Los Angeles herald., 1906-05-28
POLICE PLACE LID
ON GAMBLERS In
CHINESE SECTION
THE HERALD'S CRUSADE BEARS FRUIT
Raiders Succeed in Passing LookOuts and Descend
on Players-Arrested Celestials Say They
Will Fight Cases-SOme Joints Are
Like Forts Hard to Approach

lovely wreaths of smoke to their fierce
faced patrons.
AS the officer walked down Apablasa
street the doors began to click shut
with bang. There is a long row of
houses on the other side of the street,
but the doors are two feet thick and
made of iron.
been just quick enough to stop the door
from closing entirely, but before they
J could get into the rooms the outfits of
fan tan and other games would disap-
pear and a few sleepy-looking celestials
without any comprehension of the ways
of the white man would be the only
ones to greet them.
| Last night the places we're all watched
carefully. The lookouts sang a soft
voiced warming and the heavy doors
closed with a bang at the officers ap-
proach.
Live in Forts
"You see how it is" said STROBE.
"These people live in regular forts SO
that unless we can get them on the sly
we fail. We used to be allowed to carry
an ak with us. but now that has
been forbidden, so we take our chances
and rely on our Wits
Strobe is known as one of the most
efficient Chinatown officers in the
United States. His partners, Willett
and McGraw, both old hands at the
game, are each doing two mems work
in the Chinese settlement.
In district covering about six blocks
there are only the three officers to
guard against a set of the trickiest
people in the world, and these officers
take their lives in their hands daily as
they serve out their lonely watches of
eight hours each.
Even at that they have turned in
more money in fines and bail than any
other officers in the city.
| Playing "Hleh @"
Ip many places last night the officers
discovered the celestials playing High
O." "a mild form Of Chinese gambling,
played with dominoes and dice, and in
every case where money was found on
the table the tables were upset and
the dominoes and dice confiscated and
the celestials routed out and sent yell
ing to their homes. A small riot caused
by two Mexicans refusing to pay their
bills in one Chinese restaurant was
suppressed by the officers and then
they continued their rounds.
| Tn, bopor 0f tho 70 thot fhaxy u,aro
still alive, the members of the Hop
Sing Tong, the most notorious nest of
highbinders in the United States, whose
den is on North Los Angeles street.
were bowling themselves hoarse, while
the hoarse screech of the cornets and
the rumble of the cymbals told the
story of wild hilarity.
LET them yelp," said STROBE. "Why,
up in that place there area dozen men
who have not been outside the building
for the last four years. The men up
there have not even come down the
stairs for four years. They fed there
for refuge when the highbinders were
sent out of the city, and If they should
come down they would probably be
torn to pieces in the streets and they
know it."
i Several places were pointed out to
+ the officers, who admitted that the
places were gambling holes, but that
the celestials there were too willy to be
caught with the gambling layout before
them
Within the next few days the officers
intend to close up several places in the
little city, one of which is notorious
opium joint where white people are
served with the poisonous drug.