Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-08-06

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opium in the most horrible of dens''-
:" He saves his money!
"And takes it out of the State to
spend in China -
HE isindispensible -
"But he is q curse to the communi-
tyu-
I" He will make O useful citizen"-
ellis whole race are vicious and de-
graded" lht
All of which we grant as being very
true. If there is any being in the
world whom you utterly fail to under
stand, it is your little, Sleek, mild
hammered, docile John. He learns all
that you wish to teach him, and some
times more, but himself imparts moth
ing. While the affirmation is con-
stantly on the other hand, you are re-
ally the one who "no sabbies.n Per-
haps our readers would like to know
where their faithful field hands, their
servants and their handy men gener-
ally betake themselves, when at night
the work has been accomplished in
neatness and order, and John, as he
vanishes out of the back door, says his
"goo-by" so affably. We had an op-
portunity of finding out few nights
ago. When q friend of ours whose bus
iness makes him acquainted with the
ways that are dark and tricks that
are vain" invited US to take the mid
night rounds with him, we accepted
thankfully, and one of the strangest
of our experiences was the result.
Negro Alley, the Chinese quarters,
has, as all know, on either side long
rows Of tumble-down adobe buildings,
which present all of the characteris-
tics of ancient ruins, with little of
their usually attributed poetry. The
awnings which run along the fronts
of the buildings have long since ceased
to be ornaments, if they ever were
such. Here and there the roof has
taken crazy tilt up or down, the soil
which covered it in lieu of thatch is
gone and numberless sky-lights i'm
provised by time and the elements let
streaks of sunshine through the fast
decaying mass.
"On every hand the aspect Is the same,
All ruin'd, desolate, fOrlorn and savage"
The buildings are divided into little
apartments, low ceiled, and almost
guiltless of windows, and these are
filled to their utmost by Celestial hui
manity, in all of It's various phases.
The laundryman, the shoemaker, the
shop-keeper are ranged along, side by
side, in their little seven-by-nine
quarters, together with various monde
script establishments whose exact
character it is not necessary for us to de-
fine. Besides accommodating the ne
cessary channels of trade, the apart
ments all do double duty as domiciles,
lodging and eating houses, and estab-
lishments whose character we shall
state hereafter.
At night, the scene is busy one,
lights are all burning, and the inhab-
itants are constantly passing to
and fro, buzZing in their odd lingo,
like hive of bees. This is prolonged
far into the small hours of the morn
ing. 1t was twelve o'clock when we
arrived upon the scene. Our COM
panion stuck his head into one apart
ment where cOnclave of Celestials
were seated around, and saluted them
with, "Hi, John Gee Lung here p"
Gee Lung was the man upon whom
we hinged our hopes of being shown
through the settlement with some de-
gree of accuracy and intelligence. We
wished him for an interpreter. But
Gee Lung was not forthcoming, and
we were obliged to make several other
Intellectual inquiries for him before he
stood before us.
The first room which we visited was
gambling house, where the Chi
nese game of Tan" was in pro-
gress. We entered through q sort
of ante-room, passing the man who
was keeping guard over the en-
trance, with a familiar word from our
interpreter. Within, the apartment
was devoid of household effects ex-
cept long table covered with mat
ting of rush, around which the players
were thickly gathered carrying on
their game. "Tan" is a game of odd
and even, played by. any number who
can accommodate themselves about
the board. At one end the dealer or
banker il stationed with pile of
bright little copper chips or coins each
with square hole in the center. He
rakes out q portion of them with his
hands into a separate pile, and places
q metallic cover over it. Then the
bets are made, whether the pile con-
tains an even or odd number OF pieces
and the players stake the amounts Of
their venture. When this part of the
proceeding has been accomplished,
the banker removes the metallic cover
and proceeds to rake back the coins
four at time with small stick.
The number is even; the bank wins,
the man at the head Of the table
gathers in his harvest of dimes, and
the game proceeds. s....
Turning from the crowd so eagarly
engaged in this to us) some what mo-
notOnous pastime, we entered another
room where party Of Mexicans were
seated at long, narrow table
playing the Spanish keno game,
Here was a motley group, young and
old, women, men and boys, were
closely intent upon the proceeding.
Each player was provided with a
small board, somewhat resembling a
checker-board, only that the different
squares were adorned with pictures.
A Mexican of rather fine appearance
stood at the head of the table and con-
Quoted the game. Before him was a
board similar to those which the play
ers had, only larger and covered with
all of the pictures introduced, whereas
the others had each only a part of
them. In his hand heC held q good
sized copper vessel shaped somewhat
like mammoth egg and fitted with a
cover. Into this he placed lot of
small wooden checks, each bearing
picture corresponding to one on his
board. When he had the checks we'll
shaken up in his chance box, he open
ed it, and drew them out one by one
naming the cha ra ct ars Iln0n the M In