The river press., 1909-09-01

for the most part they evade the Amer
ican courts and settle their differences,
and especially the differences Of their
organization. with the dagger and the
pistol, all of which most completely
skaters the Celestial reputation for
peace and docility and recalls Bret
Harte:
Which rise to remark
And my language II plain
| That for ways that are dark
And for tricks that are vain
The heather Chinee is peculiar.
Which the same I would rise to
explain.
The illustrious Chuck Connors bears
out this view. Chuck himself is a
sort Of mayor Of New York's China
town, although a white man, or, rath-
er, Tom Lee is the real mayor and
Chuck is mayor for purposes Of melo-
drama. He says:
Some people think Bret Harte's euchre
game poem. with All Sin as leading
character, was imaginary. It's all right.
| On the level. know that we had such a
case In Chinatown few years ago.
The boys got up poker game with a
! cop as one of the players. After they
had everything arranged they tried to
rope Chinaman into the game. but he
! was very slow and seemed to take no in
terest. The game stood about this way
when things opened UP interesting. One
man had three kings to full house, the
second man a diamond flush, the third
man had four tens and the cop a straight.
| After they got the Chink into the game
they flimfiammed him, and each man did
his little graft at dealing and along at
| first gave the Chinaman pretty good
, hands to coax him into the game to his
limit and then do him up.
The Chink never said word, but kept
his little monkey eyes running around his
head like marbles in bowl. The boys
thought he wasn't on to 'em. That was
| just his game, to appear ignorant. Every
time he lost he smiled foolishly, but that
was more Of his own private himham-
ming. Finally they got big jackpot,
and 1t was the Chinaman's turn to deal.
He had all of his little tricks in his mon
key head ready for business.
The pot was opened for a dollar and
went to three. One of the boys raised it
dollar, the Chinaman raised it two, and
SO it went on till it came to a raise of
| SO. And then the boys began to get wet
in the face They looked queerly at one
another and then about the room and
then at the Chinaman. who looked at no
body and never said word. Finally it
came to a showdown between the China
man, the cop and the pot. The policeman
had four tens. and then they called for
the Chinaman to put up the money. He
said: II don't want to play any more.
You get mad If win." But they forced
him to it. and he put up his money and
won $50 on four aces.
You never saw men so astonished. Say,
on the level, they searched him all over,
but couldn't find card anywhere about
his clothes, though they thought he had
packs Of them. They never knew where
he got his four aces from. He had been
watching their tricks for couple OF
hours, and they thought him green and
innocent. He had forgotten more tricks
than they ever knew. To oblige the boys
he showed some Of his tricks for half an
hour. things they never dreamed of.
Mock Ducks Big Cleanup.
In this connection there is a story
now going the rounds Of Chinatown
that Mock Duck has been away on 9
little trip through the west-Chicago
Omaha and elsewhere-and that he
cleaned up-oh, do not know how
many thousand dollars, but something
big-"in a game he did not under
stand"
AS already mentioned, it is this gam
bling proclivity Of our Celestial friends
that causes the tong feuds. because
both want the graft. all of which
bears out somebody's statement tha
, all forms Of trouble have an economic
cause. Paul said It first, however
when he announced that money is tn,
root Of all evil" 1t certainly Is tn,
root Of the tong wars.
View Of Tongs by an Authority
{ Returning to Chuck Connors, VIII
, ought to be an authority, he does no
= support the popular view Of the tonga
! In his opinion they are mild and be
. nevolent institutions. Hear him:
! "You hear lot about the tongl
( They amt nothing but clubs or socie
Q ties Of good fellowship. When Chin
o gets into trouble his tong is expecte
t to stay with him to the limit.
|. "Highbinders are the toughs Of ever
l. bunch Of Cinnamon, like our CheEr
e hill bunch. the Jackson bunch and th
Q Monk Easton bunch. The Lee bunc
d has always worked with TammanI
y and that's where they get their pu
10 and can run their blackmail and gan
10 bling games to the limit so long q
Is they pay up and keep 1t quiet an
IS don't let their doings get to the publ
IN enough to force the police to interfer'
sr "In business Chinaman is as squal
a. rs dollar, always dealing honestl
with his customers. But when it come
le to gambling and crooked deeds. hidin
'e crime and breaking the law nobod
I'd can touch him"
III