Los Angeles herald., 1892-07-04
WITH STEEL TIPPED QUEUES,
Fung Kow and Sing Labs
Bloody Contest.
Details of Chinese Fight to a
Finish.
How the Fight was ArraDged-The Men
Were Physical Marvels-They
Lacerated Each Others
Bodies.

One of the most picturesque as well
as sanguinary events that has stirred the
Chinese quarter of Los Angeles, occur
red during the past week. In fact the
event was unprecedented in the history
of the Chinese people in America, being
nothing less than a combat between two
leading highbinders in the fashion of
the Leung Guoy Dy Guoy Yin Sic Kun
Foo Why All Kun Foo.
A combat of this character, or rather
duel, is an affair of exceedingly rare oc-
currence, even in China, and this one
was unquestionably the first duel that
has been fought by Celestials outside
the boundaries of the Flowery King
dom. Certainly it was. novel and in
teresting battle, fought in amanner that
could only have been conceived by the
oblique and satanic Imagination OF
some ANTIQUE mandarin. The two par
ticipants in the 'Leung Guoy" were
Fung Kow, member of the All Dow
Tong, who recently came to this city, it
is intimated, with the sole purpose of
engaging in this duel and thus striking
terror into the hearts of rival band of
highbinders. His opponent in the fight
was Sing Lab, of the Sing Tong society.
The duel occurred in one of the lead
ing Tong rooms on the upper floor of a
building on Marchessault street, below
Alameda, and it was witnessed by
twenty-four Cinnamon of the red but
ton. The fight began at 2 o'clock in the
afternoon and lasted until 3;20, at
which time both combatants lay faint
ing on the floor, while the room looked
like Chicago slaughter house after a
big days killing. In fact, it is safe to
say that no more sanguinary or novel
fight was ever witnessed on the Ameri-
can continent.
Preparatory to the duel Sing Lab and
Fung Kow, attended by their respective
adherents, paid visit to the two Joss
houses, and here incense and sandal
wood were profusely burned in front of
the altar of the God of Battles, while a
freshly roasted pig, decked with gilt
papers, was offered up before the shrine
of the great Joss as a propitiatory gift.
The two bands then repaired to the
Tong hall, Oh Marchessault street, and
were conducted to separate apartments
to make ready for the fray. In the mean
time, silk cord had been stretched
around the room inclosing space 15
feet long by 10 feet in width. A mating
was stretched across the floor, and
Chinese lacquered bench placed
at each end of the inclosed
space. At one side of the
apartments was raised dais, on which
was seated How Lung, the arbitrator or
Judge of the battle. How Lung was
. magnifcently clad in lavender robe,
beautifully decorated with gold en-
broidery and seed pearls. the general
designs illustrated being grotesque
shaped dragons and serpents He held
in his hand white wand six feet in
length, and by raising and lowering this
emblem he indicated the duration OF
the jousts which made up this strange
tourney. 1t took fully twenty minutes
to array the two warriorsin in their armor,
and meanwhile a full celestial orchestra
discoursed stirring martial music of the
period of Line Wing, of the Shang
dynasty-the only Chinese ruler who
composed music.
A few minutes before 2 O'Clock several
packages of firecrackers were exploded
in hollow copper vessel. with the de-
sign of frightening away any baleful or
malign spirits who, peradventure,
mlRHb ldVOt OAO VI bhC ObhCi
of the two armored combatants.
The two Celestials entered the room
from different portals, and approaching
the dais in which How Lung was seat
ed, clasped their hands in front of them
and made three low obeisances. Both
of the combatants were fully clad in the
"Hong yin bang, VOW shee, ah chung" /"
or the entire fighting armor of Chi
nese warrior of the first class. This
armor was fashioned of bronze and
brass. They wore bronze helmets, with
light visor to protect the eyes, while
the cheeks and chin were left bare.
There was heavy bronze collar to pro-
tect the main arteries of the neck. They
wore brass cuirasses which protected
the heart and stomach, and left the re-
mainder of the body bare. Both men
wore breech-clouts, and in other re-
spects, with the exception OF the armor
mentioned, they were in q nude condi-
tion.
The men were marvels of physical
symmetry, and had been trained to the
pink of condition. Fung Kow, who evil
IDENTIFY possessed strain of Tartar
blood, was feet inches high, and his
brawny muscles stood out on his arms
and limbs like whipcords. He weighed
fully 2lO pounds. Sing Lab was about
5 feet IL inches high, and
was of a more stocky build. He
was apparently fully as muscular as his
opponent. After the salutations to How
Lung both drank bowl of tea which
had been heavily charged with rice
brandy. Both men then vaulted into
the enclosed space, and each received 8
bronze shield from their attendants, and
the combat began.
Each man grasped in his right hand
his queue; and the end of these long
coils of hair had been twisted into q
compact ball, pierced in many directions
by double sharp steel nails, making q
formidable looking weapon. To add tc
its pain inficting character these balls
of hair had been soaked in strong So
luton of red pepper. The men began
circling around one another, whirline
their queues in the air until they fairly
whistled with the increased momentum.
Finally Fung Kow swung that fearful
looking mass of sharp nails with tre'
yuendous velocity toward Sing Lab
eluding his shield and striking him or
the left shoulder cutting large Jagged
cash, from which the blood spurted.
Sing Lab WINGED visibly, but instantly
made tigerish bound forward clashine
his shield against that of Fung Kow
and at the same time with his queue
weapon-known as the how yin ant
nlantad a tramandoua blow IN Eunp',