The Opium King’s Last Stand: A Seattle Showdown
As federal agents prepare to prosecute the city's most notorious vice figure, he stands defiant in his hotel room, claiming his trunks were rigged and vowing to clear his name before a New York jury.
The story, cleaned up
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"I am ready for trial as I will ever be," declared A. Gardner, young chief of police turned opium kingpin, to a reporter yesterday. "I defy my accusers to prove what they allege."
Gardner, who has been staying at the Queen City Hotel while searching for a location for his new enterprise, insisted he was innocent of smuggling charges. He recounted how a grand jury had indicted him based on the theory that trunks supposedly containing opium were actually filled with sand and tar during his tenure as chief inspector.
"It now dawns upon me that I am accused of removing the opium from these cans while they were in my shop and substituting the sand and tar," Gardner said. "I went over to Victoria and remained there ten days looking up the history of the trunks in question, and I am now ready to refute their charges in toto."
Despite his confidence, Gardner expressed fear that government officials would postpone his case indefinitely. He confirmed he had met with Mr. Harned at the custom house but stated he had no desire to see Mr. Beecher until his trial took place in New York.
"I am here to answer all charges brought against me," he said, "and I defy my accusers to prove what they allege."
A. Gardner was a real-life figure in Seattle's early history, transitioning from police chief to a prominent (and controversial) businessman involved in the opium trade and later the lumber industry. His legal battles highlight the murky intersection of law enforcement and vice in frontier cities, where the line between regulating illegal goods and profiting from them was often blurred.
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