The morning call., 1894-11-04
CHINESE TONGS.
Highbinders Active in
Chinatown.
SECRET DOCUMENTS FOUND
In the Possession of a Monaghan
Capper.
FIRST OF THE KIND DISCOVERED
The Peculiar Conduct of a Police
Judge AStOnishes the Police
Department.
FIRST OF THE KIND DISCOVERED

sergeant Glllen OF the CHINATOWN squad
has the credit of being the first officer de-
tailed in that district to obtain documen-
tary proof OF the existence OF a tong OIL
highlander organization.
The sergean: suspected for some time
that Mar Tan, alias All Chung, was act
Ing as a capper for attorneys. He has
been in the habit of following the squad
and notifying attorneys of arrests made.
So the sergeant determined to watch him
carefully and catch him in the act
On Friday night Officer Lynch arrested
Chinese. Mar Tan was close beside him
at the time. lie followed Lynch and the
prisoner to the old City Prison, and
waited till the prisoner had been booked.
Lynch Swallowed him aud saw him talking
with Attorney Writ, with the object of
getting Writ to obtain bonds for the re-
lease of the prisoner.
Lynch promptly placed him under
arrest. He fought desperately to break
away from the officer, and Sergeant
GilleD, who was not far away, ran to
Lynch's assistance. Mar Tan continued
his violent struggles TO escape, but he was
finally locked up In the old City Prison.
and booked on the charge of vagrancy.
Inside the prison he fought hard To pre-
vent the officers from searching him, but t
was no use. In his pockets were found
cards OF the following attorneys: 5. II.
Scott. Joseph j. Cotfey, A. B. Treadwell,
j. j. Rauer and MacSherry q Henderson.
But something of cOnsidera bly, more i'm
p0rtance was found. There were two pa
pers 10 Chinese characters, one in red
cOlOred paper and the other white. When
these were taken out or his pocket he
howled with rage and made frantic efforts
to regain possession of them.
This made the sergeant think that they
meant something out of tie ordinary run
OF Chinese documents, so he took them to
two Leading Chinese scholars to have them
translated.
The one in red reads as follows:
Gee Hing Company: Received from Hing
Lun on account OF Mar Tan, SO, having been
paid 10 the company that he is entitled 10 he A
member of Hung kar tradition anarchist or
secret associatiOnI (he was born AGAIN. by
Lang Lum mother leader Tong Lum, brother
in-lawr Mar Chsy. in the year OF Tin Wan
calendar OF the secret society, the tenth month";
twenty second day.
This was all the scholars could interpr ct,
the remainder of the document they said
being in hierOglyphics, which none but
members of the society could understand
The white cOlored document reads as
follows:
Sacramento. Gee Hing Company. Received
from Mar Tan The sum of 81. He is entitled 10
be member of the hung Sun Society in the
year OF I'm wan. calendar OF the secret society
the fourth month, lucky day.
These documents give iudisputable proof
that Mar Tan is a member in good stand
ing of tong. which has for its object the
matchmaking of other Chinese and the
murder of those obD oXious to it, which
have been exemplified time and again in
Chinatown.
Chinese have recently zen f1oeking
into Chinatown for the winter from the
Alaska fisheries and orchards and vine
yards in the interior of the State. They
have been spending their evenings lavishly
In the chinese restaurants and soon they
will De without a cent. Then will be re-
peated the old-time reign of blackmail
and murder.
Another significant sign is that Chinese
have recently been buying up all the Sec
ond-haDd Tevolvers in the pawnshops
around Chinatown and the Chinatown
squad has been forced to again adopt the
custom OF searching every SuS piciOus-iook-
ing Chinese for weapons.
Mar Tan is an exceedingly dangerous
Chinese, not only from the fact of being
member of a highbinder society but from
his Intimate knowledge of Police Court
methods by Gaping Tor attorneys. 1t is
not unlikely that steps will be taken to
have him depOrted TO China.
he was arrested at o'clock on Friday
night and to the surprise and disgust of
the police he was released two hours after
ward on $50 cash bail by order of Police
Judge Low. The man who put mp his
bail was S. III. Scott, the cOiored attorney,
several of whose cards were found in his
pocket when searched. The bail fixed for
a charge of vagrancy in $3.50 cash or $500
in bonds, which Judge Low knew, and
why he should have ordered the release of
this dangerous Chinese on $50 cash bail,
when II should have been $780, is one of
those things that it is difficult 10 under
stand. There are 100 chances to that The
$40 bail will be forfeited and Mar Tan
will keep himself secluded in Chinatown
for while till his services are required to
backmail and murder enemies of the
Hung Kar or Hung Sun.