowboy insis
} that there were only four tins in tn
! transaction, leaving two tins Of tn
eighty still unaccouBted for. -1r
Two hundred dollars q tin Is sal
to have, been the value of the opium
!. sold to the Chinaman, although tn
r Hawaiian got much less. Its hig
e value is due to the fact that 1t wa
|. what is known, as Chicken dope, \
great fayorite with opium users.
The arrest of Kalua on the Opiur
|. charge is said to imp!icate n Hawt
J.. Iiian, in an opium deal in the Island
for the first time in many years.
. While. the district attorney and maj
! shall were on Kauai they also arrest
cd another Chinaman, Foo Lung Shacl
e at HsnaleL Acting on information @
!. Hnpalei opium users, who, are anxiou
to have Temptation removed from tn
!. valley where there are about 300 CD
nese living, raid was made on tn
Q Foo Lung Shack home and about ivy
e hundred dollars worth of the dru
3 found, according to the officials .