The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-06-17
CHIN TAN SUNS MILLIONS.
BELIEVED TO BE THE RICHESp
NAN or HIS RACE ~ AMERICA
Began Earning Money as a Cook e.. Ma.
ried . white Girl and started a Iot,.,,
A Price on His Head nv the sam y.n.

His name Is Chin Tan sun, and he is the rcbss
Chinaman IN America.
Minionaires are not necessarily inieresr,.
But here Is a novelty in the Six-Ciphcrnd clos.
Where else on American soil may be- 'Onnd .
millionaire with a queue. who thinks nothin,
a, all of owning whole towns who puplov.
hundreds of white men and women in hi, fao-
tories and canneries; who payStaxes on ranchss
city real estate. gold mines aud diamonds WIN
runs lottery games, upsets "a city charter whsn
he wants 10: imports contract laborers by hmm.
dreds from China, IS a power IN a highbinds
tong conducts a real estate business in Hon,
Kong and several merchandise stores "A San
| business methods?
Chin Tan Sun does all these things and
more. He II q s.lf-made man. Beis wider AWAKE
when he II asleep than many OF the persona
with whom he comes in contact during bus.
ness hours. Some thirty year, ago n Ions,
legged lad from the Orient came across the seas
to this coast in the staerage OF a steamer H.
| had first opened his almond eyes IN the prov.
ince Of Sun Ming. a farming district. Farmer,
in China do not live on the land they cultiyata
| Space il too precious. They bunch their FAM.
lilies into compact little houses separated hv
| the soil. In California. where ranches cove,
thousands OF acres, u farmer turns a colt "a
pasture in a ten-acre lot, In china q man who
owns ten acres is considered wealthy. The
| boy farmer had heard fabulous tales Of The
| New World. They lured him from the rai.ns
OF vegetables. he LEFT his ancestral home and
work in somebody's kitchen a. a cook.
But Chin Tan sun. amid his new surround.
ines. thought OF other things than bread max.
ing and stove. polishing and dish washing.
He dreamed OF wealth and power, though none
would have guessed thai he was other than an
excellent household machine, content TO 20
feet on a kitchen floor would carry him, rrti
he could save enough from his wages TO insure
the sending of hi. bones back To China should
he die IN the land Of the white devils.
A girl OF SCandina Wan parentagp, good look.
ing and industrious, was employed AS domestic
in q ncighboring family. chin Tan Sun ccu'cd
and commenced housekeeping on jackson
street in Chinatown with the dollars thai, had
been earned in the Ogden kitchen, Chm Tan
Sun, keenly ON the alert for an opportunity
TO begin the amassinR of "A fortune, conceived
clever idea. This idea was the originating q
the little lottery" scheme There we're AZ thts
town. Each conducted two drawing daily.
Chin ,pu, his idea into immediate practice,
what he called the American Lottery Company,
selling tickets with numbers duplicating those
OF the fifteen gambling concerns, He sought
American nlaS ,hs pa Hbins.s lo and whit IT, P SeI5 xl ess ,n
slant promptness all winning claims and in Q
year became a comparatively rich man,
| Chin Tan sun developed mar yenOus business
s~asaoity. He bought 4 small interest in nqn-
erous stores. He learned TO speak English
| fuently. His dealings were invariably on A
cash basis, no matter how large ne sum In.
In Oakland, whose show windows displayed
ians and punk sticks and bazaar articles IN gen
tions in the locked rooms back of them He
kept the police busy raiding his gambling Joints
and himself busy Juggling COIN into court with
who had been gathered in by, the bineicossred
arm of the law. Fines he paid with stoicsl in
| difference.
- - ----l a.
zen times the usual amount in his determlDaiio1
70 teach Chin q lesson Then chin showed tight;
Through hls attorney be had the mpniGipai
upside down. for. TO relate briefly, II was ds-
covered that the charter was invalid; that the
court in which Chin's agent had been convicted
consent to have his man SET free. though the
Superior Court itself. sitting en- banc on the case
an event that had never occurred there before
wanted to, dismiss, the Troublesome matter.
| And 30 Oakland had TO provide itself with .
brand new charter. while the shrewdest Chinese
that the law had had to deal with laughed in his
flowing blouse sleeve: laughed and went on
pIling up wealth that could buy every little
garden patch in his native province. and SUI
have enough to bumo out all the punk sticks tina.
Chinatown could import.
During these years the influence Of Chin Tan
Sun had been increasing until Il made itself felt
with respect and fear, not only In the AsIatc
| quarter, But beyond It's limits. He was a mem
Der Of the Chinese Six Companies. He was one
OF a trio at the touch Of whose yellow fingers the
1 fortunes Ol lDtlT tOuIlTN Ultn NtIc TlOultfl
made and unmsde. These three were Big JIM
Little Pete and Chan Chung. Big jim wa.
now the name by which hin Tan Sun was
legged lad from the Orient had grown ipto some
six feet Of very good looking, smooth shaver
Chinsman; better proportional thar the major
regarded as the soul Of honor. said q mar, who
knew him well: If Big Jim were to tell me
that he would meet me a. q certain place within
that he would be there 4 he were alive NV
When Big Jim was starting one OF his frurt
Sanns , ssi he aver went dex S ITO " sId nssot Tss0
he gave directions for the supplies to Be shipped
at SnneSe, .,,r,,v h.v. . =, or.,,- .sSsd -
Big Jim drew himself up with scorn.
Il have no security to oneT" he replied =
his pocket he drew a wallet. out Of which 10
counted the $500 0 in gold notes and the trifing
incident Of purchase was closed.
Jose, was at one time owned by Chin, He also
has ranches scattered over the State and con-
templates starting a steamship line along tas
the multi-millionaire mark. A rich Chinanan
lives his allotted time. His sons inherit his
wealth and they do not abuse the trust. Obey
pay all and any debts contracted by the father;
but the father " not liable for debts incurred
BY his sons, A rich Chinaman attends banquetA
where he drinks samshu and eats birds nestA
sharks Ans. seaweed and other impossible
delioacies dear to the Chinese palate. lie at
tends the continuous PERFORMANCE theatres.
robe. which is magnificent. Sometimes No
IL 40 fastidious that he has three sets OF coats
and trousers embroidered in the same flower
rich display OF buds for morning, blossomstor mo
afternoon and full-blown flowers for %evenlne.
Incidentally. he acquires 2 harem. such are
the opportunities Improved b, chm Tan sun
And what Of the white wife, She is the
white wife stu, She Is living IN Chinatown 10