The Washington bee., 1899-07-01
chinatown WHITE DEVI"
Lieut.. VIM Price of the San
Francisco Police Force Hon.
ored With That Name.
DESCRIBES HIS WORK.
Never Fights Highbinders Twice in the
Same Way-Secret Signals Travel
Ahead of Officers and Birds Fit.
DESCRIBES HIS WORK.

ways Ffen secret Trap Doors Operated
ny Cords or springs-Trsachsrous Rooi
Fighting.
Lieut.. William Price of the San
Francisco police force has been fight
ing the ''hatchetmen" of Chinatown in
that city for ten years. He has thus
described his work and that of his
enemies:
The only way to fight pack of de-
mons is to be demon yourself, I
guess Ten years ago the highbinders
called me their white devil. If there
is anything in name, all right. /
would rather have them believe l am
a devil than an angel.
How do l fight highbinders? Never
twice in the same way. Ii you set a
trap for hatchetman and he gets
caught in it you will never bag anOth-
er one that way. If there were 1,5OO
highhinders in the quarter everyone
would know 1t in less than five min
utes. When I walk down Kearney
street and up toward Chinatown these
men have signalmen who carry the
news on ahead of me, just as if some
one had my picture on a banner going
on in advance. And these signals tray-
Ell like a flash. A certain wave OF
the hand goes from block to block and
these hands are we'll paid, too.
But if they should fail in their duty
and some highlander should be caught
redhanded all the punk sticks In
Chinatown could not save the errfng
signalman. A price would be placed
on his head before an hour.
Besides this system there are secret
wires and alarms leading to attics and
underground dens where the highbind-
ers hold their meetings. I remember a
big raid we made one midnight in
Ross Alley. We had located twenty
hatchetmen in a deep cellar. bat the
next thing was to get them handcuffed.
/ knew we had the right men and that
signals were being used. Little Pete"
had just been murdered and over his
grave vengeance had been sworn. Our
only hope was to reach the signals or
wires. A block distant from the den
was Chinese butcher, on the street
corner. and his stall was open so he
could look in three directions. He had
a suspicious look whenever l came
about and always began to cut up
meat. We watched him. He always
went to the same block and began cut
ting. Two minutes before the raid
jumped around the street corner and
into his stall. He moved toward the
block, but | clicked a gun in his face
1t was not a block at all,-simply
board rounded to look like one. and
the slightest weight upon it would
press a button below and ring the high
binders hell block away. / clipped
the Wire carefully. handcuffed my man
to an iron railing outside and soon had
a wagon load of men from Ross alley
on the way to the central police sta
tiOn. They We're murderous looking
fellows. but we covered them all with
guns rs soon rs the door was opened
The only safe way of getting Il high
binder is to make rush. He always
has six or eight doors at his disposal.
besides secret hiding places. blind
doors and windows. l have known
some of them to leap into a ''iumb
waiter" or secret elevator and shoot up
to the attic and jump through hole
in the roof. All this in few seconds.
Right here is the danger in hunting
the highhinder A policeman is liable
to step upon concealed trap door i'm
the hallway or the rooms of the build
ing and fall into some dark. foul base
ment twenty feet below. We have to
look cut for this when we do the rush
act" Not many weeks ago Tom Nay
lor was pursuing a desperate fellow
through an old lodging house on
Stockton street. and was Just about to
grab him by the ''pigtaiF' when the
ran up trick ladder" to
a hole in the roof. Tom followed him
and when near the top of the criminal
pulled out nail. jerked a wire and
NaylOr fell twenty feet to the floor.
while his man ran out over the roof.
Naylor then had to give it up.
The roof fighting is the most treach-
erOus Of all in raiding highbinders A
man Is a good target in such a place.
and il Is impossible to tell where the
shot was fired. But that isn't all.
On all these roofs there are trap doors.
An officer is liable to step on one at
any minute, while the hatchetmen
know them all at a glance. 1T is a
bad thing to fall through these doors.
You don't know where or how far you
are going TO journey. nor just what
kind of company you're going to find
1t the bottom. The doors are opera
ted by cords or springs.
| have surprised many a gang bv
sliding down rope right into their
midst. Anything sudden is always
lest. Sometimes a shot fred above
heir heads the moment you enter the
'OOm will have the desired effect. You
must show them right from the start
hat you mean business. Sometimes
| squad can surprise the guards and
OokOuts by jumping out of carriages
before the door or from the opposite
iide Of a crowded street car.
When a highbinders' society meets
o SCI prices upon mems heads and de-
ermine which among them shall do
he deed the utmost caution Is OBJ
eryed. II their wires are clipped /
hey are still safe. At least three |
,uards stand near the entrance. two |
f them on the opposite side of the
treet. At the approach of an officer /
he men inside scatter or begin playing 4
ominocs. The bylaws and the bowl /
With the ''black button" are put in /
chute and sent above or below.
where some man is always In raadi-
eSS TO receive them When all Is uriat