The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-04-18
HOW RAIDS ARE MADE.
TRAILING THROUGH CHINATOWN
AFTER LAwBREAKERs.
Searching for Opium Smokers and
Gamblers - Through Horrow,
Winding Paths.


tative of THE STAR went with
Detective Hammer and severa
specials Wednesday night on what
is called raid" The term raid
in police parlance suggests China.
town and opium or gambling. This
raid" was through Chinatown; the
game was opium dealers, opium
smokers or gamblers. OF this list
the opium dealer is the best catch.
He is a rare specimen among
offenders at present, and a special
who can trap one is straightway
put down as a Sleuth. The fine
of an opium dealer is all the way
from 500 to $500; smoker $50 to
SIoo, and gambler $40. Half of
the opium fines are usually given
to the specials making the arrests.
A raid" is a novel venture;
and the dens of Chinatown are
novel places to find oneself at
night. AS is well known every
block from Smith street, west, al
most 10 Nuuanu stream, is covered
with houses into their centers. A
vacant spot large enough for a
wagon to turn in is not to be met
with anywhere. The place is like
a toy center of great CITY and, all
through, is as intricate and mys-
FERROUS as can possibly be imagin-
ed. Miniature alley ways, just
wide enough for one man, stair
ways, fifteen to twenty inches
wide leading to dark apartments,
and little doors in the walls
through which person almost has
to crawl make up the entrances
and exits of the home of John
Chinaman.
The pursuit for offenders in that
quarter of the town is conducted in
almost breathless silence. Gam
blefs have their sentries posted and
they are quick to give the alarm of
the approach of detectives. Crop
ing through an alley as dark as
Egypt the guest of the sleuth party
may bump his head against the
family boundary stick. "Shee-e-e
If you can't keep quiet you'd
better go back" snarles the leader,
his way through obstruc-
tons, The visitor, deeply morti-
fed, looks up apologetically, trips
on a stick and in an instant
plunges headlong into a pile of
cigar boxes or bottles and wakes up
the whole settlement. Cinnamon
pour out of every corner by doz-
ems, and the shortest way out of
that place becomes at once the
best.
Intrusion upon Chinaman
who is engaged in the legal
pursuit of happiness invari-
ably creates great disorder and is
frequently unsafe. On one occas-
ion, in the deep Processes Of an
apartment house, the big sleuth
peered intently through window
into dimly lighted room for sever
al minutes. A Chinese merchant
calmly sat smoking. That's
opium" pronounced the big sleuth
and softly whistled for the next
man. ITS opium; smell it,"
said the second sleuth. And SO
all concluded while standing in a
line across the window. A rush
was made into the room and the
smoking good, old Vir-
ginia tobacco. The disturbance
brought out every Chinaman in the
house. The sleuths sneaked down
stairs but lost their way and were
halted in somebody else's yard.
spoke was gentleman,
and added no appendages to the
Queen'sI English. Gentlemen, said
be You are invading the premises
Of private Chinese families" and
showed the party out, a thing
heartily appreciated.
There was a German sleuth in
the party who was not cut out for
the business and got the others into
lots of trouble. 1t was his luck to
rouse out sojourners with uneven
and the crowd would
have to skip amid volleys OF the
Chinese language that sounded
ike thousand ducks all quacking
at once. Some were so mad at the
specials in invading their dismal
domiciles that they fairly Kissed in
the wake of the routed party.
Away back in the middle of a
block dim light fell from a half
open door. The sleuths crept
noiselessly up, stopped and listened.
A chatting was heard inside, Six
Cinnamon sat on the bed playing a
game of chance. The rush was
made and the whole covey bagged
with their gambling out
fit and money. Their cues were
tied together in pairs and they
were taken to the station house.
The raid was resumed. In an
hour more six other men were
caught in the same way. They
seemed to be playing the same
game. Unfortunately, however,
in getting the prisoners out of the