The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-02-17
TOUR OF PLUM ALLEY
City Council Makes a Trip to
Chinatown.
FOUND NO GAMBLING
CRUSADER MING CAUSES TWO
ARRESTS.

The perseverance of Jong Ming. the
Christian Chinaman. in his crusade
against Chinese gambling among the
denizens OF Plum alley has at last
aroused the police committee of the
council. and last night they, under the
guidance of Chief of Police Hilton and
Detective Sheets, made a trip through
the smoke-hlIed dens TO investigate the
charges made by the Plum alley re-
former against the Celestials there.
and his more serious charges against
the police. that they shake down the
gamblers.
The trip, it is said, was made with a
view to ascertaining the merits Of the
Chinaman's petitions and with a view
to taking some action in the matter
through the police committee.
Ming's crusade has already brought
forth a decree from the police that ali
Cinnamon must be excluded from the
gambling houses on Commercial street,
the arrest of two Plum alley Celesuals
on d charge of keeping gambling
houses, and has also aroused the tenn
peTance women of the city. one of the
temperance workers. accompanied by a.
detective, went through the saloons of
Commercial street last night, distrib-
Uting cards to "a temperance meeting
Councils Trip.
/ The trip of the police committee was
/ planned about a week ago and last
night. between and O'Clock,
l the committee, composed of Council
men Hartenstein, Cottrell, Hewlett,
! Fernstrom and Reid, started on the
tour Of the street. They declared that
they found nothing there that
would warrant Ming in his
/ charges, and, as one of them said, they
I believed that the Chinaman's charges
were groundless. A member of the
/ committee said they went through
/ every house in the alley and that the
lonly thing they could md there that
/ needed attention was the sanitary con-
ditiOn, and thought the young reform
( er could do a better service for his
people by starting a health crusade
! Not in any of the houses could they
find any evidences Of gambling what
/ ever, and nothing to give any founda-
/ ton to the charges made by Ming The
councilman would not say that there
was no gambling there, but that II IL
was carried on in the alley the China
men were too slick about It TO be
caught
All the Cinnamon were loud In their
denunciatiOns of the retOrmer VINO,
they said, sought revenge by stirring
up trouble among them.
Cinnamon Arrested.
/ Ming began his crusade in earnest
/ yesterday by appearing at police court
/ and swearing out complaints against
/ two of the Plum alley merchants, who,
I he says, are running fan tan ana
/ ching ching games in their places
The first victims of the crusade are
! Ching Ching and Son Chang Tai two
| of the leading Cinnamon OF the alley
! They put up 800 each for their appear
ance in police court tomorrow 10 an
swer the charges, which they denied
strongly
LAST night seemed to be night of
I crusades and in the early part of the
evening a prominent Christian worker,
in company with a private detective,
made her appearance on Commercial
street, going into every saloon and
+ handing tickets bearing an invitation
I 10 a lecture for men at the First Meth
odist church by Evangelist Cordner.
The woman went into nearly every sa-
loon on the half block east of CONNER
cial street and attempted to enter
J some of the gambling houses, but was
refused admission.
Chinese Exclusion Act.
For the time being at least all China
men are barred from the gam9hnS
houses on Commercial street. This is
distressing TO number of prOprietors,
for it is generally known that the chi
nese element furnishes a good percent
age of the profits Of the larger houses
Not infrequently as many as dozen
Cinnamon are playing farO-they play
faro Only-at the same table They IN
variably lose, but the inclination has
become little else besides duty with
them. They viii play just. as long as
their money lasts. Chinese gardeners,
many of them, viii stake their receipts
for the entire week on the turn Of a
card. usually Saturday evenings.
/ Last night the Orientals were cOnspic
uOusIy absent from the gambling
houses The chief of police issued the
order and at the foot of the stairs Of
every house door keepers were sta
toned to keep the Cinnamon from en-
tering. The order may De made per
imanent.
Judge SOmmeT stated last night that
he and city Attorney Stevens would
investigate the cases of Chinese gamb-
ling reported by John Ming. and that
! if the cases warranted he would issue a
warrant for the arrest of the offenders