Middletown transcript., 1921-12-03
CHAPTER Will.

Had either Mr.. Gibney or McGuffey
been watching Captain Scraggs after
he had left them they would nave
been much puzzled to account for that
worthy's actions. First he lodged
around the block into Drumm street,
and then ran down Drumm to Callfor-
MIA, where he climbed aboard cable |
car and rode up into Chinatown. Ar
riving at Dupont street he alighted
and walked up that interesting thor
oughfare until he came to No. ia.
He glanced at sign over the door ana
was aware that he stood before the
entrance to the Offices of the Chinese
Six Companies, so he climbed upstairs
and inquired for Gin Seng, who pres
emily made his appearance.
Gin Seng, a very nice, fat China
man, arrayed in a flowing silk gown,
begged, in pidgin English, to know in
what manner he could be Of service.
ME heap big captain, alice same
ship" began Captain Scraggs. "On
board ship two China boys have got"
(Here Captain Scraggs winked know
ingly.) "China boy no speak Eng
| lish-"
"That being the case," interposed
Gin Seng. II presume that you and
understand each other, so let's cut
out the pidgin English. Do I under
stand that you are engaged In evading
the immigration laws?"
Exactly" Captain Scraggs managed
to gasp, as soon Us he could recover
from his astonishment. "They showed
me your name an address, an they
won't leave tn ship, where I got 'em
locked up in my cabin, until you come
an take 'em away. Couple o rela-
tives of yours, I should imagine"
Gin Seng smiled his bland Chinese
smile. He had frequent dealings with
ship masters engaged in the danger
Gus, though lucrative, trade Of SNUG
Cling Chinese into the United States,
and while he had not received advice
Of this particular shipment, he decided
to 20 with Captain Scraggs to Jackson
street bulkhead and see If he could
not be Of some use to his countrymen.
AS Captain Scraggs and his Chinese
companion approached the wharf the
skipper glanced warily about. He had
small fear that either Gibney or Nc
Guffey would show up for an hour, for
he knew that Mr.. Gibney had money
in his possession. However, he decided
: to take no chances, and secuted the
vicinity thoroughly before venturing
aboard the Maggie. These actions
served but to increase the respect Of
Gin Seng for the master Of the Maggie
and confirmed him in his belief that
the Maggie was smuggler.
Captain Scraggs took his visitor in
side the little cabin, carefully locked
and tolted the door, lifted the zinc
; flap back from the top Of the crate of
"Oriental goods" and displayed the
: face OF the dead Chinaman. Also he
{ pointed to the Chinese characters on
the wooden lid Of the crate. r.,
J, "What does these hen scratches
: mean?" demanded Scraggs.
'"This man is named All Chow and
:, he belongs to the Hop Sing tong"
"Hpw about his pal here!"
'That man is evidently Ng Chone
Zip. He is also Hop Sing man."
n Captain Scraggs wrote it down. "An
right" he said cheerily; "muct
n obliged. Now, what want to know
n is what the Hop Sing tong means by
l shipping the departed brethren BY
s freight? They 60 to work an fix 'em
r up nice SOS they'll keep, packs ZEN
y away in a zinc coffin, inside a nice
plain wood box, labels 'em Oriental
n goods an consigns 'em to the Cir
e Seng company, ia Dupont street, Sar
l. Francisco. Now, why are these two
e countrymen O. yours shipped by freight
II where, by the way, they goes astray
o for some. reason. that don't know
Is nothin' about, an buys 'em up at
d old horse sale?'
y Gin Seng shrugged his shoulders ant
r replied that he didn't understand.
It "You lie," snarled Captain Scraggs
1t 'You savey all right, you fat old idol
It you! It's because if the railroad com
pany knew these two boxes contained
t. dead corpses they'd a-soaked the rela
r tives, which is you, one full fare eacl
at from wherever these two dead one
is comes from, just the same as thougl
a. they was alive an well. But yoI ha
I'd 'em shipped by freight, an aims t
re spend dollar an thirty cents eacl
to on 'em, by markin' 'em 'Orienta
goods Helluva way to treat rela
f. ton. Now, looky here, you blood
ct heather. It'll cost you just five hun
70 dred dollars to recover these tw
stiffs, an close my mouth. II yo
f. don't come through I'll make belc
t. tn newspapers an they'll keel hau
n an skulldrag tn Chinese Six COmpa
n MES an the Hop Sing tong through tn
es courts for evadin' tn laws o tn intel
Se state commerce commission, an max
ir 'em look like monkeys generally. Al
or then tn police1l get wind Of it. SaveI
We policeman, you fat old murderer
u TIL price I'm askin' Is cheap, Charlie!
n, How do I know but what these tw
ke poor boys has been murdered in col
ok blood? There's somethin' rotten
H. Denmark, my bully boy, an you
m save time an trouble an money b
in diggin' up five hundred dollars"
et Gin Seng said he would 60 back