Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1903-07-17
A TRIP THROUGH
CHINATOWN
Former Tazewell Citizen
Visits Famous Chinese
Settlement.


ed here by Mrs. II. w. Pobst from her
brother J. Watson Quinn, in California.
promised 10 give you brief
description Of my night in Chinatown.
You know Frisco has the largest
Chinatown in the United States. 1t
has population of thirty five thous-
and celestial souls they have their own
stores, shops, factories, markets, news
papers, etc.
We left the hotel Mt p. m. In
company of regular licensed guide
which we hired. He was thoroughly
familiar with their customs, habits.
haunts and peculiarities, and spoke the
Chinese language very fuently.
We first visited their stores, bazaars.
shops, markets, newspapers, etc.
then we went TO their Joss House.
which is n large temple. In this we
saw their golden images, god, and 9th
er idols, which they worship, their punk
sticks, sacred ashes, their form of wor-
ship, the professional mourners,
etc. When one dies they hire these
professional mourners to shed the
tears. When they pray. II their pray
crs are not answered Immediately they
light bunch Of ilro-crackers in order
to wake their god. We next went 20
tea garden, or banquet hall. Here
we ordered pot OF tea with their ma
tive fruits, candles, cakes and nuts.
they were fine.
We next visited n Chinese thcater
and saw one of their plays. was i'm their
dressing rooms, behind tho scenes.
etc. This wns great Next we visited
the living apartments OF wealthy Chi
ncsc merchant. His wlfo and daugh-
ter exhibited their small feet which
with the Chinese ls their greatest vir-
tue This was quite curiosity. They
were well educated in English. Five
little chinks. ranging from three To
ten years DID, rccited and sang sever
nj pieces both In English and Chinese.
They were certainly cute
We next visited the opium dens and
gambling joints. Here we found all
Glasses OF men and Woman "hltting the
pipe and rolling pills, and having
those wonderful "plpc drcams". We
next went To IA restaurant Here we ord
cred bowl Of rice, and bowl Of "chop
suey' which was served I'm their native
dishes on vessels with thoir chop
sticks with which 10 eat IL. We also
ordered some OF their native drinks of
rice, wine and gin, then camc tho hair
raising experience; we entered mn old
building, passed through long semi
dark hall, turned many corners, as
ccnded flight Of stalrs, through anoth-
er narrow dark passage, down n fight
OF steps, moro turns, until we finally
landed into n small, Ill lighted and III
smelling room, I'm one corner OF which
was trap. Upon opening this, n mar
row steep flight of steps leading down.
ward was exposed. They were so
steep that we had TO hold 10 a rope
while descending them. When we
reached the bottom we found ourselves
In what IL known as the underground
section OF Chinatown. There were
hundreds OF narrow passages or tun-
nels running in every direction. They
have undermined four or five blocks.
These tunnels for the most part were
in total darkness, now and then we
would run across n tallow candle bur
ming, which Is their only means OF IL
Elimination. All along these passages
are small rooms or cells, each contain
ing window about two feet square
with an iron grating over it, and n
small door made Of heavy iron put to-
gether with hundreds Of bolts. In
these cells live from one to six chinks
who are smoking and dreaming their
lives away. Other cells contain Chi
nese girls who are "slaves." 1t Is in
this underground section where all of
the murders and other crimes are
committed.
1t was a terrible sight
We next visited the Chinese musi-
clans, the "devils Kitchen" hole in
the wall where hundred of chinks do
their cooking, their hotel and many
other places. We returned at A. NJ.
I've been through Chinatown OF Los
Angeles, Chinatown of New York, of
Frisco and other towns, but Frisco
beats anY have over soon