Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 99, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 August 1901 — SMUGGLE IN CHINESE. [ARTICLE]

SMUGGLE IN CHINESE.

Government Traps Corrupt Officials Who Were Selling 1 ertificates. Probably the most important arrests ever made in connection with the smuggling of Chinese across the Mexican border into the United States were made the other day in Arizona, when William M. Hoey, collector of customs at Nogales; B. F. Jossey, an immigrant inspector, Frank How, a Chinaman living in Nogales, and another Chinaman living at Clifton, Mexico, just across the border from Nogales, were taken into custody by special agents of the treasury and secret service operatives. It is stated fWt with two or three exceptions, the whole customs and..-immi-gration administrations at Nogaies are involved. Some time ago an official of the Treasury Department having Nogales as his headquarters wrote the department that lie had reason to believe the official force at that point was corrupt, and that Chinese in large numbers were being smuggled across the border for a consideration. A secret service operative was sent there at once and plans laid to secure evidence against the persons under suspicion. Several Chinamen were furnished with money and sent on to buy their way through the official cordon. This was accomplished withbut difficulty, the price demanded being from SSO to S2OO. The secret service men also arranged with one or two employes whose honesty had been tested to go into the collector's office at a certain time and demand a share of the money being received from Chinamen. This was reluctantly agreed to and considerable sums of money were handed over in the presence qind fqll hearing of a secret service man, who had previously secreted himself in a near-by office closet. The utmost care and secrecy was maintained from the first to secure positive proof against each man under suspicion.