The sun., 1904-11-27
HIGHBINDERS FIGHT IN NAIL.
FIRST REAL BATTLE or THE
TONGS Nv NEV YORK STREETS.
EnElish.Made Mail Shirt Found on One
Prisoner-%nother Padded with Cloth
Colt .a4s Their Reapons-Two out
slders Hit by Stray shots--0ne Killed.

binder, sis shooter war dan co on the Bowery
in the early hours Of yesterday morning.
The electric elevated cars were running
overhead the tourist crowd was pouring
out of the Chinese Theatre, a half block
away German Prince was taking In the
sights of New York. In the midst OF 1t
the Chinese quarter, an island OF 1000
souls in sea of 900 900 was dealing JUS
tce In its own way 1t was real High.
hinder battle. fought with all the mixed
accomplishments OF hatchets, Colt AS.
mail shirts and joss charms against bullets.
The one man lied was white man,
The hatchetmen of the o. Leong TONG
started IL. They were bringing Oh plot
to kill Wong Sang, q Hip sing man and
PARTNER OF Mock Duck. who was winged
and nearly killed fortnight ago. Mock
Duck and Tia Hip Sing Tong brethren had
broken all Chinese ethics by dragging the
white man into q blackmailing dispute.
But the willy Wong Sang and his fellow
hatchetmen laid an ambush and brought
Oh drawn battle.
As nearly as any white man can come
to an understanding OF Chinese fight
this is the story Of the beginning OF New
York's highlander war:
Inc Lee q tIS iiIoo-
cial interest in New York IS Chinatown. 1t
is an association Of capitalists. merchants
and gambling house keepers-these last
being regarded by the Chinese as legitimate
business men. The Hip Sing Tong tong
means oompanyl and the o. Leong Tong
are highbinders. HIghbinders are black
mailers. parasites, hired thugs, gentlemen
adventures. 1t is a mistake TO suppose
that the 'highbinders' are any one society.
They are several societies. all with the
common object OF living by their wits,
and usually at outs with one another. The
HipSings and On Leongs are two Of these
the only two which are very active In New
York.
Some four or FIVE years ago ths Hip
Sing Tong began TO demand tribute from
the Lee society's gambling house keepers.
The Lee society, it is believed. paid UP at
first But the o. Leong Tong saw the
graft and wanted in This double game
OF blackma was too much for the Lees to
handle. They refused tribute. Then be-
gan a boycott which nearly paralyDed all
gaming in Chinatown. The highbinders,
born gamblers all OF them, refused to pat
ronize the games. They used their in
Auence to keep others away. 1t killed tho
pie-gow game, which under ths most
favorable circumstances is only moderately
proftaLle le 10 the house. Fan-tan. which
can be manipulate 80 as to return as big
profit to the house as AL Acams's policy
game, went along, but In uesultory fashion.
Still it went, anu the Hip Sings by far the
more enterprising tong OF the two, TOOK
counsel.
Some Hip Sing genius--it may have been
Mock Duch-cont Ell ed an idea 30 original
and daring and dangerous, for Chinese,
that the hip Sings must have hesi'aled
long time Iefore they put II into operation:
1t was to ring in the Anert an for es OF
purity on the side OF II is hbinder black
mail. Briefly, they -rear hed" to the Park
hurst society, told where the main ambling
Mock Duck, smooth, unctuous, diplomatic,
was their GO between. u was he who
carried the information to the Parkhurst
people and led he raids:
1t was function which called for superb
nerve. Among the real Cantonese Chinese,
a man who informs 10 the white law, even
though the information be given to avence
the death of his father, is doomed Ven-
geance may walt for years, but 1t cores In
the end. There Is mysterious Chinese
killing in lumber camn, or In the back
room Of laundry-and 'the police are
Now. Mock Duck. by this art, had made
himself doublv cdious. lie info rmed to the
whites and became also a thcrn In the
flesh ~ the On Ie'ngs. Bv this rlan cf
the Lees tn terms with the Zip Sings and
the On Ie' ngs would be left cut in the cold
Az far back as a year ago. the Chinatown
buns" the Bowerv eo-betweens Of the
quarter predicted that the On Leongs would
make trouble in the end.
The trouble cane a fortnight ago. lee
Sing, imPo rted from Vermont fcr the rur-
pose, shct Mock Duck He did a clumsv
Job. The pc lire get him. Then the J. in
Sings committed the last unnard0nable
in the white law c.urts against Jee Sing.
the On Le-ng highbinder who did the jab.
Mock Duck is still in the hospital, but Ia
going tn get well.
Under ordinary circumstances. it was
on Leong to raw for Mock Duck, that being
the eve f'r an e'e NILE of the tongs. But
there we're NJ ordinary circumstances.
tighbnder ethics, as interpreted by the
on Le,ngs ,deman6e that real dead I.i.'
Sing she uld Ta' Z the breach of etiouette.
eelf-intere,t demanded II, ton. Where
would the highbirders I've IL Chirese took
70 reoortir crin " the white policsI
Mock Ducks Partner and an active work er
in Parkhurst Society interests. Some-
where through the hidden. underground
channels Of chinatown there filtered the
information that the On Leongs were after
Wong Sang. 1t reached the Hip Sings.
and four or FIVE Hight inders, with padded
bulletproof aTrnor under their Houses
and long Colt .44s under their Jack cts were
told of as a ! odyguard. " herever Wong
Sang has gone in these last few GAYS four
ordinary looking Chinese have strolled
not far away.
TIE superb indifference OF the mark ed
Chinese was v cng's He went alrut
his business, neither oourtinp trcul le nor
avoiding it, On Fridav richt 1t seemed
good to him to attend the historical drama
at the Chinese Theatre. Had the On Loonp
spies cen active they would have noticed
that Wong ought five tickets instead Of
one.
Prince Hchenlche was In the theatre.
He vas a preat attraction. No one knew
OF crurse thai a Deacpa' le looling, sleepy
Chinaman in the ht use vas destined In an
hour or two to q the centre Of a show which
would mn'e the Prince as an attraction
look small.
Fo- around 'he co~rer on the Bowery
half a dozan Chinese we've LOAF ng sleepilv,
Two Of lem We're sittirP on tie s'eps Of a
hasoment barber shcp their tands tucked
in their sleeves tfeir attitude one Of repose.
4 policemen came along ard routed II EN-
out. T'ev scIr-ied down fhe street. only
10 loaf back again when the coast was
clear.
Further m tha Bowerv. two Chinese
were hpvirg a friendly lhtle argument.
(1rar tho a. ~ of China =