The river press., 1909-09-01
nx JAMES A. EDcERroN.

By JAMES A. EDCERTON.
|" HE ordinary American considers
the typical Chinaman as a
peaceful, inoffensive laundry.
man. whose motto of life is,
mo checkee. no washee.", >In this the
ordinary American is as far afield as
Bret Harte and Bill Nye were con-
cerning the ''heathen Chinee" Of the
bland and childlike smile whom they
inveigled into little game. The China
man is born gambler and born feud-
list or, II not born that way, learns
these two accomplishments at such an
early age that 1t amounts to the same
thing. He can show the average white
card sharp more tricks with the paste
boards. to say nothing of fantan and
other native Chink games of chance,
than the paleface crook ever dreamed
were in existence. And, as for feuds,
the tong wars furnish case in point.
Only the other day FIVE slant eyed
citizens of Boston were sentenced to
die in the electric chair for shooting
four members Of a rival tong back in
1907. In Philadelphia only few years
ago the Rev. Frederick Poole was
wounded and one Chinaman killed IN q
tong battle which was but a renewal of
other battles previously fought. And
New York is all torn up at this mo-
ment over the supposed murder of FL
sic Sigel. Chinese missionary, whose
body was found in trunk that had
been shipped back and forth over two
or three states and whose death, it
was brought out. occurred in the room
Of Leon Ling. denizen Of Chinatown,
for whose apprehension two hemi-
spheres are now being secured, and the
only reason that the securing process
has not gone farther is that there are
no more hemispheres.
Promiscuous Shooters.
Now. as a fancy artist with a wash
tub Chinaman may be a peaceful
enough citizen. but mention to him
the name Of rival tong and he bris-
ties with artillery like an armory. He
is a promiscuous shooter and will turn
loose in crowded theater, an open
street or almost anywhere that he
gets sight Of his hated enemies. The
usual preliminary of Celestial shoot
fest is the setting off of bunch Of
firecrackers. the report of the guns be-
ing not so noticeable amid the popping
of the fireworks. In one New York
war the members of the rival tongs
bowed their legs, squatted as low as
possible and hoped about like toads.
all the time emitting bullets like
sputtering. asthmatic Gatling gun.
They are not remarkably accurate
marksmen, as in this particular fusil-
lade, in which something like 100 shots
We're fired. only two brown men bit
the dust The only reason that more
execution was not done by stray bull
let's was that Pell and Mott streets
We're as empty as the tomb. the first
reports starting an array Of streaming
pigtails from brown men, who fed In
mad stampede.
The tong members are also quite
handy with knives. and during these
hostilities many yellow faces with fix
ed eyes have been discovered by the
police in back alleys or Railways, the
owners of the faces having long and
deep slits in their backs. To make the
shadow still darker over the reputa-
tion for peace of our friends Of the
cue and the flatiron the most pro-
life source of trouble between their
tongs is plain graft. 1t is the case of
the "man higher up" Gambling is an
offense against the laws, and in order
that it may be carried on somebody
has to be paid for immunity.
In New York 1t is generally believed
and stated in print and otherwise that
the police and Tammany are regularly
"sweetened" by the keepers Of gam
bling joints in Chinatown just as they
are, according to the wiseacres, in the
Tenderloin. But 1t is not this that Gre
ates the feuds. The head men Of one
of the tongs likewise get rakeoff.
The head men of the other tong object
to this shameless iniquity unless they
can share equally in the fruits thereof;
hence the shootings. informings and
trouble generally.
Noted Celestial Chieftains.
The two tongs in New York, also in
Boston and most cities Of the United
States, are Rown as the Ong Leong
and the Hip Sing. In Gotham the head
Of the Oug Leong Is Tom Lee. mayor
Of Chinatown, a man who has enter
tanned Ii Hung Chang. not unlike
whom he looks, and Is counted per
sonage Of parts. The most active man
in the Hip Sings is the redoubtable
Mock Duck. who has been on trial for
murder once or twice In New York and
at whose dread name a section Of
Chinatown turns shade more yellow
These two Celestial chieftains are al
different in appearance as two Chlnki
can well be. Both are mild looking, oi
course, and both are possessed Of slant
eyes and other regulation oriental fea
lures. But with these marks resem
hlance. also friendship. ceases. Ton