The morning news., 1897-08-15
A BANEFUL PIPE.
Cinnamon Believe That Its Influence
May Be Deadly.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer.
In little cell in Cherry Hill penitenti-
ary among those designed for prisoners
condemned to a life sentence. a lonely
Chinaman drones away his monotonous
existence, waiting and watching in vain
for the arrival of his release.
His name is Lee Gum Yuen, and those
versed In the criminal history of this city
will remember the crime for which he was
sentenced, which occurred on Nov 26,
1894. Judge Lee Hong Quong, the wealth
lest and best-known Chinaman in the city
next to Lee Toy, the mayor, was shot and
Of the formers establishment, at 926 Race
street. Judge Lee held the personal notes
81 many Cinnamon, and was consequently
disliked on that account. One of these
had been made by Lee Gum, whom Judge
Lee had worried about IL until he had
made him an enemy.
These are the facts on the surface which
were developed at the trial. There was
suspicion that the dreaded highblnders
were concerned in it, but this failed to be
established. There is another story, how
ever which has been generated by the
underworld of opium smoke. This some
OI tut CuiHdmtu IN race street most III
timately associated in the case whisper
10 each other, while the curling smoke
from the opium pipe forms clusters OF fan
cful WreathS about their heads and
brains. The story concerns an opium pipe
which has Travelled from the dingy streets
of the Chinese colony in San Francisco TO
the less famous dens nearer Philadelphia,
The history OF the pipe has often been
told in all it's morbid details In the house
n Race ~ 4 on npdtpo
its CORY career, and 1t is regarded as an
omen of evil whenever II is heard from.
1t Is between thirty and forty inches long,
and weighs nearly twice as much as the
ordinary opium pipe. The first of the
criminal acts occasioned by the evil in
fiuence Of the pipe. as told by the China
men, occurred In China. young man
quarreled with his father, n mandarin,
about a woman, and when his father was
about to slay him with his sword he
caught up the pipe and dealt the father
death blow with II.
The son escaped and made his way to
Spain, and afterward to San Francisco.
carrying the pipe, which caused death all
along the way with those associated with
1t. Shortly after his arrival there, living
in constant dread and fear, he was found
in his little room beaten TO death, while
by the side of him lay the pipe. 1t was
secreted by one of the Cinnamon who
found him. Beside II was human eve
Two years later a Chinaman returned
from ChlAa. where he had gone suddenly
at the time of the murder He had lost
one eye.
He opened a gambling house IN San
Francisco, and took as a friend a white
gambler. They fell In love with the same
woman, and one night after they had been
smoking the pipe which had suddenly ap-
peared again, the Chinese gambler was
beaten TO a Jelly with the pipe and the
white man disappeared. He secured the
pipe and carried II with him afterward. In
Denver he opened a gambling house, and
took an American as his partner and con-
ndant He told him the history Of the
pipe, ana one night the other man drug
ged the owner Of the pipe and killed him
with Il.
The new possessOr went 10 Chicago with
his victims money and the pipe Here II
was recognized. and the Highblnders be-
gan 10 look after it. And now tho carni-
val Of crime begins TO narrow down 10
Philadelphia. The gambler was mystic
riously killed one night, and the woman
with whom no had fed 10 Chicago ran
away with the pipe. The story runs that
she next met Judge Lee Hong Quong She
came 10 Philadelphia, bringing with her
the fatal pipe. She and Judge lee be
came friendly. and they used Il quite fire.
WNtNtNN on AAHft NtftAAf uikI ita ndNNNMl
effects seemed 10 become apparent IN
Judge Lee. and he began harassing his fell
lows, notably Lee Gum Yuen. who finally
shot him. Some of the Cinnamon family
Intimate the suspicion that II was the re-
yenge ~ the Highbindcrs. who had follow
ed up the pipe with a trial OF blood. but
they do not dare 10 speak out plainly
their thoughts
Lee Gums prison existence IL frightened
with hopes that he viii soon be freed. He
does not seem 10 realize that he Is 10 re-
main IN prison for the rest OF his natural
existence, but thinks that every new day
Will bring release. Some time ago one or
his relatives steaithily visited this city.
and with shaking form went TO the prison
to visit Lee Gum. lie was IN great fear OF
death az the hands OF the great, mystic
riOus Hlghblnders and fed Immediately
after he had come out OF tho prison
The pipe disappeared from view after
the last crime, and no one but the fow
lonely Cinnamon who nightly inhaio lts
noxious fragrance know OF ila present ex-
iatcnce. Whether II ~ IN this city yet "a
not known. but, wherever Il be-. Il death
must shortly occur, according 10 Chinese
belief
1--WE Just bought a flying machine.
which makof'