Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1923-05-31

cases when 1 was a Narcotic agent,
than any other class of violators of
the Narcotoc Laws. A good many
times 1 have been asked, "Why?" My
answer is, because you a always
learn something newt never nave
raided an opium joint but that al
ways learned just a little more about
the game.
My experience has taught me that
no matter how stupid a "chink" may
appear to you, and how dumb his man
ner may impress you, he is generally
one notch ahead Of you in thinking.
In different parts of the United States
you find the chinks have ways and
means of trying to fool the Narcotic
agents. l can recall, very plainly
how l went with several of the other
agents to raid an opium den in Phil
adelphia Chinatown. We had been
covering this place night and day, and
when we had collected enough proof
to secure a search warrant from the
United States Commissioner we went
to Chinatown to search the place. The
building was a store and dwelling
with a basement, with the old-fash-
toned long, narrow hallway. The
store part was occupied as a rest
aurant by a Greek; the dwelling and
basement was occupied by the chinks.
One of our men went ahead of our
raiding party, walked into the restau-
rant and ordered a meal that would
have to be all prepared, his purpose
of course to kill time. The rest of us,
one by one, walked through chinatown
from 10th street end toward 9th street
and when we saw our chance we
would Jump into this long narrow
hallway and hide. When we were all
inside the hallway, n of the boys
crept toward the door leading into
the cellar, his purpose for so doing
was to get the chink that was door
tender to the opium den. To do this,
he had to be acquainted with the
Chink's Lingo and his ways. The
question is how to get the clever chink
to open the door for a White man.
The average person would say, 81
would knock on the door" If you
did, you would never get a chink to
open any door, especially an opium
den. In the first place a chink will
never knock on a door, he always
scratches like a cat, if you will notice
the chinese, you will see they always
have long finger nails. The minute
a chink hears scratching across the
door he will open. When this is done
the agents stand in a position back
of the door to get a strong hold on the
chinks mouth, and while the agent is
doing this so the other Supplied chinks
in the opium den won't "get wise"
the other agents will tip-toe down the
stairs to the basement. When they
enter, each one picks his chink and
starts right in to go through him, or
I might say to make it palmer search
him for guns, knives or other weapons.
When this is done, and all the agents
are satisfied that they are not armed
the chinese will then be Cowed into
one corner of the room or den and
M agent assigned to cover them
while the rest of the agents start to
work. When I say work, my readers
may think I am kidding" them-it is
work, and very hard work. I will tell
you just what we had to do in this
place.
We had caught two chinks red
handed on the opium pipe. My read
ers may think the opium pipe is just
like any other smoking pipe. 1t isn't.
It is mostly made of a piece of Bam-
boo about 2 feet long and 4 inches
from the end is a hole cut in the top,
into which is fixed a piece of silver
metal known as a saddle to which is
secured a bowl.
The opium smoker has pride in his
pipe just like any other hobby. I have
seer pipes that were studded with dia-
monds and inlaid with pearls.
We started to search every place
we could think of. When one Of the
agents started to move a table across
the floor, he got hold of a cor
ner. The top board was loose
SO the agent gave it a pull. OFF
came that part of the table top.
Examining n of the posts he noticed
where a very neat block had been cut
in the table leg. With a fire poker
he lifted the small block out, inside