The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-05-17

the clubs, every door being opened
every half-hour to admit two officers,
whose lynx eyes detected nothing but
a few disconsolate Chinese mourning
over their lost occupations.
1t is a beautiful scheme-on paper
but it lacks one element to make it a
glittering SucCess-it is impossible.
There are fifty-fiVe known gambling
houses in Chinatown and many others
that are not on the list Sergeant
Donovan has six men in his squad. A
little bit of arithmetic will at once
demonstrate the impoSSibility of car
rying out the plan so deliberately set
forth as the solution to the Chinese
gambling question.
If the squad of two were to go the
rounds of these fifty-five gambling
houses on a fast walk it would take
them at least five minutes for each
place, or 215 minutes to make the
rounds. There being three squads there
would be an hour between the visit of
the first and the last squad. Two hun
dred and seventy-five minutes equal
four hours and thirty-five minutes, and
of necessity there would be three hours
and thirty-five minutes between the
visit of the last squad and the second
visit of the first squad. In other words
were the squads to carry out the pro-
gramme faithfully the gamblers would
have three and a half hours of unin-
terrupted playing between squad visits.
So much for the proposition of the
feasibility of the plan. There is an
other side to the question. If the
Chinatown squad spends its time chas
ing the rounds of the gambling houses
they have no time to attend to other
police business in that section of the
city, nor do they have time to stand
on the corners talking. If the squad
,oly ,lnr i-it tn q Ri 1IS
houses it goes without saying that the
Chinese can tell time as we'll as their
white brethren and they know exactly
when to expect an official visit. This
was conclusively shown last night when
a reporter went to the doors of several
of the gambling-houses five minutes
before the squad arrived and invariably
found them locked. When the officers
reached the doors they swung open
as if by magic. Five minutes after the
police had taken their departure the
doors were again found locked by the
reporter. At one place, ia Dupont
street, the officers were even so oblig-
ing as to wait for few seconds in the
outer doorway.
Wong Fook's place on the northwest
corner of Jackson and Dupont streets,
was not visited during the whole even
ing. But Wong FOok is one of the
most influential of all Chinese gam
blers. Neither were Chin Chung's two
places on Spofford alley visited, not
withstanding the fact that his place on
st. Louis alley was raided the night be-
fore-a raid that brought a water haul.
AT the corner of Jackson street and
Washington alley is a club which is
duly incorporated by the State as a
social and literary association. Just
why a social and literary club should
take the precautions observed at this
~ .h he inn
room-the sanctum sanctorum-it is
necessary to enter the outer door. the
inner door, two inside doors, go down
a flight of steps and pass through
door which opens toward you, only to
be confronted by a massive door four
inches thick. double bolted and barred,
and then you are in a sort of eating
room. off this is a little room appar-
emily used as a cloak room. This is
wainscoted to the ceiling, and the
walls are seemingly solid A peculiar
touch in one corner develops the fact
that there is hidden door which opens
into a dark anteroom, from which you
enter into a dismal cellar apartment
Here is a fantan table, and if you are
one of the elect you may play to your
hearts content while the officers are
getting through the various doors
nine in all-before reaching the place
Off this room is a small closet about
four by six feet. 1t also has most
solid appearance. The walls are heavy
boards, and around the center runs
heavy panel studded with spikes. But
here, also, appearances are deceiving
One of these spikes is removable, and
the whole side of the closet can be
raised revealing an opening into a
dark tunnel which leads into an alley
on one side and into the Jackson street
theater on the other.
n crat lIt
of a social and literary clubroom.
In the rooms at ia Dupont street
game of pai-gow was in progress when
the tinkling of a bell announced the
coming of the squad. Instantly the
money around the table found it's way
into the pockets of the respective own
ers, the dominoes were shuffied to the
middle of the table and then divided
out between four players, and by the
time the police entered the room four
Cinnamon were playing an innocent
game of dominoes and two others were
reading the papers. The police depart
ed. and from various rooms the players
emerged and within one minute pai-
gov was in progress again as If such
a thing as police interference was
never heard of.
At IS ST Louis alley is the room of
the Fook Tai Lottery Company, and at
80 Washington alley is the room of the
Ming Lay Chow lottery. Two weeks
ago these two lotteries opened wide
and at any hour of the day business is
done openly. During the drawings
Cinnamon go in and out freely, and
big business is done every day. Last
night there was no effort to hide the
fact that a drawing was going on, and
while white men were barred Chinese
could come and go at will.
The new scheme is very effective. No
bof
axes and no more Chinese are carted
off to the station to. answer to the
charge of gambling. It is great
scheme-for Chire $50 - 7hlerS.