Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-17
CHINATOWN IS
FREE FROM OLD
DENS OF VICE
REFORMERS' BATTLE-GROUND
GHOST OF FORMER SELF
LAWYER MENAcED BY THREATS
PAYS VISIT TO DISTRICT
Smoking of Opium and Gambling
Games That Formerly Were
In Full Blast Now Dis
continued
DEFY1NG those who have threat

Jh6C the Wits ihdit Vi ID ~ iie'S
no fear of Oriental foes Attorney
Frank F. Pratt of the law firm of Wal
ters, Pratt & Ball. 626-629 San Fer
nando building, last night invaded
Chinatown and studied the life and
habits Of the men who have sought
his life and condemned him to death.
The old Chinatown, the police buga-
boo, and battling ground of reformers,
is now dead. 1t is thoroughly re-
formed, so much so, in fact, that from
a city of 5000 there are not more than
900 Chinese dwellers within the district
at present. Opium dens are now but
sepulchral storerooms, fantan tables,
bong 10 and gambling boards of all
types now hold nothing more wicked
than Chinese dominos or an occasional
bowl of duck sub gum, egg foo yung
du or a chop suey. An occasional
clandestine Chinese lottery still ex-
lists, but there is not much more vice
than one could find in a town in Posey
county, Indiana.
Threats which have extended over
period of seven months did not deter
the lawyer in his visit, and although
now and then a scoWling face was en-
countered and several men were heard
to mention his name in a hostile man.
ner, no overt act occurred and eVeS
secret society, lodging house and gath
erlng place OF the dlinOHu-eyeu dlleHS
was examined carefully.
Not Deferred by Threats
The death threats received are the
outgrowth of the now well known case
of the United States VS.. Wong Shee.
This case had its inception two years
ago when the City Missionary society
retained the firm of Walters, Pratt &
Ball to bring proceedings against two
Chinese children under 10 years old
who were found in immoral surround
ings, and an effort was made to bring
the children in question under what is
known as the dependent act,' and
which covers all cases of delinquency.
After a hearing before Judge Wilbur
the two children were taken from the
immoral place of residence and put in
what was supposed to be a moral sur
rounding and under the supervision of
officers of the juvenile court. In
short time the wards of the juvenile
court disappeared and Wong Shee,
Chinese woman who had charge of the
children at the time OF their first ap-
pearance before the court, became the
subject of an investigation by the
United States immigration department,
who sought to have her deported on
the ground that she came to this coun-
try for immoral purposes.
The case is still pending in the high
er courts, but the Chinese of several
"tongs" have looked upon Attorney
Frank F. Pratt as the instigator of the
whole affair and have called him up on
the telephone and made blood curdling
threats as well as attempting in many
ways to frighten him.
Officers Are shadowed
Police detectives report that they
have seen a we'll known Chinese loiter-
ing around the San Fernando building
and knowing him to be one of the
most dangerous of his element, they
have been unable to fathom the rea-
son for his presence in that vicinity un-
til the much threatened attorney in
formed them of the threats made
against him and stated that he had an
office in the building which had been
frequented by the Oriental bad man."
The Chinaman is now being closely
watched by the police department and
it will be difficult for any Of his race
to gain access to the lawyers office.
The visit of Mr.. Pratt to the yellow
quarter was entirely informal and he
was bent only on seeing what type of
men he had to deal with in his feud.
Garfield ellis, a we'll known frequenter
of the Chinese quarter and a deputy
constable, volunteered to conduct the
attorney on his tour of the district and
A short distance had been traversed
when Sergeant Sebastian detective
from central police station and in
charge of the Chinese quarter. Joined
the party and acted as host and his IA
miliarity with the inhabitents of the
district made the trip highly instruc-
tive.
Dark AIIeyways Explored
Down dark and reel1ing alleyways,
I'll,
sages and into weird and mysterious
rooms of the old time opium Joints.
the party deployed. Now and then a
stupe1ed Chinese rolled from his mat
couch to hide his chop pipe" and here
and there a few scurried to hiding.
The careless manner in which the vel
low visitors deal with fire was shown
In many places where big open fires
raised on a brick bedding and left un
covered except for a tin flue in the roof
from which a small portion Of the
smoke escaped, were found shoulder
ing and dropping ashes into the room
cap" ellis called attention to this
pecularity and stated that rarely was
q serious fire known to occur i'm the
chinese quarter, and Sergeant Sebas
tlan agreed in the statement and vol
unteered the information that not once
IN ten wears had he heard of a fire
among the Chinese.
real "Chink" smoked real opium
Tor the visitors in one place and was
glad to be allowed to do so. Coming
INTO community rooms in many places
the inmates We're noticed smoking what
Is known as "Yen Shee," which is the
ashes scraped from an opium pipe
Little Opium Discovered
However, all appeared to be too poor
10 enjoy the real opium and the visitors
were disappointed until they arrived in
one heavily barred room, where a
GENIAL old man with a straw hat was
busy with some Chinese parchments
and couple OF other loungers engaged
in a lively conversation. on a raised
wooden platform at one corner of the
room was seen one fishy-eyed Oriental
who was apparently a victim of the iOv
pipe, for his withered skin showed ali |
the markings of the drug and his face |
bore beatif1c expression, while his |
eyes We're half closed in drug induced |
doze.
Sergeant Sebastian explained that. in |
spite of police vigilance the Chinese |
always manage to get little of the in |
sidious drug for a smoke, and in spite |
Of the tremendous increase in price duo |
TO the watchfulness of the United |
States government, even the poorer |
classes of the Chinese will spend 80 |
cents or 81 for puff or two of the
soporihc 'joy pill"
One Chinaman admitted that he