The New York herald., 1922-08-09
POLICE IN CHINATOWN
ALERT FOR TONG WAR
Guard Narrow Streets Care
fully After Killing of
Hip Sing President.
BIG FUNERAL FOR KO
COrtege to Outshine That OF
Tom Lee When Clans
Gather.
PRISONERS UP TO-DAY
One of Women With Leader
Talks to Prosecutor, but
Cannot Give Help.
PRISONERS UP TO-DAY

4
connection with the Staying Monday
night of Ko Low, national president
of the Hip Sing Tong. in front of a
restaurant in the heart of Chinatown,
the question of whether the willing
marked the outbreak of another tong
war has not been settled.
The police are proceeding on basis
of preparedness and have ordered more
policemen and detectives into the
Oriental colony than have been there
in years.
The opposing tongs express the
greatest friendship for each other. The
Chinese in the streets. who possess a
smattering of English. merely shrug
their shoulders and say maybe
Detectives of the Oak street station
prided themselves on what they termed
| the quickest clean up" of a Chinatown
+ shooting. The arrest of Tom Yee. 81,
a student, of SO South Oxford street and
James Chuck of 1710 Broadway, both of
Brooklyn. on charges of homicide. and
4 Henry Wong. 10. of 1710 Broadway. also
Brooklyn, as a material witness. re-
quilted from information from the Hip
Sing Tong.
Tong Would Have Avenged.
The detectives pointed out that this
was evidence that the killing of Ko
Low was not a tong affair for IL 1t had
been the Hip Sings would have settled
the matter themselves. as oil old. rather
than leave 1t to the law. Yee. the
police say. was picked out of lineup
as the Chinese who actually did the
shooting and Chuck as a man seen
standing near him at the time. Chuck
is further charged with having two
loaded pistols.
The police say Yee was shot in the
abdomen the night of June 30 while in
poolroom at II Doyers street. dag
,nally opposite the Hip Sing head
quarters. Sing. said to be distant
relative of Ko Low. was arrested In
connection with the shooting but Sing
Genfeu any knowledge of 1t and Yee
said positively that he was not the
man. Yee suffered two broken ribs on
| that occasion. Yee denied emphatically
/ that he was anywhere near Chinatown
4 Monday night or that he knew anything
/ about the Staying of Ko Low. Chuck
and Wong made similar denials. but all
/ were held for arraignment this MORN
ing in Tombs Court.
/ In the years that Chinatown ha. perl
odically been torn by tong wars there
never has been murder of a Chinese
1 Of ,rl,
AS head OF the Hip Sings. he was as
! well known In Seattle and San Fran
cisco as in New York or Newark. Ko
Low, man about AZ. had been the
supreme leader OF the Hip Sings who
number more than 1900 throughout the
| United States. for more than four years
Prior to that he was prominent in
long work in England and in other
countries throughout Continental Eu-
rope He came here. as best could be
ascertained. about six years ago. and
just how he succeeded in getting into
the country. in view of the restrictions
on Chinese immigration, could not be
| iearnet..
Woman Helps Prosecutor.
The women In 10 Lows company
when the shooting occurred. Mrs. May
/ Molsbenden and Mrs Kittie Yavenette
both Of 203 West Eighty-fourth street
will be of little help to the police in
solving the mystery. as they had been
acquainted with the slain Chinese only a
short time. Mrs Molsbenden was
wounded In the toe in the shooting and
stili Is in the hospital Mrs. Yavenette
visited the District Attorneys office
and told what she knew of the sla ying.
The funeral Of Ko Low. the date OF
which has not been fixed. probably viii
be the most elaborate Chinatown ever
has witnessed When Tom Lee died n
few years ago the Orlentals outdid each
other In making II most spectacular
instance of Chinese mourning, but Tom
Lees funeral will be outdone by that OF
10 Low.
Tom Lee was, strictly speaking. local
parsonage. Ko Low was n national
figure. and every city in the country
that has an Oriental settlement OF any
size will be represented at his bier Dele
cations are planning to come from as
far away as San Francisco. and Il is
for that reason that the date has not
been set Under the white mans law
his body cannot be kept for more than
five days. but permit can be obtained
from the Health Department to keep II
longer II the coffin, which will be OF
bronze, Is sealed.
Hip Sings View Body.
The body OF Ko Low lay last night in
a rear room of the undertaking shop OF
Charles Bacigalupo, Inc. 20 Mulberry
street, where II was viewed by the So
ciety associates of the, dead leader. II
will be kept at Bacigalupos to-day and
probably tomorrow, and II then may be
removed to the headquarters OF the Hin
Sing Tongs.
Meanwhile Chinatown is on edge trv-
ing to figure what will be the next ha D.
pening. The streets reverberate to the
measured shuttle Of the sandled feet
and there is n hunted look I'm the eve OF
the Orientals which more than one OF
the broad shouldered Irish policemen
thrust into the colony In hurry-inter
preted as OF evil foreboding
Bet they're polishing up the blue
steel now" remarked one policeman.
They're not going TO let a president get
killed without somebody else getting
croaked too. There will be more shoot
ing. take my word for IT,
Fear OF an outbreak In Newark :
Chinatown caused the police of that cltv
to put heavy guard in the Oriental
section In response TO an appeal from
delegation OF local Chinese. who said
feeling was high as a result Of the mur-