The Carpenter's Secret Compartment

Our customs officers in this district are vigilant. A discovery yesterday brought this fact prominently before the people of this community. Chief Inspector H. A. Gardner has been instrumental in tracing up numerous schemes of smuggling and in doing so has employed his time and energies almost night and day. He has friends in Victoria, B.C., who keep him posted as to the movements of certain people supposed to be in the unlawful business of smuggling. Upon Mr. Gardner's return from his recent trip to the East, he was informed by these friends in Victoria that a new scheme of systematic smuggling had been discovered. He immediately detailed inspectors Witherell and Terry to inspect the steamer 'North Pacific.' On Wednesday, the three officers proceeded to Victoria on that steamer. While there, they noticed a lonely-looking chest that had been recently painted. It was landed at the dock and finally it was placed on the steamer and checked to Tacoma. The officers concluded to watch the chest and try to see the owner. The latter did not appear, however, and when the steamer touched at the Seattle wharf, Chief Gardner gave orders to have the chest removed to the office of Deputy Collector Winslow. On opening the chest, it was found to contain a complete kit of well-worn carpenter's tools, most of them carefully kept as though the owner had been an economical and hard-working mechanic. The first idea was to probe for opium under the chest's false bottom, but that old scheme was foiled; the bottom was solid. Around the sides of the top board were new wooden strips that seemed to lend it an additional appearance of solidity and nothing more. However, in probing around the top hole, recently filled with putty, we found it, and further search discovered, in the insulation along that line, the inspectors found many squares which held, instead of handles, what were supposed to be all-wool, but what in reality proved to be hollowed boxes filled with tightly wedged tins of opium. The inner area around the bottom of the chest contained 40 pounds, and that around the top 14 pounds of opium, which had cost in Victoria nothing over $10 per pound. Besides these spaces for concealing opium, there was found on the top board small partitioned areas suitable for a success of about $2,500 worth of lace. There was no evidence of recent use of the chest for real carpentry, but this new scheme has been discovered by the vigilant officers, and the smugglers will be compelled to divert to their nefarious or invent some new device. The opium, together with the chest and all its contents, will be taken to Port Townsend and there disposed of at public auction.