The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-05-28


money in the laundry business. This has
reacted on trade all along the line,
Once, too, when Chinatown was sup
posed TO be thrillingly, terribly wicked,
the tourist trade was considerable That
has fallen off In size and quality. Even
the rubberneck wagon has helped but
little, for the up-eountry topsiders come
to look and not to spend. s.
The reaction against opium dens mas
cut off another course of revenue, and,
f1nallys the coming of the Parlihurst So
ciety and the resulting long war has hurt
gambling a lot
There are references now and then to
"Chinese millionares. 1t Is hard to. tell
anything about the wealth of any Chi
nese; that is thing which they conceal
even from one another for fear of black
mail. But 1t Is probable that there are
no conspicuously wealthy men in the
quarter
The Chinese say that Wing Chu Chung,
a conservative old merchant, who Keeps
out of politics, Is their richest man, Old
Tom Lee, mayor of Chinatown, must be
comfortably well off, and J. M. Singleton,
head of the Chinese Empire Reform assoc
citation, has a comfortable income from
real estate, a cigar factory, and an in
terest in many stores. AL of these for
tunes, however are insignificant beside
the wealth of certain merchants of the
Pacific coast. Opportunities are lacking
in New York.
Gambling the Besetting Sin.
Gambling Is at once the delight and the
trouble maker of the Chinese everywhere.
1t Is the besetting vice and the favorlte
amusement.
Except for that one weakness 1t may be
said that the Cinnamon are on the whole
49, ,l,ft 10 fIan
surround them They do not drink, and
there are fewer opium smokers among
them than there would be drunkards
among an equal number of whites away
from the restraints of home.
s Chinatown is like new community in
the western mines. They are away from
their families, their women and their
code of responsibility. They work off
their love of excitement in gambling.
As a matter of fact, their gambling is
mainly for excitement, Half of the
games raided in the periodical police
clean-ups are no more harmful than
society game of bridge or quiet hand
of poker at the club.
lnnocuous Games.
The games are three. First is the lot
terry, a complicated system of spotting
out numbers in long rows of figures. 1t
COSTS 20 VI Oh CtutS " SpOt q tiNhtNi otAN
the player by a fortunate combination of
numbers stands to WIN several hundred
dollars. Lottery tickets are sold almost
openly. The drawings are held at noon
in four or five different houses.
Pie-gow is only dominoes with Chinese
complications. This is a mild game, usu-
ally about as innocent in the matter OF
stakes as playing pinoche for the drinks.
1t is the pet evening pastime in the back
rooms of clubs
Fantan is the game for plungers. This
Is the simplest device for losing money
ever invented by man.
On the four sides of the table are the
Chinese characters for /, 2, and A. The
dealer puts a handful of counters, or Chi
nese cash, into a bowl and dumps them
out on the table.
With a rake he draws them out of the
pile four at time. If, after the last four
have been drawn there are two odd cash
on the table, No. wins; If three, No.
wins, and so on.
The players on the lucky number get
triple stakes minus a percentage for the
house. 1t is as simple as SHINING
Cause of War of Thugs.
The gambling house keepers need pro-
lection against the police and against
Chinese toughs. 1t is their custom every
where to put this matter into the hands
of Matchmaking companies or tongs,
which collect a regular tribute, out OF
which they pay themselves and bride
the police. Against outside Chinese med
dlers they use when necessary, the A.
caliber American revolver. or the threat
thereof
This delicate function was handed out
long ago to the On Leon Tong, of which
Tom Lee is the brains. Later the Hip
Sing Tong, whose members are laundry
men and persistent players of the fantan