CLUMSY SMUGGLER

Hokitika Guardian, 11 April 1932, Page 2

CLUMSY SMUGGLER

BETRAYED BY THIRST

CHINESE ON A LINER

NEW YORK, April. 4.

The existence of an organisation for smuggling immigrants into the United States and elsewhere, with representa- | tives in Bremen and in Hamburg, | New York, Philadelphia, and Sydney, | Australia, was disclosed at the trial in Bremen of two stewards and a dislu walsher of the Bremen’s crew, who had stowed four Qliine-se aboard that crack liner in n most fantastic manner, and only failed to got them ashore at New York because an unobserved getaway proved impossible. Last spring one of two stewards, who is also a bit of a carpenter, rigged up a secret chamber over the ceiling of the Bremen’ts library, which he later stocked with bedding and canned food. Late on the night of June 5, while the Bremen was lying at Bremerhaven, a boat slipped alongside and four Chinamen were put on board by means of a rope ladder. Each paid £4O for passage.

It being impossible to land them at New York, they had to return to Bremen. Two days out on the home journey the smugglers forgot or neglected to supply their freight with drinking water The Chinese stood it- as long as they could, but finally had to shout and bang on the wall, which gave away tlie- enterprise.

The three smugglers were sentenced to prison terms of from two to ten months.