Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-16
Put Dynamite Stick
in the Cabin of
Enemies
TOngsmen's War Devel-
ops a Machiavelian
Way of Staying
superstitious celestiaIs Stand on the
Brink of Eternity, Afraid to Ex-
tinguish Fire Approaching
Fuse of Death

But for the pinching of candle flame
five celestials on the Barbour ranch,
east of San Gabriel, would have supped
last night with their ancestors in the
halls of the dead.
All Tin, the Chinese foreman, tore
away the fuse of an improvised in
fernal machine just as the fire burned
down to a stick of dynamite. Five
Chinese sat within three feet of the
explosive eating their supper.
The --achievelian joke is supposed
to have been the work of several men,
bers of an opposing tong, who robbed
the ranch shack before arranging their
clever little scheme for the elevation
Of their countrymen. Eighty dollars
was taken from under the mattresses
III the ranch house.
N. e. Heacock the manager of the
ranch, was sent for after All Tin had
spoiled the plot. The neighborhood
was searched fof the traces of the
would-be murderers. Hugh A. Labin-
gier, who owns a ranch across the
arroyo from the Barbour rancn, had
seen two men, apparently Chinese,
dressed in American clothes, drive up
the canyon and tie their horse to a tele-
phone pole in a position screened from
view from the ranch house. The men
ran up the slope to the house. keeping
the building between them and several
Chinese who were hoeing in a nearby
field They were in the house nearly
an hour before leaving and ran down
the hill when they left. Supposing them
to be some of the Chinese on the ranch
Labingier payed no attention to the
matter.
CeIestials Panic-Stricken
When a search of the house was made
and it was discovered that the place
had been robbed the now thoroughly
frightened Chinese brDke out in riot
OF lamentations that would have made
a SchwaDenverein picnic seem mild and
featureleSS. Manager Heacock had diff
ficulty in persuading them to remain
Investigation showed that one of the
Chinese, Ling lex, had been embroiled
in bitter feud, into which two power
full Chinese tongs had been drawn. A
year ago Ling's faction took up his
cause against Chew Yuen, whom the
former accused of attempting to steal
his wife. Ling left a prosperous buSi-
ness in Los Angeles after several at
tempts on his life had been made and
until three months ago was hidden on
the ranch. But he was a marked man
for the messengers of fate" and
"hatchet men" of the opposing tong
traced him to the Barbour ranch. All
Tin, the foreman, received several
warnings and orders to dismiss Ling
lex, but ignored them. In the San
Gabriel region there is little doubt but
that the dynamite plot was the achieve
ment of some of Ling's enemies in the
opposing tong.
Tong Wars Renewed
The outbreak of the tong war marks
the revival of an old era in Los Ange-
les. The tongs were nearly eXtermi-
mated years ago, but the earthquake
has sent Chinese refugees who have
brought their tong enmities with them.
The Chinese working in the fields
leave their work at $3.50 o'clock in the
afternoon. Wo Lung, the cooks as
sistant, is allowed to leave earlier to
help prepare supper. He entered the
ranch house at 5:15- o'clock On
table at the side of the room stood
a lighted candle, guttering as he opened
the door and burned almost to the
bottom. Wo Lung was mildly inter-
ested. Sometimes in the winter when
the days were short a rush light was
burning inAthe corner, but why should
this candle be lit. when it was not
yet dark?
Wo looked closely at the lump of
tallow with the little sputtering flame
almost ready for the last gasp. The
mystery grew. Under the flame, en-
bedded in the heap of drippings, was
a slender black string. The string led
down between the table leg and the
wall into a box beside the table. But
what was this? The string was fas-
tened to strange black punk stick.
What could it mean?
Wo Lung Mystlfied
Wo Lung was awed by the mystery
of the thing and concluded he had best
leave it alone. He went to the kitchen
TO begin his work Supper was nearly
ready and the men could be heard
leaning their hoes against the tool
shed.
rs it a holiday?" Wo Lung sud
denly asked the cook.
NO" was the answer; why do you
ask?"
''Theres some strange new incense
burning, with an evil black stick tied
TO a string, in the other room. didn't
know what it was for"
The cook led the way into the other
room. Only charred bit of the candle
wick remained and the sickly flame
was at work on the tallow drippings,
Wo Lung scented trouble and he had
a feeling that 1t would not be well
TO allow the flame to reach the black
string. Already IL was caressing the
end OF ii. He leaned over to blow out
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