Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-15
Laundryman Slain While He
Stands in Pennsylvania
Avenue Store.
COUNTRYMEN IDENTIFY
VICTIMS AS "NEUTRALS"
One Dies in Hospital-More Than
Score Held for Questioning.
Police Seek Gunmen.

Gunf1re shattered the quiet of lower
Pennsylvania navenue late yesterday aft
ernoon, and when detectives raced to
the headquarters of the Hip Sing Tong,
at 325 Pennsylvania avenue, they
found one Chinese dead on the floor,
another mortally wounded, and two
others shot
From affrighted countrymen stand
ing by the detectives pieced out dis
connected story of sudden invasion
of the Hip Sing center by three or
four gunmen, who opened fire without
warning, then sped away. Coupled with
elsewhere in the country
where bloodshed marked the termina-
ton of the truce between Hip Sings
and On LeongS, ancient enemies, police
viewed the occurrence here as another
chapter in tong warfare. and at once
started a roundup of On LeongS, whose
officials, however, diSclaim any respon-
And even from a Hip Sing
source came word that the men shot
down were not members of any group,
but were "neutrals," who had simply
come in to make purchases.
One Dies in Hospital.
Police recorded the names of the
dead as Lee Ying Jee. 43 years old,
at 913 East Capitol street,
and Lee Sue, 35 years old, laundryman,
at 125 Fifteenth street southeast. They
recorded the names of the wounded as
Lee Yen Deco, So years old, laundry
man, 1916 Thirteenth street. and Lee
F. Ong, So years old, 324 Pennsylvania |
avenue. Deco is in Casualty Hospital |
suffering from a bullet wound in the |
right hip, while Ong is in Emergency |
Hospital under treatment for wound |
in his knee Jee was almost instantly !
killed and Sue died in Casualty Hos
pital.
But the mystery and uncertainty
which shrouded the shooting, extend
ed also TO these Identities.
And what difference does it make.
anyway" said one of the Hip Sing
officials. Its one name today and
another tomorrow"
Charlie Lee Toye, in charge of the
Hip Sing store at 325 Pennsylvania
avenue, who styles himself as an i'll
terpreter, is said to have told police
that he received message from New
York yesterday afternoon telling him &c
look out for trouble" but he did not
anticipate such an outbreak as oc-
Cured.
Startled by Shots.
Toye this morning described to a
Star reporter what happened yester-
day, explaining, however, that most of
his information had come from others
in the store, he being in a. rear room
eating when reports of pistol shots
startled him. He was unable to tell
the number of shots fired, he explained,
but was certain there must have been
at least seven.
1t was explained by Toye that Jee
was standing at the counter paying
for his purchases when shot. The
others were nearby, all having come TO
the store for the same purpose.
There were three or four men in the
murder party, police were told, and one
Of them was armed with two pistols.
When they left the place they are said
to have run in opposite directions, al
though the statement was made by
some of the Chinese that they crossed
Pennsylvania avenue. 1t also was re-
ported that they were wniSked away IN
a waiting automobile.
Jee, first to fall and first to die, was
said to have given two names before he
expired.
AS the result, Lee Loi, young men,
Der of the On Leongs was arrested, but
denied any connection, saying he was
cooking dinner at 318 Pennsylvania
avenue, across the street from the
scene of the shooting, when it occurred
He has been here 18 months, coming
from New York, AND has never been in
custody Loi also was identified by
Sang Lung, a laundryman Of 125 D
street.
Arrested at Station.
Lai Yee. giving his address as 500
Fourteenth street, was picked up at
Union Station with suit case and held
for investigation. Shick Lee, 35 years
old. laundryman, 1907 H street north
east, also was held on technical charge
for investigation.
Police also instituted search for Lee
Park, member of the On LeongS. from
New York and Chicago, but had not To-
Gated him early this afternoon. Park
also was said TO have been named by
Jee
The arrest of Lai Yee furnished still
another puzzle for police, inasmuch as
he was identified as member of the
Hip Sings, but had in his possession a
sheet of paper described as the secrets"
of the On Le0ngS
Offers Rivals Secrets"
Yee was arrested this morning At
the restaurant at Fourteenth and Penn
sylvania avenue, where he has been
employed for the last month, 1t was
said he still had two weeks pay COM
ing.
Quizzed through George Yoke, head
waiter at his place of employment, Yee
at first refused to give any expla-
nation of his movements to Detective
Ed Kelly, head of the homicide squad,
and when Kelly threatened to keep him
IN Jail he presented the so-called
secrets" of the On LoengS, preSum-
ably as an explanation" Failing to
establish any connection, Kelly decided
to turn the paper over to the State De-
partment for translation.
Immediately after the shooting De-
tectives H. x. Wilson and Oscar w.
Mansfield rushed to the scene. In
spector Henry G. Pratt and members
of the homicide squad. of which Lieut..
Edward j. Kelly is chief, later partici-
pated in the investigation.
Approximately 90 Chinese, believed to
be On Leongs, were taken in the gen.
erA roundup, most of them being seiz-
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