The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-02-22
POLICE IRE bAFHED
By the ShreWdness of Chi
neSe Hired ASsassins.
MURDER TRUST FORMED
Is Running the Small Murder
er Out of Business.

| SaN Francisco, Cal, Feb. 19.-China-
town is the centre of interest here now
Chinatown, with its cutters running with
| blood because of the feud existing be-
tween various tongs Of the Highlander
society and the consequent cutting of
rates by the newIy-formed trust in the
homicide market. Where a short time
since it cose from $500 to s1,O00 to get an
Irritating friend or too fong-lived relative
killed. the advent of the trust has made
it possible to secure a first-class assassi-
nation for $500, except, OF course, in an
exceptional case, where the proposed VIC
tim is person of great consequence, or
one who IS able 20 cause more than ordi-
nary trouble by putting up a stiff fight.
But you can hire a satisfactory Job done
for $500, and it is not necessary to pay
over any money until the obituary ap-
pears in the leading Chinese newspaper.
John ChinaZnan regards murder-hred
of course-as one of the necessities of
life, and ae would feel lonesome without
it. He does not care to do his own assas-
sinaung, for that would DE vulgar and
dangerous. Hence he has it done; and,
now that the murder trust has got fairly
into working order, q, comparatively poor
man can enjoy the luxury of having an
obnoxious person put out of the way.
Heretofore this was one Of the privileges
belonging exclusively to the wealthy
class, but since the breaking out Of the
war between the Suey Ling Tong and the
Hop Sing Tong, leading lodges Of the ia
nous High binders society, so many men
have been killed that the treasures of
both organizations are rapidly nearing
bankruptcy.
Then arose a Macedonian cry for a re-
d. 'ction in murder rates, and leading
ma in the Highbinder society bethought
tha nselves Of forming a trust to meet
the popular demand. Heretofore the
"hatAhet merT' of the various tongs hive
had a clear field and monopoly of the
business of assassination, and as they
waxed Aich they became indoent and
over5eariTts. 1t is even said that in some
cases after they had made contract to
kill man they went back on the custo-
mer in the most brazen-faced way, put
ting up the trivial excuse often that the
proposed victim had a large family to
support ard was a good son to his pa
rents in their declining years.
Such mauGuin stuff as this Doesn't go
with the trust 1t is run on strictly bus
mess principles, and when the contract
for the death of any person is taken that
person must die.
The trust controls everything ard is
stern and unfeeling in crushing out every
form of competition or opposition. re-
CARELESS of the fate of the unfortunate
"hatchet men" who must seek other
means of lvlihood. AS some of these
are rather along in years, it win not be
an easy thing for them TO take up some
other profession, and it can be readily
seen, therefore, that this is a chilly sea
son for the "hatchet mem in spite of
the mildness of the winter generally.
The headquarters of this monopoly is
in Marysville in this state but it is not
stated that the combination is chartered
under the laws of New Jersey. There is |
no capital stock and no prospectus has |
been issued.
The trust already runs as smoothly as |
cIockwork. For instance, should one of |
the San Francisco tongS or q member of !
one of the tOngs, desire the removal of |
any one, the name and address Of the |
victim are sent to trust headquarters at |
Marysville by messenger. NO letter writ
ing or keeping of books, no telegraphing /
or things of a give-away sort enter into
the transactions of the trust with cJsto-
mers. A handy man, one who knows his
business thoroughly, is sent out on the |
job, and he tracks his prey until the |
proper time arrives to bring him down
The assassin when proof of death is fur
nished, tears off a sleek commission on
the $500, in addition to salary and ex-
penses. The bravo must be a man of
nerve, pluck, and tenacity and possessed
of the highest sense Of personal honor.
He must, furthermore, he of good fami-
". for it would be a reflection upon the
tSust itself should an assassin of low
caste be put upon the trail of a victim of
high degree. 1t would be a stain upon
the name Of the dead man and almost
as harmful as the amputaton of cue !
without which no follower of Confucius
could hope to enter the kingdom Of eter-
nal bliss
As matter Of course. the various tongs
OF the Highbinder society are eternally
at war, but the Suey Sing and Hop Sing
tongs feud overtops all previous ones, so
far as wholesale slaughter is concerned.
To date the Hop Sings ha-~ lost nine an.
the Suey Sings four men, the carnage
having been in progress about two
months, and as the Sney Sings number
1900 and the Hop sings but coo the lat
ter viii have to get a move on them
selves or run the risk Of being extermi-
mated. As both treasures are extremely
low however. and the trust does bust
ness only on a cash basis, the slaughter
may stop because OF an absence of tire
sinews OF war. Unless the money Is alb