Los Angeles herald., 1910-12-19
CHINESE PRISONER
TRIED BY FAMILY
Alleged Smuggler Acquitted, So
Father of Accuser Must Pay
for Defense
CLASH OF T0NGS IS AvERTED
Student of Polytechnic High De-
nies Guilt and Witnesses
Bear Him Out
CLASH OF ToNGS is ,AvERTED

For ways that are dark and tricks
that are vain the heather Chinee is
peculiar"
The words of Bret Harte were proven
true once more on Saturday night,
when, firmly upholding the customs of
ancient China, 81 large gathering of
Chinese merchants at the Chinese
chamber of commerce. 419 North Los
Angeles street, demanded that Wong
Sal Yin, father of Chin Wut Wah, con-
victed smuggler, pay the expenses of
the defense of Wong Hong, polytechnic
high school student, whom Wut Wah,
in a confession, has involved in a SNUG
Cling plot.
In other words, the father of the ac-
cuser must pay for the defense of the
accused. And the cause of it is this:
AS the result of the charges of Chin
Wut Wah against Wong Hong a tong
war was brewing in Chinatown. Some
of the wise heads got together and de-
cided that battle must be avoided and
resort was taken to the ancient Chinese
custom of trial by family" Men of
the Yin family and the Hong family
were called together and Wong Hong,
the accused, and Wong Sal Yin, father
of the accuser, were called before this
court After listening to the various
witnesses the two families came to the
conclusion that Wong Hong was not
guilty of smuggling and ordered the
father of Chin Wut Wah to pay for the
accused boys defense. Wong Sal Yin
made no protest Chinese methods may
be peculiar. but they are remarkably
effective. So Wong Sal Yin is hustling
up the money to aid his sons enemy,
and peace broods sWeetly over China
town.
Hong Wong, who is 10 years old and
has been a student at the high school
for three years, is we'll liked among
the merchants of Chinatown and they
are loath to believe that the boy had
anything to do with the smuggling plot
in which Wut Wah was implicated
The arrest of the student caused
sensation in Chinatown. His family
are members of powerful tong. They
at first refused to help him until the
boy made a statement to them under
oath that he was innocent of the
charge brought against him. Then in
Yestigation was begun.
1t was claimed that the youth had
never known either Wut Wah, Ng
Fung or Wong Sing Tai, Chinese in
the county Jail charged with SNUG
Cling, but that he had befriended Fung
through a friend by acting as the pris-
oner's court interpreter. Further in
vestigation revealed the fact that Fung
and Nyut Wah were bitter enemies and
that the students action in acting as
an interpreter for Fung caused Wut
Wah to express his dislike for the
youth. Wah, it is said, told the fed
eral official that the student was also
implicated in the plot and the youths
arrest followed as a result.
The student. who has been released
from the county Jail on bail furnished
by the Chinese merchants, is living at
the Congregational mission.
The only way in which Yin can es-
cape paying the expenses incurred by
the students arrest because of his
sons confession is to prove that Hong
is guilty as charged in Wut Wah's
alleged confession.
AS a result of the meeting Saturday
night a committee of Chinese mer
chants will call on Assistant United
States Attorney Frank Stewart and de-
mand to see letters that he is alleged
to have told Wut Wah he had received
from Wong Hong attacking Wut
Wah's character. Wong Hong denies
that he ever wrote such letters.