Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-09-19
ACROSS Line into MEXICO
Heavy Trade In Firearms and Am.
s munltiOn
SMUGGLING PRACTIcED WHOLESALE
Goods From China and Japan are
Landed on tho Pacific Coast and
Brought Over the Line Without
Paying Any Custom Duties. Z


New York Times.
DR.. p. B. Altendorf, who was in the
United States Military Intelligence de-
parment, last Monday estimated the
amount of smuggling carried on across
the Mexican border at between $4,000
600 and $4,000. 900 a year. OF the esti-
mated $14,0o0.000 worth of goods that
are smugSled from the United States,
he said that from s4,ooo,0oo to s6,Oo0,-
600 represented arms and ammunition
going to Carranza. Villa, and others.
DIR. Atendorf gave. these, figures in
telling the story of Villa agent in
San Antonio. who. is still waiting for a
thirty million dollar consignment
which he hoped to obtain from a DIR.
p. Amagony. The latter, was none
other than DR.. Altcndorf, who opened
negotiations with the San, Francisco
agent in order to obtain Information
regarding smuggling, He told the story
Monday in the Office of the National
Association for the : Protection of
American Rights in Mexico. SAT Fifth
Avenue. Si
OF the snuggfed arms. no said villa
and other So called rcvolnti ntiohssts get
about SO per cent; the othor $40 per
cent. he purchases from carrisnzistas.
II the snauggled part Of his supplies
werc cut off, he added, Villa would
have to go, out Of business as he could
NOT keep going on the Other 40 per
cent. I
-some interesting ,detTis about
smuggling came to my attention" ne
bald. "For instance. there is a re-
negade American who was an agent of
MEXICAN Consul Cara at Browns
vile, Texas. and also the confidential
agent of Carranza, who was also at
one time the confidential agent of Won
Eckhardt, the German ambassador to
Mexico In the latter capacity he
bought s36, 900 worth of nickel on Aug.
%, 1917. to prevent it from getting in
to !the hands of Americans. On Dec.
14,S1s1s, this man was in Brownsville,
bidding against Colonel Chapa, revo-
lutionist, for a lot of ammunition and
rides worth about $4,000.
aThfe same Individual was response
BILE for the Carrizai massacre on June
21ss1s1s, in which two American off,
GERS and thirteen troops were killed and
twenty-three wounded. The Carran-
zistas were short of ammunition at
that time, and could not have mace
the attack IL this American had not
purchased and shipped into Mexico
$i65. 900 worth. of ammunition. He is a
particularly dangerous man, because.
being in the Mexican consular service.
he is allowed to come and 80 as he
pleases.
.The Yaqui Indians purchase in the
United States and smuggle across the
border ammunition to the value of
$4,000 to $4,000 a year. They are
allowed to buy only one hundred
rounds at a time; but there is no
limit to the number Of times an indi-
vidual may buy hundred rounds. All
the. large general stores along the
border carry heavy stocks Of arms
and ammunition. so 1t is a very simple
matter to pick UP supply, IL one has
a little patience. The Yaquis are well
armed with the latest type rifles and
always have plenty of ammunition. In
1918 eleven Yaquis were caught snug
Cling ammunition. They were given
brief Jail terms; but usually nothing
happens.
"Carran2a has one agent in Browns
VILE, Tex, who sent 1000 rounds of
ammunition to his employer at one
time. Villa must be rather hard press
ed just now; for in March of the
present year his wife pawned her
jewIry in San Antonio for $4,000 and
used the proceeds to pick up u bargain
In ammunition. l am afraid l may
have caused Mr.. Villa some embarrass-
ment in obtaining supplies Of ammu-
milton, for I reported a good many
schemes of his to the proper authori-
ties. One particular report, made in
November, 1918, concerned Villas plan
to smuggle s500,000 in silver bullion
across athe border near Candelaria.
Texas, about Dec. II, and deliver it to
an American agent to pay for con-
signment of ammunition. A watch
was set and Villa did not succeed In
getting the bullion across until late in
January, 1913.
Munitions Of war are not the only
articles smugglcd south. For one
thing a good many stolen automobiles,
reach Mexico without paying customs
dues One can pick up car worth
$1,000 on the Mexican side of the
border for about $780, Maria Haas, q
notorious German female spy. and her
accomplice, Maria Wilkinson, in May,
1918, took between $4,000 and $4,000
worth of dutiable goods across the
Mexican border without paying n cent
of dues and delivered them to black
listed German firms in Mexico. In
January, 1918, she smuggled more than
$4,000 worth of dutiable goods across
the border.
Great quantities of opium are snug
gled across the border. 1t comes to
west coast ports of Mexico in Japanese