Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1872-12-09
4 ohinese noarding Hoase.

Z ;
LA A Chinese boarding House.
New York Herald. San francisco cor.l
When we had wearied ourselves with
the alley. inspection the officer said,
Letus go to the ChinamaR's boarding
house, and you will see something
strange" No. &C Cherry street is the
favorite home of the Celesitals, and is
an old and tumble-down structure, the
timbers frail and trembling, and the
windows and doors broken and decayed.
Look out for your head and feet, said
the officer, as we entered the narrow
doorway, and don't move until | strike
light" AS he spoke | stumbled over
and fell against the wall, down which
the damp was pouring in streams. A
faint odor of opium pervaded the build
ing, which became more marked the fur
ther we entered. The officer after some
difficulty succeeded in striking q light;
and carefully picking our steps we went
along the corridors, the floor Of which
was thick with holes. Numbers Of
rats, disturbed by our approach, scamp
cred along and went down into dark
cellar at the further end of the hall
When we reached the end we ascended
miserable fight of stairs; and the
chattering Of voices proclaimed that we
were among the Cinnamon. Pushing
open door we entered into an apart
ment in which seven or eight Cinnamon
and an equal number of white women
their wives or paramours) were domi-
ciled, some Of them sleeping but all lying
Stretched upon the ground. Bed there
was none; a pillow of rude construction
under the head of some of the men, be-
ing the only evidence of comfort that
the room presented. The women started
up at our approach and some of the
men, but the greater number of the lat
ter were so stupid in the drunkenness of
opium that they we're incapable Of
speech or action. Their dark, oval eyes
were wide open, but they betrayed
no other sign of consciousness. A huge
supply of opium and a pipe were placed
in the middle Of the room for the use of
the men when they would wake up in
the middle Of the night. The room was
almost destitute Of furniture or cooking
utensils, stove being all it contained,
The woman good-naturedly handed us
some specimens of the cigars retailed on
Chatham street for five cents; but it is
unnecessary to say the offer was de.
clined with thanks. The women are
mostly English, and say they get on
very well with the Cinnamon, though
they occasionally get badly used. 1T
was in this building" said my guide,
that some three years ago the great
murder was committed" What muir
der do you alluda tol' said l. II
allude to the murder by the Chi
naman one winters night A Celestial
who had been rendered insane by opium
and drinking came in late in the
night and found his wife in bed. Selling
a knife, he literally hacked her in pieces.
and after finishing her he went for an
other Chinaman, whom he also killed.
He then went in search of his child,
which he could not find, and disap-
pointed in this, he repaired to another
room in the house and attacked second
man, whom he stabbed in the back, but
did not kill. He then took the knife
and turned it upon himself, inAicting
seven wounds, any one of which would
have proved mortal. This is the room
pointing to q small hole about six feet
by eight in which he killed his two vic
tins, and this other one is where he at
tempted to dispatch the third. l was
on duty that night in the locality, and
full as the ward always is of horrors, the
sensation the affair caused was terrible. |
But let US go down, we are long enough |
up here"
We descended the stairs, and in doing |
so | would have stumbled into the cellar |
had it not been that the officer caught
me. We went down into the cellar, a |
vault, infested with rats |
and vermin OF all kinds. There was no |
light, and here also Cinnamon were
sleeping, stretched upon the damp floor.
The character of the place may be
guessed when, even in broad day, ray
Of light does not penetrate into the re-
cesses of the living tomb, and no breath
Of pure air can reach those who nightly
sleep in it. Sick at heart and stomach,
we did not long remain here, and when
we got into the street the cool night
Dreezes seemed 10 be blessings direct
from heaven.