Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-04-14

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two clerks: ! boarded the craft and re-
counted. sretAgged and resealed tho
treasure and, afteNgiving a certificate
of the correct amount, loaded it in the
launch and deposited n on shore.
Ny work was anything but easy.
Every consignment carried counterfeit
coins to be worked off on me. and ev-
cry native was. up to all kinds OF tricks
to come out ahead. Under the law I
had a greet dssi Of power. but there
were scores OF ways in which | could
be DELAYED and annoyed. or all the
people 1 encountered the Chinese were
the worst for trickery. There are plen-
ty Of honest Chinese traders located at
Singapore, as honest as the same num-
Der of foreigners. but rs to the Chinese
afioat I never met a square man
found each and every n to be. slickest
kind of liar and swindler. What pur-
ported to be silver bars would turn out
to be lead thinly coated, gold ingots
would be a deception and a snare, and
they would even go to the pains OF
counterfeiting such cheap coins that it
taxes % of them to make an American
cent. 1t WAS stipulated in my bond
that | should make good all losses arts
ing through n careiessnsss of count
ing or handling, and there was never a
moment when my vigilance could lie
relaxed.
Almost at the beginning of my
career / had business with a Chinese
trader named Whang Ton. That was
the name he gave, and he pretended
to deal in honest goods, but 1 have no
doubt he was an out and out pirate.
He came into the port about three
times a year, and he had ten times too
much money aboard for an honest
trader. He never disputed my count
or tried to work off bad coin on me
and in this was an exceptinon. He
Vol my gratitude if not my respect in
this matter, and after having dealt
with him three or four times I ceased
to watch him for tricks.
In three years he came into port at
least II times, and he never brought
less than $4,000 worth of stuff. He
did not always have the same junk,
but his men were always the same.
H. noonor, u-ac nf oil na.innc and oil
coinage, and twas fair to believe that
he robbed all alike. As there were no
charges against him | did not think
best to say anything ashore, and so
Whang Ton arrived and departed with
out let or hindranee. On what turned
out to be his last visit, so far as l
know, he brought only about 10000
to be exchanged, and he informed me
that he had decided to leave the sea
and settle down ashore. He was more
communicative than had ever known
him to be before, but there were only
two or three points L remembered
afterward. One was his retirement
from trade, and the other was about a
Philippine craft lying astern of him.
She had brought in SIS 600 to be ex-
changed. and 1 was to put the money
aboard of her that evening. He asked
many questions about her, as | re-
m%embered later, and | answered all as
far as | could and gave no weight to
the matter.
While l received and shipped mostly
between 8 o'clock a. m. ana 5 O'Clock p
M, it happened now and then that a
craft wanted to sail after hours, and
50 | stretched a point in her favor and
charged a percentage. This percentage
was to cover my increased risk. In
the case of the Philippine craft the
money was to-he on board at 6 O'Clock,
which was an hour after dark at that
season of the year. 1t was placed in
the launch at 4:30, and | steamed out
to a Malay craft and counted and re-
sealed the S2S, 900 she had aboard.
Then ! spent Is minutes talking with
the captain of an American whaler and
was ready to run down and get rid of
my cargo. | had to pass Whang Tons
junk en- route. and he was On the hook
out for me. He said be had overlooked
a box containing about a thousand dol
lars and was anxious TO have it count
ed and credited with the rest AS he
had a basket OF wine and a box of ci-
CARS for me. ! could not well refuse,
and l went aboard with my two clerks