The San Francisco call., 1908-04-26
Twenty Years Ago Little
Pete Was Shot TO Death

higher court than any earthly tribunal.
1t was at the first trial of Lee Chuck,
and at a time of considerable excite
ment, that I first met Little Pete, the
subject of this sketch. Before the ease
came on for trial / heard of him fire.
quently and by no means favorably.
Stories of sharp practices were in the
air. Somebody was monkeying with
the panel OF jurors, or trying to do SO.
l need hardly say there was not the
faintest suspicion of anything ques-
tionable, from start to finish in the
work of the distinguished and honor
able gentlemen whose names have been
mentioned as associated with the de-
Tense. AT every rumor the name of
Little Pete accompanied it. When ex-
amining the jurors / noticed, time and
again, a smooth faced quiet, intelligent
looking little Chinaman, with a pleas
ant smile and soft, kindly eyes, trip
ping modestly in and out of court, ap-
parently- unconcerned and paying no
particular attention to anybody or any
thing. He was cleanly dressed, in Chi
nese costume, his pigtail nicely braided
and a new, round, little hat in his
hand. 1t bothered me to think what
such peaceful, decent young China
man could find to interest him in pro-
ceeding like that in which we were
engaged. Possibly he had dropped in
from the consulate to see for himself
the workings of an American court,
or he might be a student on a sight
seeing visit. 1 felt like assisting him
in his modest observations, and spoke
of so doing to Lieutenant Martin and
Detective Cox, who were handling
things for the prosecution. Imagine
my astonishment when they laughingly
told me that my modest young celestial
was no less person than the redoubt-
IL Dat 81 VII,
and the most dangerous law breaker
ever known to the police in that quar-
ter. Well, l threw up both hands and
could hardly believe it possible. But
it was, in truth, diminutiye Peter, as
Joe Dunno, the assistant district attor-
ney, used to call him; and Judge Toohy,
who presided over the first trial,
thought my sizing up of Little Pete as
"childlike and bland" was a great joke.
On further acquaintance l got to know
my hero better, and found that in his
case, as in many others, the devil of
our imagination is not half SO black
as he is painted.
1 have spoken of Little Pete as the
worst law breaker in Chinatown. This
is true in a general way, but did not
extend, so far as l could ever be GER
tain. to acts of violence and murder, al
though report had it that highbinders
who threatened his life disappeared
mysteriously and were never heard of
afterward. 1t was-in the way of bust
ness, his peculiar business, that Pete
was a terror TO the police. He was a
Very busy man. Running more lot
terry and fantan games than any 10
men of his class: settling disputes be-
tween the different companies or tongs;
managing and regulating houses of i'll
fame and looking after the importa-
tion and safe landing of their inmates;
acting as interpreter in all kinds of
trouble with the white DEVILS; inter
viewing Captain Lees and Chief Crow
ley on many occasions and giving
them valuable information regarding
crime and criminals, for which he
would accept no compensation; employ
ing lawyers-sometimes for the de-
fense and at times for the prosecu-
tion; getting up alibis in desperate
cases, at which he certainly was
master hand. Night and day the ire
pressive little fellow was always on
the go, at the same time carrying on
a boot and shoe mandatory on a
pretty large scale. In the way of sport
Pete also took hand. He seldom,
could be seen on the racetrack, but he