The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-03-29
A MARES NEST
In Which Captain Burt and 0ficer
Phillips are Caught.

About 7.3O o'clock on Sunday
t morning a celestial came into the
police headquarters and tod Captain
= Burt "Heep Chinaman kill, you Nc
quick come :" and made other equally
intelligible remarks. The captain
knowing Officer Phillips to be the
best Chinaman about the station
called him from bed. When Mr.
Phillips got down stairs the China
man renewed his statement adding
that there were men with drawn
swords, and if they did not make
pretty lively tracks "heep Chinaman
kill; Twenty-Five; no pipty kill; ali
dead Chinaman" Thinking there
was a row in progress in the Chinese
Quarters both hurried off. Their
celestial guide led them down to the
old rickety Washington House, Oh
Third South Street. After little
difficulty they gained admission.
and were led up stairs to the large
hall on the second floor. Officer
Phillips put his head in first and be-
held the room almost filled with
Chinamen. There were six or seven
kneeling on the floor and perhaps half
a dozen marching about them with
drawn swords, cleaning and keen
edged, and the weapons were being
swung about the heads of those Oh
the floor, all present singing sort
of incarnation, doubtless in the an
cient heather vernacular. As soon as
they save officer Phillips, who entered
with Captain Burt, all proceedings
stopped and the utmost con-
fusion was evidenced. The next
minute they espied the heather
guide who had led the gentlemen
there, and q rush was made for him.
He was seized, dragged in, and was
beaten most numerically, every
Chinaman who could get within
reach striking him a blow. The
efforts of the officers were utterly
powerless among so many, there
being probably 100 to 125 Cinnamon
in the room, and they were crowded
back to the wall and guard placed
over the door to prevent anyone
from escaping. After acting like
maniacS for time, some of them
actually frothing at the mouth, they
released the fellow heather, and fell
back. A consultation ensued, and
after few moments gibberish, &C
companied by the most excited
and menacing gesticulatiOns, an
other rush was made for the ship
poll traitor or spy-as they calleC
him, and he was again cuffed, kicked
and beaten most numerically. One
of those with drawn sword,
grabbed the unlucky Celestial
by the queue. In an instant
the bright sword was gledm-
ing in the air, and was
about to sever the unhappy China
man and his queue forever, when his
arm was seized and the victim was
spared the indignity. In the mean
time Messrs. Burt and Phillips stood
against the wall, anticipating a rusl
at themselves by the wild mob; and
knowing they did not stand GHOST
of chance against such numbers.
both would have been quite willing
to leave. The only thing Captain
Burt could see was an old shovel
handle, and he drew it back againS
the wall a little at time, so as to
grab it if a rush were made for
them.
However, the heathens having
themselves on the Chi
naman that had informed on them,
and having also exhausted him, they
told the officers they could go and
take the fellow with them.
The officers Immediately started
to do so, but before he
got out of the door they
again seized him, and took him back
into the room, and refused to give
him up, but promised not to injure
him any more. The officers were
then allowed to take their de-
partuTe.
1t appears the Cinnamon were
the annual meeting of their
grand lodge, and were initiating
four or five new members, who had |
come here from other localities to
be admitted. sThe heather who took |
The police officers to the place had |
been admitted a year previous, but |
mad never paid his initiation fee,
md while present at the ceremonies,
which had been going on all night,
mad quaTrelsd with one of the Off |
GERS, and left vowing he would have |
hem all arrested. He made the /
effort, with the result above stated. |
The officers say he was pretty full,
Is majority Of those in the hall /
to be also, and this prob
ably accounted for his telling on |
hem. They were described as being
costumed. One had a
stick running out straight from one /
If his shoulders for about a foot, to
which was attached. being partly |
around it, a long, red piece
IF goods. Another wore Il scarlet,
loose covering, like a shroud or
5Oga, hanging over one shoulder,
-he other being free, with cap on |
ais head. Several had red belts |
around their waists; while the hall /
was filled up in true heather Ma
sonic style. The Chinese MasOns |
claim that their order dates back /
some 6,oOO years, while the lowest |
estimate put it between 1000 and
!, 900 years old.
On Monday Officer Phillips was
told that the betrayer had not been
any farther, and that he
would be unmOlested in future. 1t
would be useless to make any ar
rests for neither Captain Burt nor
Officer Phillips could tell who struck
him, everything being in such con-
fusion and all acting like wild
liends with froth foaming from their
mouths. Neither of the gentlemen
l..