Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1899-07-06
CHINATOWN WHITE DEY|L" !"
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.

Z ways from Secret Trap Doors Operated
T. ny Cords or springs-Treacherous Roof
I 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 a pack Of de-
mons is to he n demon yourself, I
guess. Ten years ago the highbuders
called me their white devil" If there
is anything in n name, all right.
would rather have them believe | am
q devil than an angel.
How do | fight highbndcrs? Never
twice in tho same way. lf you set
trap for q hatchctman and he gets
caught In 1t you will never bag anoth-
er one that way. If there were 1900
highhinders in the quarter everyone
would know 1t in less than five min.
utes. When | walk down Kcarncy
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 Il banner going
on In advance And these signnls trav-
Ell like II fash. A certain wave of
these hands are well paid, too.
But If they should fail in their duty
and some hghhinder should be caught
redhan,lcd all the punk sticks ~
Chinatown could not save the crring
signalman. A price would be placed
on his head before an hour.
Besides this system there are secret
wires and alarms lea ling to attics aud
underground dcns " here the highbind
ers hold their meetings. ] remember n
big raid we made one midnight in
Ross Alley. We had located twenty
hatchetmen in deep cellar, but 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 a Chinese butcher, on the street
corner. and his stall was open so he
could look In three directions. lie had
n suspicious look whenever 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 gun in his face.
1t was not block ut MI, simply a
board rounded to look like one, and
the slightest weight upon it would
press button below and ring the high
binders hcll block away | clipped
the wire carefully. handrufrcd 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 were murderous looking
fellows, but we covered them all with
guns MS soon as the door WIS opened.
The only safe way of getting high
binder Is to make rush. He always
has six or eight doors Mt his disposal
besides secret hiding places, blind
doors and windows. have known
some of them TO leap into "tlumb
walter" or secret elevator and shoot up
to the attic and jump through hole
In the roof. All this in Il few seconds.
Right here is the danger in hunting
the highhlnder. A policeman Is liable
to step upon concealed trap door in
the hallway or the rooms Of the build
ing and fall into some dark. foul base
mcnt 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 desperate fellow
through an old lodging house on
Stockton street, and was Just about TO
grab him by the 'pigtail" when the
highb'nder ran up trick ladder" to
hole in the roof Tom followed him
and when near the top of the criminal
pulled out nail. jerked n wire AMI
Naylor fell twenty feet to the floor
while his man ran out over the roof.
Naylor then had to give it up.
rI,. t,.rt,t L.,
erous OF all In rniiing highbinders. A
man Is good target in such n place,
and II 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 mt
any minute, while the hatchetmen
know them all mt glance. 1t is
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
at the bottom. The doors nre opera-
ted by cords or springs.
| have surprised many gang by
sliding down a rope right into their
midst Anything sudden Is always
best. Sometimes a shot fred above
their heads the moment you enter the
room will have the desired effect. You
must show them right from the start
that you mean business. sometimes
n squad can surprise the guards and
lookouts by jumping out of carriages
before the door or from ths opposite
side of crowded street car.
When n highbinders' society meets
to sci prices upon mems heads and de-
terminc which among them shall do
the deed the utmost cautiod Is oh
Spryp1 II fhair yvtrnc oil