A Moldy Box at the Wharf: How Customs Agents Caught a Father-Son Smuggling Team
A $1,500 shipment of fine woolens from Canada was tracked from Whatcom to Seattle, leading to the arrest of R. Simons and his son J. Simons.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
R. Simons, a former merchant of British Columbia, and his son, J. Simons, were arrested yesterday by Deputy Collector Mulcahy, assisted by Instruction Inspector W. R. Gourley, for smuggling a lot of fine woolens and worsteds, valued at $1,500. The father was held by Commissioner Spriggs in $500 bonds for hearing October 3, and the son sent to jail to await the action of the United States grand jury.
The story as brought out before the commissioner is that on September 14 a mouldy, musty box was noticed on the wharf at Whatcom by Deputies Flannagan and Maloney, and their suspicions being aroused they opened it and found it filled with the finest of woolen and worsted goods. They held the box till Sunday night, when they allowed it to be conveyed to this city by the steamer Island Belle, consigned to Sam Davis. The box was unloaded at the City dock, and was watched by Inspector Maloney, dressed in citizen's clothes. J. Simons, the son, came and paid the freight and sent the box by a transfer wagon, on which rode the inspector, and had it stored in the basement of the Washington Territory Investment building. After a short time young Simons instructed the transfer company to take the box to the Epler block, 603 Second Street. The company declined to remove the box, as there was no elevator and it weighed 200 pounds. So Simons started to divide the goods. While he was doing so Harry Shaubat and William Miles, of the transfer company, were present. Inspector Maloney approached and engaged them in conversation, and after a short time drew from Simons the statement they were the finest imported goods and belonged to his father, who had failed in British Columbia some time before, and wanted to save them. Inspector Maloney at this arrested the son and took him before Commissioner Spriggs. While there the father came in and was also arrested.
Old Simons admitted the goods were his and were taken from the stock at Vancouver. When asked how they came here he said he didn't know.
The young man was bound over to await the action of the grand jury and went to jail in default of $100 bail. The other's bonds were placed at $500 and the case continued to October 3. The bonds were furnished by H. Cenz, the Jewish rabbi, and J. A. Alpirn.
“They were the finest imported goods and belonged to his father, who had failed in British Columbia some time before, and wanted to save them.”
Customs enforcement and smuggling have always been part of Seattle's port history. This 1894 case shows how a suspicious box and a diligent inspector could unravel a family's scheme to dodge duties—a reminder that border enforcement has long been a cat-and-mouse game.
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