Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1901-07-11
A TRICK OF
All SINS.
49, Ey ~. Quad.
con,ricbt Ien. ~ 6. 8. Lewis.

,apyricht. 1901. bg 9. 3. Lewis.

In one way or another with every peo-
pie to the north. east. south and west
OF ii, including all the larger islands.
Money reaches Singapore by the boat
load and is distributed as literally. 1t
is sort Of clearing house for the east
and the Malay and the Javanese jostle
against the American and the Holland
er at the counters of the banking
houses.
For five years l was what is called
the transfer agent at Singapore Pro
vided with steam launch and a trusty
crew, received or sent out all the hard
money arriving and departing Ex-
cept in case Of four or five lines Of
steamers, no money is received at the
wharf All the native craft lie at an
Choir to discharge or receive. There
are several reasons for this. but the
main one is to save time at the banking
| houses. The money will arrive in bags
or boxes and is in copper. brass. sill
/ tagged, but it must be gone over again.
! a Malay Chinaman or a Borneo trader
would rob his blind grandmother. II
he has tagged box 81 1900 you can
be sure that it is short from $50 TO
500. Assisted by two clerks. | board
ed the craft and recounted. retagged
and resealed the treasure and. after
giving certificate of the correct
amount. loaded it in the launch and de
posted ii on shore.
Ny work was anything but easy.
Every consignment carried counterfeit
coins 10 be worked off on me, and ev-
cry native was up TO all kinds of tricks
I TO come ont ahead. Under the law |
had a great deal Of power. but there
were scores Of ways in which l could
be delayed and annoyed. OF all the
people | encountered the Chinese We're
the worst for trickery. There are plen-
" Of honest Chinese traders located at
/ Singapore, as honest as the same num-
Der Of foreigners but as to the Chinese
afioat never met a square man. found
each and every one 70 he the slickest
kind Of liar and swindler. What pur-
| ported to be silver bars would turn out
to b. lead thinly coated. gold ingots
would be a deception and snare, and
they would even 20 to the pains Of
counterfeiting such cheap coins that it
takes - of them to make an American
cent 1t was stipulated in my bond
that | should make good all losses aris-
ing through any carelessness of count
/ Ing or handling. and there was never
moment when my vigilance could be
relaxed
Almost at the beginning Of my career
| I had business with a Chinese trader
named Whang Ton. That was the
name he gave, and he pretended to
| deal in honest goods, but / 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 trad
err He never disputed my count or
/ tried 10 work on bad coin on me and
I ia this was an exception He won my
gratitude If not my respect in this mat
ter, and after having dealt with him
4 three or four times l ceased TO watch
him for tricks.
In three years he came into port at
/ least Il times and he never brought
i less than $4,000 worth Of stuff. He
did not always have the same junk.
but his men were always the same.
4 His money was OF all nations and all
4 coinage. and il was fair To believe that
he robbed al alike. rs there were no
charges against him | did not think
+ best to say anything ashore. and SO
Whang Ton arrived ana departed With
out let or hindrance. on what turned
out to be his last visit. SO far as I
know. he brought only about $4,000 10
be exchanged. aud he informed me that
he had decided 10 leave the sea ana
settle down ashore. He was more com
municative than had ever known Kim
10 be before. but there were only two
or three points remembered after
ward. one was his retirement from
trade and the other was about a Phil
ippiue craft lying astern e him. She
had brought in $4,000 To he eNehan-
ed. and | was 10 put the money aboard
of her that evening lie asked many
questions about her. A. | remembered
later and l answered all rs far as
could and gave no weight q the mat
ter.
While l received and shipped mostly
between - o'clock Is. and > o'clock p.
H.. il happened now and then that
cgaft wanted 10 sail after hours. aud
= 81 / stretched point II her favor and
charged percentage. This percentage
WAS to cover my Increased risk. IN
the case 81 the Philippine craft the
money was 20 be on hoard nj = o'clock.
which was an hour after dark tlat
season Of the year. Il was placed in
The launch az 430. and | steamed out
Ia a Malay craft and counted and RS
sealed the $4,000 Size had aboard
: Thee ! srent l. minutes talking with
tie eaPIE OF an American whaler AMI