The San Francisco call., 1897-01-26
No Telegram Sent and No
Relatives in China Yet
Under Arrest.
A BIG EXAMINER FAKE EX.
POSED.
Chief Crowley's Views of the Stua
tion-A Chinese Editorial on
the Dead MN.

1t is the general belief of those m ost con.
versant with the status of things in China
| town that the reign of the knife, the
hatchet and the secret bullet is at hand.
Rival tongs are busy, and these tongs, or
societies. may be likened unto the bitter
clans that have often decimated each 9TH
er's ranks in some such deadly battles as
the Hatfield-M McCoy vendetta in Virginia.
Sergeant Price and six picked men went
into Chinatown at o'clock yesterday
morning resplendent in bright new uni
forms.
This pleased the hatchetmen, and within
an hour notices were posted throughout
Chinatown: Look out for Sergeant Price
and his menl They are dressed like pea
cocks, and are coming 10 stop the war
among the Chinese"
1t is the prevailing belief now that the
See Yup men will soon lose one of their chief
people, because the Sam Yups have sworn
to avenge the death of their leader, Little
Pete"
Chinatown is,to-day infested with high
binder soceties-bands of cunning des-
peradoes who live for murder and black
mail. They have thirty or forty meeting
places, and their notices are posted freely,
without molestation. Many of them sail
under pretense of being merchants clubs,
and the Police Department has not yet
felt justified in ordering the doors beaten
in and the bands of highbinders dis
| persed.
a few years ago the highbinders were
put to flight by Sergeant Price and his
men, and year passed without shot to
disturb the peace. Then the Police De-
partment became lenient, ceased visiting
the meeting-pIaces, and desperate high
binders began to hasten TO San Francisco
once more. In the past two years they
have congregated rapidly, and to-day
there are more highbinders in Chinatown
than at any time in its history. They do
not fear the police, because the Chief has
been sued by many Chinese for destroy
ing property in the past and annoyed by
litigation of various kinds until he is
afraid to take any aggressive measures
until the suits are won. Suits involving
large sums are still pending in the United
States courts, and it has required great
diplomacy to prevent further annoyance.
AS Chief Crowley is not provided with a
large sum with which to combat such vex-
atious litigation, he has decided not TO
make vigorous and aggressive fight on
the murder societies until ne gets some
standing in the courts. It is rumored in
Federal circles that Chief Crowley had
reason at one time to believe that the Chi
nese Consul would stand by him if he
made fight to destroy the warning tongs,
but his experience has been bitter, for he
has not received the aid he expected from
| the Consul.
Sergeant Price believes there will be
serious trouble within few days after
the funeral OF Little Pete" He says the
highblnders talk openly and make no
secret of their intentions. That they
want to kill See Yup of high standing
there can be no question. The See Yups
outnum Der the Sam Yups thirty to one.
and while they are generally poor, there
are some rich men of great influence
among them. A conspicuous target of
this character is commonly known as
"Big Jim, owner of several large restau-