Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-08-12
ALAS, THE HEATHEN!
Nearly Half a Hundred Cinnamon
Caught in an Opium Joint,
GAMBLING AWAY THEIR SABBATH.
Several Thousand-D Dollar Bills on Hand as
Forfeits for Them.
HOW THEY FMM-FLAMMED ROBERT
(which I wish to remark
And my language is plain
That, for ways that are dark
A nd for tricks that are vain,

The heather Chinee is peculiar,
| Which the same I'll explain"
Had the famous frontier poet been at the
Central station yesterday afternoon and seen
how a lot of almond and saucer-eyed sons Of
Confucius fim-fammed "Bob'' out of $50
and the custody of one of their number, he
would have kicked himself for a poor at
tempt to picture their trlckery. About 5
o'clock in the afternoon pedestrians in the
lower part of the city had an idea that a
shipload OF Chinese had been dumped into
the town and been seized by Immigrant In
spector Layton. Patrol wagon No. 1 ratified
through the streets number of times, and
each trip it bore load of Mongolians. They
were run into the alley and introduced to
the elegant hotel where Police Captain Reed
presides over the register.
The Cinnamon were captured in raid on
the fancy goods" store of Quong Wo Sung
& Co., 179 Second avenue. About three or
four days ago Chinaman came to Inspec-
tor McAleese's Office and said the place in
question was regular gambling house, where
''dlaw plokee" was played every Sunday.
The laundryman said he had gone there to
have little game and had been robbed.
THE INSPECTOR INVESTIGATED,
and found that crowds of Cinnamon went
there every Sunday, presumably to Sunday
school, or some other restfui retreat. He
decided to stop the supposed devotional ex-
ercises, and instructed Captain Dan Silvus
to raid the place. Captain Dan, Detectives
Coulson, Robinson, DenniAon, Sergeant
Metz and the day relief at Central station,
went up to the joint, and, headed by well
known reporter, who "hits the pipe"
walked in. On the first floor they found
storeroom in front in which few of the
Cinnamon were lounging. In the rear of the
store was kitchen in which two men were
preparing a meal over a big stove and,
judging from the variety and quantity of
the articles in preparation, they intended
having big banquet. The two cooks pro-
ceeded with their work without paying the
slightest attention to the officers, though one
of the men in the storeroom gave vent to a
shrill "ki-yi," with theintention of warning
those above.
The signal was not heard by those above,
however, and when the officers reached the
second floor they found about 20 men sitting
and lying around. The floor is divided into
three rooms, one used for laundry, one
for gambling and one for opium smoking.
The inmates of these rooms paid no atten-
tion to the officers, except those playing
cards, who stopped. The opium smokers
kept pulling away at their pipes until
reused up. and then they started in q sleepy
way to the patrol wagon.
After the second floor had been cleared
the officers assembled to the third. Here
they found about 18 more Cinnamon seated
around tables playing various games and
one of tine principal attractions of the place.
They all stopped playing and jumped to
their feet when the officers entered, but not
one made move to escape.
The patrol wagon had to make four trips
altogether. The last one bore the entire
paraphernalia of the various "layouts."
Among the lot were six opium pipes and
spirit lamps and quite a quantity of the
drug. There was also about half peck of
Chinese coins, chips, etc. In tine latter col
lection were lot of small black and white
pieces of glass shaped like buttons. These
were supposed to be the chips used in the
poker game.
THE GAME WAS GREEK.
A lottery wheel was also captured. The
officer who made the haul could see through
the game about as we'll as they could brick
WALL None of the prisoners would INSTRUCT
the officers in the game. When asked about
it their faces became about as expressionless
as the NEUROLOGICAL figures on the new post
Office building.
There were 40 Cinnamon altogether, and
they were about the most impassive lot of
prisoners ever captured in a raid. They
submitted meekly to everything, and would
not talk until they were locked up. The
40 were placed in three cells, and then the
mother tongue of China was turned loose.
Like Yeldell indignation meeting, every
one of them wanted to talk at the same
time. A reporter tried to get their names.
4 whole page of a police register, covered
With every indescribable sort of name is
the result of the task. The first man
tackled said his name was "Low Down."
The cognomens might as well bave varied
Lung, Jim Crow, etc., for when Captain
Reed goes to translate the names this morn
ing he will have to get Chinese assistant.
After being locked up, one tall China
man, who looked like Chang, the Chinese
giant, pulled out from under his waistcoat
three 81 900 bills and wanted to be released.
The two Chinese cooks who were not ar
rested soon conveyed the news to other
Joints, and in one halt hour there were fully
as many Cinnamon gathered around the rail
of the Sergeant's desk as there were behind
the bars. Two of them had rolls of the''long
stuff as thick as ones wrist, and the way
they threw down 800 bills to bail their
countrymen out caused the spectators to
open their eyes. At o'clock there were
only four of the men left in the lookup, when
little driedup specimen of humanity ap-
peared and threw down 81 900 bill to the
Sergeant. He looked like the wax image
of an Egyptian mummy and appeared as if
the only thing that kept him alive was
Brown-Sequard's elixir.
TOSSING DOWN A THOUSAND.
He marched up to the desk as if life was
a burden to him and carelessly tossed over
the 81. 900 piece of paper. He secured the
release of the remaining four men and de-
parted with his companions.
A deposit of $50 was required from each
man for his appearance at the hearing this
morning. In drawer in the station house
last night was 81, 40, which is the largest |
amount OF deposit money received in one |
day. There should be s., 200 altogether,
but, alas, there was not, and thereby hangs |
the tale. Not 6 pigtail, but tale of woe |
which bob" relates. He was taking the |
deposit money from the Cinnamon as fast as |
he could handle it, and by some means or |
other one of the men was smuggled out |
without the $50 being taken for MIN. At |
one time three Chimamen who had large |
rolls OF money came in and asked for the |
release of five of the men. As they |
could not be called out by name Sergeant |
Metz had to trot them out in punches and |
allow the others to pick out who they |
wanted. The men with the money put up $40 |
for four Of the prisoners, but after they had