Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-07-21
Tong Feuds Of the Chinese In America

tongs are not directly part of the
Six Companies, having been started
more in the nature of social organiZa-
tions. but in many other cities their
province is much the same as that of
this notorious tribunal that ruled the
Chinese of San Francisco with an iron
hand. The highbinders are not imme-
diately connected with any of these.
They are outlaws and assassins for a
price Yet there is little doubt that the
highbinders are frequently called in to
assist in fighting the wars of the tongs.
Resort to Daggers and Pistols.
1t is hardly probable that the Amer
lean people realize what all this means.
Here is n section of our population
living In effect under their own laws
or. rather, under the rule Of secret or
CARNATIONS that are law unto them
selves. Constructively. at least. they
are answerable to American authority
and in the salutary case of Boston
and few others are actually so. But
for the most part they evade the Amer
lean 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 is plain
!, That for ways that are dark
e. And for tricks that are vain
q 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-
err 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 a leading
character. was imaginary. It's all right.
On the level. know that we had such a
case in Chinatown a few years ago.
The boys got up 4 poker game. with a
cop as one of the players. After they
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 a full house. the
second man a diamond flush, the third
man had four tens and the cop n straight.
After they got the Chink into the game
they flimna mined 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 a 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 fimf1am-
ming Finally they got a big jackpot,
and 1t was the Chinaman's turn TO deal.
lie 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
a dollar. the Chinaman raised it two. and
so il went on till 1t came to a raise of
$40. 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 il
came to 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: Il don't want 10 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 a card anywhere about
hts 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 a 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.