The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1903-02-24
JAP DESPERATE
UNDER ARREST
Claim Made That He Is Gonda, No.
torious Murderer.
HAS OPERATED IN MONTANA
Confines His HoIdups to Country
men, Whom He Makes Gives Him
Money as He Needs lt-May Be
the One Wanted at MissouIa.

Spokane Telegram: A Jap under
arrest here is supposed to be Gonda,
murderer and holdup, who is
wanted in Seattle. The Chronicle
of today has a long article concern
ing the man who is said to have op-
Grated in Kalispell and other places
in Montana where Japs are employed.
The man in Jail claims his name
as Tarakichi Shibata, and says he
came from Kalispell, Mont, three
days ago. This seems to be about
the extent of his English. At least,
when the city of Seattle is mention
ed he closes up tight.
That he was in Kalispell does not
disprove that he is the notorious
Gonda of Seattle, for local Japan
csc says that Gonda-and he declares
this is GOnda-was in kalispell
about three months ago.
1t is claimed that Seattle has for
the past three or four months, or per-
haps longer, been the haunt of a gang
of outlaws. Reports have stated that
Japs have been hacked to pieces ana
their dead bodies hidden in corners
where they lie undiscovered until
the odor tells the tale. The workings
of the gang were confined to the
Japanese section of the city, and the
police seem to be unable to catch the
criminals. Gonda, it was claimed,
was a leader of the gang.
This morning X. Oshima, the pro-
prietor of the Labelle and Oregon
restaurants, called at the police sta
ton with the startling information
that Gonda was in the city, and Of
fered to pilot the police to the mans
room Detective McDermott at once
went with Oshima and was taken to
the Jap lodging house in the tender
loin section of the city. He was
shown to a room and on entering
found three Japs just in the act of
dressing.
All three men were taken to the
police station and Oshima picked out
who he claimed was Gonda. The
room had two beds, one double and
one single. Gonda, with Jap named
Tahara, occupied the big bed, while
another Jap occupied the smaller
one. Tahara claimed he came to the
city about a week ago from Lewiston,
and as there was nothing on which to
hold him he was turned loose. The
police. however. have suspicious
against him and will keep him under
surveillance. Oshima says the other
two Japs were all right, but had sim
ply fallen in bad company.
At the police station Gonda
seemed unable to understand much
English. Through an interpreter he
A reporter endeavored to TAX with
him in the city Jail. but had difficulty.
The man is short and chunky look
| ing. He has a mean eye and his face
bears scratches of what might have
| been fist fights. The knuckles of his
right hand are badly swollen and
skinned, supposedly from the result
of a blow he dealt the cook in the
| Labelle restaurant yesterday.
He said he came from Kalispell
about three days ago, and had
worked on the section while in Kali
ispell. Asked if he was in fight
yesterday he shook his head, ana
when the reporter pointed to his
badly swollen knuckles the prisoner
raped his hand against the side of
the wall to indicate that he had hurt
his hand hitting the wall.
| When asked about Seattle he ap-
parently could not understand. When
he was asked if he had killed man
in Seattle the same answer was Civ
en-, a vacant stare, without sign of
yes or no.
X. Oshima, the proprietor of the
restaurant, talks fair English and
told his story substantially as fol.
lows:
eyes, know he is Gonda. He
told me so. He tells all the Japan.
csc that he is Gonda from Seattle
He is an outlaw and bad man. He
does not do any work but lives by
making Japanese give him money
! for nothing He threatens to cut
them or kill them if they do not give
money, and nearly always carries
two or three knives with him,
"You see there are so many Jap
; anese in Seattle that the police could
not catch him. About last October
il got too hot for him in Seattle and
; he went away to Japanese gam
bling house about IL miles from Seat
tie. He stayed there little while
ond then went to Kalispell. He
stayed in Kalispell little while ani
then started back to Seattle. He
stopped in Spokane one day on his
way back and came to see me. He
told me then that he was Gonda from
!; Seattle and shook hands with me
That was all saw of him that time
u s.IIa x..axak haalx To Saat&lo hut