Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-05-27

was the chief adviser of the Ok Gong
Tong, IL society very popular at that time.
His plot to raise money was as follows:
Certain members of the tong were to
enter the playhouse on d certain night
when another rival society was to have a
festival. These picked men were to take
seats in the gallery, and when the house
became well filled they We're ordered to
throw some lighted papers saturated with
oil down upon the heads OF the audience
seated below in the main portion of the
auditorium Immediately this was done
the others were to give an alarm of fire
He explained that the result would be a
stampede and general rush for the front
door. The hatchet men were to be sta
toned near that exit and carefully watch
for the men with whom the tong had to
deal. incidentally those who were capable
of good light fingered work were to pick
the pockets of the frightened people who
were trying to escape the flames.
The scheme worked beyond expectation.
As soon as the burning paper was thrown
from the gallery there was wild rush for
the front door, the only exit from the
building. Leading from the theater prop
er was long and somewhat narrow hall
iuiiN ~ iCCu III bLC
auditorium end Of this passage were q pair
of heavy wooden swinging doors. After
the first few people who were seated or
standing near the doors had made their es-
cape the springs with which the big doors
Were Kept closed recoiled, and they flew
back into the faces of the next portion of
the surging mob With fury born of
desperation they forced the doors from their
t,,t,N ,nI1
telling TO the floor those who had escaped
ahead of them The result was bridge
over which the rest rushed, tranpling the
very lives out of the unfortunate creatures
who were in the narrow death trap ahead
of them.
There was no public norgue in those
days, and it was the custom to farm out
the privilege Of caring for the dead to
some enterprising undertaken. When that
official arrived at the scene of the disaster,
he found 13 cold, repulsive bodies laid out
on the sidewalk, and all had been robbed
of their valuables
The job had been done in a most careful,
workmaDlike manner, and the Ok Gong
Tong was avenged. When the history of
the highbinders in this city is put into
types, it will record q sanguinary tale that
might well rank with any of the grew
some stories of Edgar Allan Poe or other
clever writers of fiction who have depend
ed upon imagination for their material
The heroic stand made by Lee Sar Bow
in Cum Cook alley when he was pursued
by his many enemies from one of the
buildings facing on that narrow thorough
fare is worthy OF mention.
Bow was one of the boldest of fighters
ever known ili the Chinese quarter He
declared to his dying day that he had new
or taken il human life unless he was con-
WINGED that the act was necessary TO save
his own
On this particular occa sion Bow had
been wanted for some months by members
of a rival tong. He had been in hiding
in one of the flash houses in the alley for
several days, protected By the woman who
remained true to him until the end came
A careful watch was kept on the house
day and night by his enemies
Finally, through lack of provisions,
Bow was obliged to make a trip to the
shops to replenish the larder He had
scarcely reached the second dark landing
of the crooked stairway leading from his
quarters on the top flocr when the sharp
crack of a revolver and the whiz of bull
let told him that he was discovered
Bow flew to the street, for experience
had taught him that il was useless to
fight highbinders in the dark. On his way
to the street he loosened his six shooter
from its fastenings under his jacket and
prepared to sell his life as dearly as posi-
ple
No sooner had he ssepped into the open
than batteries WERE opened on him from
all sides. Never did man make bolder
stand. With his six shooter resting across
his arm, that he night gcta more steady
aim, this heather stood as firm as u rock
and never turned II hair His enemies
were steadily peppering him from all
points of the compass, but he remained us
calm as if he were taking a quiet observa-
tion of the sky in search of some indica-
tion of a change in the weather He turn
ed deliberately from right to left while his
six shooter kept splitting away. The police
lsoon took hand in the game, but not
until Bow had been pretty well perforated
with shots from the enemy's guns.
Bow was taken to a surgeon, who saved
his life, which was finally forfeited to the
Etate. He was hanged for the murder of