The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1896-10-23
NEW YoRK.s PIONEER cHlNAMAN
All Ken Arrived from the CeieStiai
dom Thirty Eight Years Ago.

A. Ken Arrived from the Ceiettial ktn8s
dom Thirty Eight Years Ago.
No battle ships with their guns ana
thunder belching forth weicomd
greeted All Ken when he arrived on
these shores; no one carried An 49,
down the gang plank. The only ponce
man whom All Ken met looked at nini
with suspicion and told him to move on,
and move quickly. A few persons
looked curiously at the first ChlnamaH
to come to this city, and some ehlldren
followed the stranger up the street,
wondering what manner of man the
yellow creature with the br1ght-col-
ored jacket and loose trousers was.
All Ken arrived in this city In loao-
Chinese immigration had never been
encouraged, and the stranger was
looked upon as an intruder. An Ken
hired a small, tumble-down house on
| Mott street and with what little money
| he possessed erected a street stand on
| Park row and began in the tobacco busi-
| ress. He sold the choicest Havana
goods. imported directly from Con-
| necticut and raised in Jersey, at the
moderate price of two for three cents.
Unlike the Cinnamon OF the present
day. All Ken seldom smoked the paper
rolled cigarette. He was slave 10 To-
bacco. but smoked small cigars. he was
| seldom seen without one of these weeos
in his mouth.
From the time that All Ken started in
business the prejudice that was 1eit
against him began to disappear. Hh
quiet, unobtrusive manners won MIN
respect and esteem and his trade began
TO grow. All Ken wrote to China OF the
success with which he was meeting and
advised his countrymen to follow MS
example. The other Cinnamon began to
arrive. and as they came they all
seemed to meet with success under An
Ken's guidance Like All Ken, they
went to Mott street to live, and soon
there was a score or more Cinnamon IN
, the city. The small settlement on Mott
street began to be known as Chinatown.
On their first arrival in the city some
of the Cinnamon established street
stands, lust as All Ken had done; others
opened laundries, and few who had
, some money opened stores on Mott
street. One of the characteristics OF
the Chinaman is to attend strictly to
his own business. This, together with
their thrift, had telling effect on the
people of the city during the days OF All
= Ken and the early Chinese residents OF
!. the town. They began to be recog-
= nized as useful citizens. Their laundry
y work was superior to the work done by
= the Americans. and the Chinese were
soon in demand as laundrymen.
!, All Ken in the meantime had amasseei
:, what to Chinaman was a small for
- tune. He had an excellent trade, but
he seemed to long for more congenlal
surroundings. He sold out his tobacco
!, stand and purchased small store on
- Mott street. In this All Ken was even
y more successful than he had been in the
first venture. His countrymen regarded
!. him about as the Americans regard Co
lumbus. His counsel was sought by
= the other Cinnamon, and he became
10 known as All Ken the Wise.
u All Ken, in spite of his associations
~ with the Americans, did not acquire any
Of the American habits. He stuck t.
III his native dress and encouraged othel
rs Cinnamon to be strictly Chinese.
II. All Ken is now dead, but he will al
re ways be looked upon as the founder o
So the Chinese settlement in this city
e. N. Y. Sun.