The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-02-21
Charley Fain Ben Attacked in His Laundry-Assail-
 ant Makes Escape
TERRIFIC STRUGGLE
 TO SAVE HIS LIFE
Loses Much Blood and s. Y. Hamil- ton Offers Quantity of Blood to Assist in
 Restoration

Charley Fain Ben, Chinaman, aged 5S, who conducted laundry on Fifth ave- nue between Twentieth and Twenty-first streets, was shot yesterday morning at S:15 o'clock, and died last night. He was shot twice in the abdomen with .3S-cali bre pistol after struggle with an uni identified white man in the Chinaman's g laundry. The injured man was carried to St. vincent's hospital in the police patrol where he died last night at SEQ O oclock.
 Yesterday morning at 7:so o'clock Ben went across the street to get some sand- wiches, and left his front door open The detective department holds the theory that the assassin entered the laundry while Ben was across the street.
 Ben told S. Y. Hampton of $he "36' messenger service that when he entered his laundry a white man he had never seen before threw a Ash net over his head and tied his hands together, but the Chinaman got away from him. The assassin then hit him over the head three times with 8 pistol and fired two shots into the Chlnaman's body.
 When the unidentified man shot Ben he ran out of the back door of the laundry toward Twentieth street and went through Capitol park. This is the last time the assassin was seen.
 After Ben was shot he staggered to the front door and knocked out the glass The police department was notified and Officer Ball answered the call and sent the wounded man to St. Vincents A few minutes later Detectives Goldstein, Brown, Moser and Lyons were put on the case.
 NEEDED MORE BLOOD After Ben reached the hospital it was found that he had lost a quantity of blood and 1t was necessary for someone to give the dying man a small quantity. S.. Y. Hampton told the doctors that he was willing to do all he could to save Ben, and volunteered to give a pint of his blood to save the injured Chinaman. It is said that there is certain tong of Chinamen in the United States un- known to the detectives in Birmingham, of which Ben was not a member, and these Chinamen have been trying to put
 Ben out of business ever since he has
 been in the Birmingha m district but
 had failed to do so. It is believed by the 1 detectives that the tong of Chinamen hired this unidentified white man to as
 sasinate Ben.
 Charley Fain Ben was born in China | 53 years ago. When he was 15 years { old he came to New York and lived there for a number of years, and later moved to New Orleans Four years ago 1 he moved to Pratt City and conducted laundry there for a year. The last three years of his life he conducted a laundry on Nineteenth street between 1 Twentieth and Twenty-first streets. The deceased Is survived by one son, who Is in China. and a cousin in New Orleans. The remains of the deceased are being held at the undertaking parlors of Warner, Smith, Gaudin & Co. until advice is received from relatives.
 BODY MAY GO TO CHINA l Up to late hour last night no ad- vices had been received from Ben's cousin as to disposition of the body. Attention
 was called to the fact, however that in
 the case of well-to-do Chinamen their
 bodies are invariably carried back to | China for interment near the scene of their birth.
 Ben is thought to have been fairly 1 prosperous and the assumption is that his relatives will arrange for the remains to make the long trip to China. 1 Birmingham has in past years had so 1 few Chinese residents that local officers have had little experience with their tongs but in cities where there is a large Chi nese population they constitute one of the chief problems of police and detective departments. The tongs are secret or ders and among many of them there is a most deadly rivalry. In New York. San Francisco and Fl Paso, where there are
 many Chinese. the police have to deal almost constantly with the rivalries of 1 these tongs, which often take the form of vendettas and members are designated | by lot to see that certain hated rivals are put out of the way.