GOLD BOOTLEGGING

Evening Star, Issue 19775, 27 January 1928, Page 3

GOLD BOOTLEGGING

BIG THEFTS IN CANADA. Bootlegging in gold is tho newest crime operated on an extensive scale in the Northern Ontario mining camps. Tho other day a suspected couple were observed to leave the gold town of Timmins hurriedly in a motor car. They were captured and the car and their belongings searched, but nothing incriminating was found. But the lady’s secret, like the secret of the “Black Cat” in Poe’s stc-y, was too ingenious to keep. She said they were carrying “ high grade.” _ But where ? asked the police. In a speciallycoustructod canvas brassiere laced tight under her corset she had nearly £2,000 worth of gold. The husband assumed al' responsibility, and tho woman was not charged. This capture led to tho arrest of an operator who had £5,800 in gold secreted in his premises, and is credited with disposing of £25,(500 worth in tho Inst few months. Ho pleaded guilty and was given tho option of a £OO0_ fine. The incident, with its evidence of wide ramifications in the traffic, has led 1 1 a drive against suspects on the part of the police. A dozen cases are awaiting trial. Tho gold is stolen by employees in the mines. No others have access to them, for all the works are surrounded by wired barricades, tho on’.,’ indication of possible romance in this prosaic looking treasure Louse. In some of the richer stopos gold is somtimes blasted out in flakes as largo as a pigeon’s egg—£B or £lO worth in a single lump. One thief, in .such a stope, can make away with tl native metal at an amazing rate. The thief requires an accomplice on the outside to get his stuff to market. Tho accomplice generally assumes tho rule of a harmless farmer who has ample opportunity to secrete the loot. A second accomplice is necessary to carry tho hoardings hundreds of miles away, where a market for such unusual merchandise can be found. This whole criminal business is difficult, but its profits are great and detection is difficult.

In many high-grade raining camps the custom is to have all miners strip ami go under a shower hath before they change into street ’clothes and check out of the works. Ontario miners have hesitated to put this practice in force, because of the high character of their labor. “ Ninety-five per cent, of our men are honest,” said one manager. “We do not want to make them suffer the indignity of a search every day, if we can catch the dishonest ones any other way.” But m practice the thieves within the mine are rarely caught. The “high-grade” operator outside docs not identify the men from whom he buvs his nuggets. He probably could not if be wanted to,_ He knows him as “ Mike,” and nothing else. Where did ho meet him? Probably in a pool room.

Another difficulty in out the crime is the reluctance of juries to be harsh on the accused. Mining communities find it hard to realise that treasure that is picked out of the earth is not public property. Moreover, they regard t,he law against “high-grading ” as unnecessarily harsh and “ unBritish.” Hence juries often_ hesitate to convict even where the evidence is convincing.

When “ high-grade ” is once stolen it is last for ever as as the real owner is concerned. Even if sejzed it cannot be identified as belonging to this or that mine. So there is n- ,-er any restitution. As a consequence all “high-grade” seizures are turned oyer by agreement to the Ontario Mining Association* where it is placed in a fund to be used, in fighting the traffic.