The sun., 1903-05-24
THE TRICKS OF CHINATOWN.
SIGHTS TO he SEEN DY COUNTRY
VISITORS AT 50 4 HEAD.

Opium Smoking and Gambling GaIore
Once . woman Commit ed Suicide
Nightly for the Benehi OF SiEhtseers
but the Police Stopped That,
BY far the most interesting part OF New
York city In the eyes Of visitors from out
Of town, is Chinatown. which ls invaded by
thousands Of sightseers every year Ninety
per cent. OF them 60 at night and are bent
on seeing all the dreadful things which
Cinnamon and their Caucasian associates
are popuarly supposed to do As a result
of this curiosity, custom Of working
on frauds on the visitors has grown up in
Chinatown, and 1t has proved to be highly
profitable business all around
Almost everything that visitors to China
town sec nowadays Ia more or les' fraudu-
lent Whether the visitors come by night
or by day, the greater part of the entertain
ment provided by their guides is fraudu-
lent, although they never know it and go
away satisfied that they have seen the real
thing.
The Cinnamon who live in Chinatown
are not fools. neither are the white women
who associate with them nor the white men
who pick up living In more or less ques-
Lionable ways in the quarter None of
the Cinnamon, and certainly very few of
the women, could be induced to make public
display Of their private lives for money.
but they are not at all averse to arranging
little exhibitions for the edifca,ion of visi-
tors, who pay well, thinking they are see-
ing the real thing
There are fully score Of men OF the
Chuck Connors type who call themselves
Chinatown guides. They have lived in the
quarter for years. know every man and
woman in it. know the gambling dens.
the joss houses, the opium joints; in fact.
are part Of the quarter and well qualified
TO show people about
The minute visiting party strikes China
town il is taken in tow by one OF these guidea
Sometimes the guide meets the party by
appointment for many Of them have con-
nections with hotel clerks uptown who tout
for them. but ofteaer the party wandss
about until guide picks it up and makes a
bargain to show it Chinatown
OF course, the party wants to see opium
smoking. a game of fantan in operation
the quarters OF white women who live
with Cinnamon and all the other things
that are part Of the quarter, The guide
leads them up dark alleyways through
winding Railways where thev cannot ses
their hands before their faces, and finally
into little box-like rooms where white
women and Cinnamon smoke what Is SUD-
posed to be opium for their amusement
All conversation is carried on in whispers.
good deal is said about the police and other
dangers of the expedition, and the visitors
are worked up TO proper state OF excite
ment
What the Cinnamon and women smoke Is
not OPT um at all. Generally small piece
of wax Is cooked over the lamp and inserted
convenient cigarette in the end Of tho
pipes broad stem supplies the smoke
A few puffs and the s noksr rolls over in
what app ars to BE- deep slu.nbsr The
guids leafs the shiverias party out and
Next he finds Chimes, gambling den
In full operation. Fantan, Chiness dom
inoes and games with the long strip
Of cardboard covered With Chimes charae,,
with money the banker hauls his coins
from the centre of the table with his sharp
point d stick. and the players suck away
at, thsir gur9ling water pipes. A cars
visitors enter. but the guide arranges
matters and the play Is resumed.
This is just a. complete q fake as the
opium smoking. The suppos I'd ganbl.rs
are just playa .ttng for tn. o,nsat & o, I, II,
visitors especially the womsn. for there
are women in all OF thess parties. 60 away
properly awed.
Visits to oss houses. restaurants and
alleged dens are mad. faks dZhts OCCUR.
dramatic scenes are enacted. and BY the
time the trip is over the visitors have seen
about all they can sta I'd.
For long time thsre was Chinatown
woman who used to commit suicide every
night for the b.neft Of visitors She
was good-looking girl and had room
at the top OF a D ,yers straet ten nm ,nt.
For a long while the fake opium smoking
took place in her room. A romantic and
touching tale Of this girls downfall used
to be told conAdentially to visitors by the
interest.
At certain stage Of the exhibition each
night she would startle the visitors by
tossing her pipe aside. crying out. am
tired Of all this!' and then taking a hasty
swallow from a bottle labelled 'carbolio
acid She would fall groaning to the floor
and the guide would hustle the visitors
away 90 they wouldn't be arrested as wit
neSseS.
The fake suicide was bowling success
and a great money-maker for the woman
who did II. The wardman from the Eliza
beth street station put the performance
had to cut II out OF their repertoire
The programme described il gone
through as many as a dozen times some
nights and the strange thing Ia that visitors
never seem to detect the imposition They
swallow 1t all with perfect confidence and
pay as much as IS head sometimes for tho
evenings entertainment