New-York tribune., 1885-01-29
DowNFALL OF 4 MDrT-sT. CRGsUs.

LEE oUoNG's CuECKuRED CAREER As CHINESE
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. LEFT BEHIND HIM.
Lee Quong for a number Of years has been CON
sidercd tho CrGsus OF Cninatown; lie kcpt I'a
general surroundings OF the feStahfanf
are not suggestive, Eof pemonlco',.
Neither the linen nor the other eating house acces
sories would aid the digestion by their neatncss or
checrfulncss Lee Quong was an Angleci1cd China-
man. much to the regret OF sIysr"' Tn1irrT
Lee Ououg was an educated thnainan. I'm
tact. he had the reputation OF being tue
master OF a sufficient number OF languages
10 have passed around among the different builders
of me tower of Bable. couycr,ed u"ntly with each
one and still have had several tongues to spare:
American taIior's art. lie lived at the china
mems Club and was the observed OF all
Observer II go.niSs M9s Siowcr Of ayo was ana
iofty and was the envy of all other hiuamcn ana
much cultivated by the upper ten oi chinese s1ci-
etv. The bellies of MOTT and Baxter SIS. felt that
tbsv were exceptionally favored if Lee Quong cast
sIy gauces out of his Celestial eye, their drcc-
ton and believed themselves blessed.
lie talked uently financial questions. about the
monetary success OF bis Re- taurant a position
which he said he held rs an Inspector oi teas III the
Custom House, his Immense success ~
only dimmcd by tie great confagrauor
nj that place and his great opportunities of lnycst-
ing money, whore 1t would make large returns.
TO mako good mis- statement about his proli-
| ncnce as tea merchant in Chicago he showed hie
insurance. policies amounting to +@3'Ooo Inc
| C1BmUaHle5 had been WIctktu DS INC Hlt ana
| Inc had not been able 10 collect cent.
He was believed 10 be great tnanclcr by the tLi-
nc.e and vas ma ie president of the Chinese cigar
| makers Union. Every Saturday nlgnt tine China
men who had the honor of his staucc cutrlst-
| ed to him then harl-earncd savings that he might
| invest them III the " bOIauzas' that he talked
! abOut.
| hbont two weeks ago n small cloud, no bigger
| than a mans hand appeared on the financial
horizon of Lee QuOnQ lle lJlled 10 pay his butcher
and his baker. Still his admirers cuug 10 hun.
Last Sunday morning, however, the fact
| that he was Ferdinand Ward instead OF
| CrUsus was forced upon them Lee Quong
had transferred his restaurant to an Italian and
| had disappeared. He owed all of whom he had an
| oppOrtunity 10 borrow money, and been trusted
wherever II had been convenient 10 obtain credit.
The place in the Custom House had been a fiction,
! and his financial schemes had no moro foundation
! than the Government cOntTactSOf Ferdinand Ward.
! Inauiry in Chinatown fouud the general opinion
| that zee Qu0ng had proved himself Il bad Chmaman.
At the club No. 81 Pcll-st where Lee Quung lIyed.
the members were inclined to shield him. one little
| old Chnaman said that Lee QuOng couldn't help
himself " he was too soft ana having the rcpu' IL
tlon of being rich man. had to put hIs hand in his
| pocket every tihc friend wanted money. IL ls
| not Thought that Lee Quong had much money with
| him when he went away. Ho was infatuated with
| Tan-Ian the Chinese gambling game but that he
| lost much money at II Is not believed. lie was
| known III Chinese gambling dens aS "a " plunger."
zee Ouong told friends that he had a son studying
law IN Washington, aud II IL thOug ught that he may
have gone there. Ills largest creditor IL Jose An
| tonlo, an Italian, who was head man ia the rcstau-
| rant. lie got $40 a week and per cent of the
! profits. Lee QuOng was supposed to be worth at
| least 81 600 by his countrymen, aud his downfall
and fight is "a sad blow to them.