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Show &I'iuiit2LiiG ur OPIUM Seattle, Wash., May 16. John A. Ilalston, a 70-year-old man arrested In 1 Portland on opium smuggling charges I testified at bis trial yesterday to I wholesale traffic in opium m the Pacific Pa-cific northwest, with several customs. j officials cognizant of tbo business, Halston admitted his own guilt by declaring Charllo Louie, a Chinese, Joint dofandant on tho charge of conspiracy con-spiracy to smuggle opium, to be innocent. in-nocent. Halston asserted that all tho manipulations man-ipulations of the opium ring had been conducted by Henry Wellman, a mysterious person whoso address was 508 Now York block. Wellman, ho said, had been responsible for the fixing fix-ing of tho customs men. "It was our custom," Ralston said, "to Bend out samples of small lots of opium, taken from big consignments. consign-ments. These samples would be considered con-sidered by the customer, Just llko other merchandise samples, and It thoy were up to grade, orders for big shipments would follow. We never retained tho drug." Ralston said tho opium all came from China and said that Wellman had told him customg officers would pass It off the steamers. When It arrived In Seattle It would bo aecrcted In various places ho said, "gome times in my room. I had In my room a number of opium JhcTcots with pockets running around the Bides. Whenever a big consignment of opium came In a bunch of Chinese would call and get the Jackets. With them they brought the opium ashore. United States Attorney Sullivan In his address to the Jury declared that the mysterious "Wellman was no other than Charlie Louie himself." Tho address given hs tho headquarters headquar-ters of the alleged mythical Wellman Is an office formerly occupied by Sam uel D. Hausmnn, aged 70 years old, who was arrested In Honolulu February Febru-ary 8 with a large quantity of opium and who tried to commit suicide after his arrest. Hhusman Is the father-in-law of George F. Vandcrvor, formerly former-ly prosecuting attorney of King county coun-ty nnd counsel for tho defendants In tho present trial. |