Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1909-07-28
drink little. Two saloons closed
their business at once and others en-
pect to give up within few weeks.
GambIing Their business.

blow to the Chinese. Fully one-half
the dwellers in Chinatown subsist
entirely on gambling, the police say.
Py-gow, which Is played with domi-
noes and dice, and fantan, a card
game fairly well known to American
card players, are the two favorite
pastimes. Two kinds of Cinnamon
play in the games-the loating,
opium smoking denizen of the quar-
ter, and the Woodworking laundry
man or cook out for holiday. The
former men have the experience, the
latter men the money Usually the
conditions are reversed at the end of
a session.
Without an untramelled opportu-
nifty to play the Chinese OF the quar-
ter find 1t hard to obtain the necessa-
ries of life. Only two courses are
open. They must go to less police
ridden cline, or, which is far worse,
go to work. More than 1000 China
men have left Chinatown in the last
six weeks.
Eighteen years ago the Hip Sing
Tong was organized in Chinatown,
with headquarters at No. 10 Pell
street. 1t was secret society,
branch of one of the largest, with a
general headquarters in San Fran
cisco. Its ostensible purpose was to
protect its members in case of ILL
ness or other troubles. In practice
1T was an organized effort to get con :.
troll of the gambling in Chinatown.
Devious were the workings of it's
vengeance agains+ traitors or other
enemies. Its initiation ceremonies
embodied fearsome oaths of fealty
and when its blood red slips of pa
per were gummed to the door Of one
who had fallen under its displeasure
the doomed one either packed up and
departed or was found in a dark
hallway, neatly carved.
Rise Of the Ong Leong Tong.
But the New York Hip Sings had
been in existence barely year when
there sprang up rival tong, the
Bing Jang Tong, Of No. IS Mott
street. There was more money back
of the newcomer and it soon gained
the ascendency. Two years later 1t
changed its name to the Ong Leong
Tong. and Tom Lee, then called the
Mayor of Chinatown, assumed lead
ership.
The rivalry, between the tongs
grew steadily in bitterness. Several
murders were attributed to this
factional struggle. About three
years ago the Hip Sings, then much
less powerful than the Ong Leongs,
found way to put their hatred to a
good use. The Ong Leongs were still
In complete control of the gambling,
apparently under the bought protec-
ton Of the police. But the Park
hurst committee was out crusading
and Mock Duck, the willy Hip Sing
leader, offered his and his hench-
mems aid in rounding up the, Ong
Leong gambling games.
The consequent raids aroused the
Ong Leongs to action, and the first
shots were from their revolvers, the
bullets clipping Mock Duck in the
shoulder and leg and nearly cutting
that cherubic Chinese off in his
hospital nursing a grudge which
caused the death of several Ong Le-
ongs in the Chinese Theatre. Before
hostilities ceased ten Cinnamon had
been slain, ten had been badly
wounded and 200 had been driven
out of town.
The dove of peace hovered over a
banquet given for the Ong Leongs BY
the Hip Sings after a pacific agree
ment had been signed before Judge
Warren B. Foster by leaders of both
factions. That was on February II
1906. 1t was then agreed that the
Ong Leongs should hold forth in
Mott street between Pell and the
Bowery and should have the arcade
running through from Mott to Doy-
ers and the south side Of Doyers to
the Bowery, including the Chinese
Theatre. The Hip Sings reserved
Pell street and the north side Of Doy
ers. Both could visit the Chinese
Theatre. which was declared neutral
territory.
Like Two Hostile Lands,
SO arbitrary was the dead lihe thus