The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-05-03

A men" of the On Leong Tong 4 \ turned loose their weapons in New York and Philadelphia, and four men of another tong were killed and several Chinese were injured by stray bullets On the following day, in the Chinese quarters of these cities and in our own Chinatown uniformed police were conspicuous and plain clothes men oczed out of every doorway. They have not all been withdrawn and they will not be for some time to come. The re- lations of the tongs are such that mur- ders in one city are generally avenged by murders in another. It is notrneces- sary. in the view of the Chinese assas- sins, that the man who originally did the shooting should suffer for 1t. Any mem- Der of their tong will ''do''. and the bull let Is as liable to find an innocent laun dryman as it is to end the life of vi- cious and worthless gambler.
 There is some reason to believe that the tongs were promotedi by the Six companies of San Francisco. In the first instance, they were, and they still pretend to be, social and benevolent or ganizations. Within the last 10 years, however, all of them or most of them have fallen under the control of gamblers opium dealers and promoters of the White Slave traffic, In Boston, in New York and Philadelphia, to speak only of the large Eastern cities, all the tongs have levied blackmail, given the police warning of rival gambling houses, served out death warnings to Chinese who preferred to be independent, and when 1t seemed necessary to build up the | tong, have terrorized or slain their ene- mics. Probably every tong murder has had its inception, in either protected or threatened gambling house; but the secrecy that surrounds the tongs ard the wholesale perjury which they em- ploy at every appearance in court make 1t almost impossible to foretell when a new feud will break out or to indicate the persons who are concerned in it. | There is more than one reason why the most energetic police force should prove almost powerless under these conditions. The Chinese are much like Corsicans- they prefer to administer vengeance for themselves, and, except when circum- stances seem to favor a wholesale round- up of their enemies, as they did at the time of the Boston murders, they seldom ask the help of the police. Another req son why the police are handicapped is that the gun men are generally Chinese I from other cities, men who are not known in the local quarter. It is hard to Identify the strangers and 1t Is easier for | them to get within range of suspicious ] victims and to escape after mischief has been done.
 Probably no American ever gets actu- ally in touch with the Chinese. Mystery is the favorite atmosphere of the race, and 1t generally prefers to work under ground. An American who could read the Chinese daily papers. a term that has been applied to the bulletins which are posted in the region of Harrison avenue and Oxford place. might sometimes gain a pretty good idea of the time when rnur- ders could be expected. It is very doubt full whether he could ever persuade a Chinese truthfully to translate these hieroElyphics. Meanwhile. to some extent New York and Philadelphia. the prom inent men of the tonss go about very cautiously, many of them under the con voy of bodyguards. who carry in their sleeves the forty-four-caliber Colts revo!.
 yer which has been In recent years the favorite weapon of the Chinese as sassin. Such caution is significant. It in- dicates that people who do not care to risk . serious accident will do we'll te keep away from Chinatown.
 one of these days Wary Charles and Joe Guey. Hep Sing leaders who were
 sentenced to death. but whose sentences
 were ccmmuted to life Imprisonment D,
 Governor Draper, will probably apply fol
 pardoA The long and careful inquiry I which ~as made by the Pardon Com
 mirtee of the Governor's council showed
 that. if they were not convicted on per
 jured testimony. there Nlerss at any Arat' tnnny attempts at perjury in the cas-