The Washington times., 1909-06-26


ony was established IN lower Pennsyl-
| vania avenue many years ago. Wash
ingtonians have showed more than a
passing interest during the last two
weeks of that section of the city known
/ as Chinatown.
/ The gruesOnne murder of an American
| girl In a room over chop suey res
| taUrant in New York and the fact that
/ the yellow man suspected Of the crime
| fed to Washington, remained here for a
! few hours, and then left for the West,
/ has aroused more than a passing in
| terest in these people whose lives. Gus
toms and manners seem to be shrouded
/ in the deepest mystery to the average
| American.
/ Almost any night or afternoon during
/ the last week persons who had never
| passed through the lower part Of the
Avenue except in a street car or auto
mobile could be seen wandering about
! Chinatown. Any policeman who patrols
a beat within the shadow Of the dome
of the Capitol will tell you that he has
never seen so many stunning" parties
doing Chinatown since he has been
pounding bricks for the District Com
missioners.
Restaurants Thrive.
Parties Of young men and women
have been conspicuous in all of the chop
suey restB urants, and the CeIestials say
that business has been on the boom.
| There seems to be a morbid curiosity
! especially among a certain class Of
women to see If they can discover what
it was that led an attractive American
| girl to become infatuated with China
men-to give up the friends and COM
mt p Of hnr hax
/ in fact, to give up everything that other
| girls and women consider worth while
/ in life for the friendship and comrade-
/ ship of a few Orientals.
But Washington has no Chinatown
| Ike the famous settlements IN New
/ York and san Francisco, and there are
/ not many sights" here TO be seen by
| a Summing party. CeIestials IN
/ Washington do not welcome American
| visitors cordially to their establish
ments. In the restaurants, or course.
/ there is always welcome for those
who have money to spend, but in the
/ little shops along the Avenue the pro-
| prietors are only glad TO see those who
come TO buy. and the curious who want
/ to stand around and talk are never
urged TO tarry.
Wonder at Interest.
At first Chinatown was unable to IN
derstand the unusual interest which
Americans were taking in its affairs.
The murder IN New York held less in
| terest for them than it did for most
Americans.
Had not their felIow-countrynan who
/ was accused or the crime cut of his
! cue and adopted American dress? Had
I he not prOfessed TO accept Christianity?
I No longer could he claim 2 love or pa
I trtottsm FOR the empire across the sea,
and China held out no welcoming hand
| 10 him. Why should his cousins and
hor or protect hinq2 He knew there was
no reason why they would, and he did
not ask IL. His only friends would be
those whose hair had been clipped short,
too.
This was what Chinatown told the de-
/ tectives when they were searching every
/ Chinese establishment ia the city. But
I the detectives were suspicious They
would have 10 zee for themselves
| Wandering about the streets Of Chi
natown and visiting the various estab-
I lishments, there is not much for the
American to see. There are shops where
I bric-a-braes tea and other articles label
I ed imported" may be purchased there
/ is always an unlimited supply Of chop
suey and chow main. but little more.
Secrets Hidden.
| Some generous visitor may slip a vel
/ low bill 10 one OF the CelestiaIs in the
/ hope that he will be led 70 an opium
/ den where there are white women and
/ Cinnamon smoking the drug but the
I bill Is only productive OF exaggerated
politeness-and the visitor doesn't see
any more than II he had purchased a