Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-02-20
CHINESE OPIUM
DENS RAIDED BY
GOTHAM POLICE
Eight Persons Arrested, One
a Woman, Who Hurts Her
Back When She Leaps 20
Feet to Pavement.

New York. Feb. 19.-Rudely
disturbed in the peace that for
years has brooded over its crooked
streets and mysterious dwellings,
Chinatown awoke at dawn today to
the sound Of pistol volleys and the
rending crash of barricaded doors
as police raiders stormed a success
sion of long suspected opium dens.
Eight persons were arrested, in
Guiding a woman whose back was
thought to have been broken in a
leap from a second story window,
A man whose plunge for freedom
she initiated, was only slightly in
jured.
Two of the storming party had
narrow escapes from injury. Bull
let's fired by unseen defenders pass
ed through the hat of a detective
and grazed the shoe of federal
narcotic agent.
Large quantities of opium. with
pipes and other paraphernalia,
We're confiscated.
Under command of Ralph Oyler,
chief of the federal narcotic divi-
sion, a score of police and govern
ment agents launched their attack
on suspected dens in Mott street in
the heart of the Oriental quarter.
WELDING heavy axes they chopped
their way through doors which
were strongly barred and studded
with iron.
AS the barricade at one place
yielded and crashed to the floor,
there was shrek from within.
With the first blows by the attack
ing party those inside had made
for the fire scape and John Buff,
I years old, and the woman. Ethel
Kelly 40. had leaped from the
railing. striking ON stone pave
ment twenty feet below, Both
were taken to Bellevue hospital
under guard.
The apartment, police reported,
was a typical opium "joint,"
equipped with tiers of wooden
hunks around the walls, and with
empty or half filled drug tins
strewn about. the pungent fumes
OF cooking pellets rising from tiny
alcohol burners.
An array of about 100 hollow
toys of various sizes and descrip-
tons also were seized. These were
thought to have been used for
TRANSPORTING opium to customers
outside.
The examination of the resort
concluded, the raiders prepared to
leave the place. They had just re-
called the men from the roof and
gathered about the entrance when
three shots rang out. Bullets
whizzed past and sank into the
woodwork about the door. They
ran into the court yards and more
bullets followed. in fusilIades, spat-
tering on the paving stones and
ricocheting in every direction.
Darling back into the house the
detectives, weapons in hand,
searched the upper floors, flashing
lights into shadowy corners and
probing every possible place of con-
cealment. No one was found.
Modelling, the party left for
Mulberry street. Here it met with
no resistance other than barred
doors, and the prisoners were
taken.
In marked contrast to the other,
the Mulberry street resort was
sumptuous in every detail. Carved
1nanOSduy IuTHlluIei IuNul louS
couches of upholstery and velvet
hangings replaced the mean pal
lets of the place on Mott street.
-Four pipes, one of them of ivory
and inlald with gold were seized,
together with supplies of opium
and burners.
The last place visited, on Henry
street, had been raided several
weeks ago. Here twenty Chinese
were found asleep in their hunks
Their slumbers were not disturbed,
however, Mr.. OyIer remarking that
they seemed under the soporiflc
influence. not of opium but of hard
work and much chop suey.