The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-19
SAM IS STILL At LARGE,
The Chinese Letter.Thief Did
Not Try to Board the
Steamer Peru.
Efforts of the Postal Inspectors to
Capture Him Were Again BAT.
fed Yesterday.

Sam Yick. or rather, Sam Hing, the
leader of the gang of young Chinese
"Native Sons" who succeeded in looting
the Postoffice boxes of Fong Hal & Co..
us Dupont street; Tsue Chong Wing Mon
Kee & Co., us Commercial street; and
Chew Wing Lung, 73s Sacramento street,
and getting about $1,000 worth of money
orders and checks by the scheme, has not
yet been apprehended by the Postal
Inspectors.
Inspectors Munro and Thrali were at the
Pacific Mail dock when the steamer Peru
left for China yesterday afternoon, but
Sam Hing did not put in an appearance.
Louie Quong, merchant and interpreter, is
of the opinion that Sam went over to Oak
land, intending to take an early train for
the East. There were enough of Federal
officers on hand at the steamers departure
to have captured any number of Mon
golan letter-thieves, had there been any
in sight, for Deputy Collector of Customs
Jerome, Marshal Baldwin, Surveyor Eng
fish and Deputy Surveyor Ruddell all had
business there about that time.
1t was learned yesterday that the Bank
of California, the Nevada Bank, the First
National Bank, Wells, Fargo & Co. and
Sutro & Co. had honored the forgeries of
Sam Hing and the Identification of Hue
Tin Foo. A check for $140, payable to
Fong Hal & Co., was cashed by the Bank
of California, and the Bank of Nevada paid
S35 check. Tsue Chong Wing Mon Kee
& Co. know of three checks of $50. $40 and
| $56, respectively, which the banks had al
| lowed themselves to pay to Sam Hing.
| The explanation Hue Tin Foo gives of
his connection with the gang Is plausible
one. The urbane young business repre-
sentative Of Man Lee & Co. of 700 Dupont
street says Sam Hing told him short
time ago that he had stolen letters from
| the Postoffice boxes, ana but for that he
would not have known ANYTHING about it.
| When he identified Sam Hing to Sutro g.
| Co., he explains further, he did hot then
know about his crooked work, and sup
| posed everything was all right. Sam Hing
| has not been EN- ployed by the firm of Man
| Yick 81 Co. of 1017 Dupont street for some
time, it was stated by the manager.
The arrangement of the Postoffice boxes
is such that those of Fong Hal & Co. and
| Tsue Chong Wing Mon Kee & Co. could
be emptjed of their contents by any per.
son reaching through the box of Chew
| Wing Lung, because the last mentioned
! box is between the other two and they i'm
mediately adioin it. Chew Ylng Lung &
Co., however, say 1t could not have been
| their young man who did the stealing.
| hO WA VI IudA 1CO O W. Is d cOQSlQerdOle
distance away according TO Hue Tin Foo,
In recalling Sam Kings conversation
Tin Foo stated yesterday that Sam had
told him his method had been to call a,
the Postoffice about 80 A. NJ. and Up. NJ.
every day and ask the clerk on duty for
the letters of his victims and that he re.
ceived them. This is denied at the POST.
office, and the denial is based upon an ex-
PLANTATION. that there is a written rule that
no mail should be given out in that way.
The Nevada Bank made good Yesterday
the $50 check to which Sam Hing had
forged the name of Fong Hal & Co. and
pald the money over to the firm. The
| postottice money-order which Sam had
forged was for $500, payable to Fong Hal &
Co., and in connection with this be had
worked his scheme of making small pur-
| G, asses on Getz Bros. & Co., at Iii and
ll5 California street. Sam Hing made an
effort late Friday to square himself with
one OF the firms he had victimized, so it
was reported in Chinatown Yesterday, by
paying. back some of the money he had
taken, but this could not be verified.