The San Francisco call., 1899-04-30

to the street he loosened his six-shooter
from its fastenings under his jacket and
prepared to sell his life as dearly as pos
sible.
No sooner had he stepped into the open
than batteries We're opened on him
from all sides. Never did man make
bolder stand. With his siX-shOoter rest
ing across his arm that he might get
more steady aim this heather stood as
firm as rock and never turned hair.
His enemies We're steadily peppering him
from all points of the compass but he re-
manned as calm as If he were taking a
quiet observation of the sky in search of
some Indication of a change in the
weather. He turned deliberately from
right to left while his six-shooter kept
splitting away. The police soon took
hand in the game, but not until Bow had
been pretty well perforated with shots
from the eHemy's guns.
Bow was taken to a surgeon. who saved
his life, which was finally forfeited to the
State. He was hanged for the murder Of
q fellow-countryman
To this day one may find graybeards
around police quarters who believe that
Lee Sar Bow was convicted through the
periured testimony of rival highbinders,
who took this means of getting him out
of the way
All VINO knew MIN COuIQ not nelp al
miring the mans supreme courage. His
last words TO the eXecutioner were:
Thank you for your kindness, captain.
Goodbye Tell all China boys TO be hon
est and desert the tongs. | know. have
tried both ways. and l say this that all my
countrymen may hear and heed. 1t pays
better to be honest
These highbinder societies, as we know
them, date from the time of the Tai
-, he off
spring of the famous Triad society, mean
ing the society of the three united
Heaven Earth and Man. which according
to Chinese philosophy imply the three de-
partments of nature. The Triad society
it is said, was formed for the patriotic OBJ
ject of expelling the Manchus and re-
storing the native or Ming dynasty. II
is known in some parts of China as the
Kongsi. in this city as the &c Hin-liter-
ally the heaven and earth society and
is known from the Straits Settlements
TO San Francisco. The objects of the
original organization appear to have
been allied to something like Free Ma
sonry, and to have aimed simply at mu-
tual aid and protection; but as the num-
Der increased their views degenerated
from the laUdable ends of reciprocal ben
eft to robbery, violence and the over
throw of the present form of government
l. ne OUSNOOLS OIL InlS original society
have produced a countless number of cut
throat organizations, who have headquar-
ters in every part of the world where
any number of Chinese congregate.
In this city the beginning of all the
troubles known as the highbinder wars
occurred through the arrival here of ma
tives of more than one section of the
province Of Kwang Tung. The Chinese
here are really divided into two great
parties-the See Yups, meaning the four
counties and the Sam Yups or the men
from the three counties The See Yups
being the stronger numerically have a
little the better of the fight On the other
hand. the Sam Yups represent the better
class and by far the more wealthy, and
/ should say have more sympathy from
the police than do the See Yups for many
reasons. In the first place. as mentioned
before, the See Yups so far outnumber
the others that they are the greater
hlackguards of the two, and in conse-
quence do murder with more impunity
than do their weaker countrymen. Again,
the Sam Yups have their great property
interests to protect, and if such thing
is possible are more inclined to expose
the criminals who may be members Of
these societies, or tongs, as they are
commonly called. Be this as it may this
war of the Chinese Roses, as it were, has
resulted in the building up of a profes
sion which the descendants of the old
pirates of the Pearl River take kindly to.
and the actual number of well-orga anized
tongs in this city to-day are thirteen in
the See Yup contingent and eight belong
ing to the Sam Yup faction. In addition