Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1941-06-07

cherry blossom and the lotus, and for
| got their loneSOmeneSS in a strange and
almost hostile land.
How many murders were committed
| in the temple and covered up, no white
man knows. There were a number Of
mysterious deaths, and If they were
killings the secret was always kept
from the white officials and no muir
derer was ever brought to book. If a
Chinaman died the body was buried
with much pomp and ceremony, his
friends and enemies following the re-
mains to the grave, scattering bits Of
red paper on which were mystic char
acters designed to scare the devils
away, and give the soul that had just
been freed, either through natural
death, or the knife Of an adversary,
good start and a chance. IF the de-
ceased had been VIGOROUSLY healthy
his passing was explained away to the
inquiSitive white men by the statement
that he had choked to death on a
chicken bone. There were many feaStS
at the temple.
Six Chinese Companies
Six Chinese companies operated in
Alder gulch, and every Chinese in the
diggings was affiliated with one or the
other of them. Whether the companies
were connected with the six great Chi
nese tongs in control Of the Chinese
colony in San Francisco is not known,
but the impression prevailed in Vir-
ginia City that the connection was
direct. The head of each of these COM
panieS was a martinez and his follow
ers obeyed his orders implicitly. Their
quarrels the head men settled among
themselves. There were many differ
ences over leases, and gradually there
60 ~ III
fraternity house, four companies align
ing themselves against two, and among
the white people these factions became
known as the Four company and the
Two company groups.
Surrender or Fight
Finally, came time when this feel
ing developed into intense hatred and
it burst into open armed warfare when
the Two company group secured con-
troll of a choice lease Of rich ground
which the -Four companies had long
been negotiating for. The heads of the
-Four companies held conference and
decided that the Two companies should
either surrender this lease or fight. |
The Two companies replied by en-
themselves about the ground |
in dispute and defying the stronger |
element. Every man IN the Two COM
panies was supplied with a rifle and |
plenty of ammunition. The -Four COM I
panies armed their men and gave
BATTLE
For two days they fought desperate
Iy, and the gulch reSounded with the
din of battle. There were probably 200
men engaged on the side of the Two
and 400 men in the forces
Of the -Four companies. People going
10 and from Virginia City made long
ietour over the hills to keep away
from the zone of conflict. Thousands
Of shots were exchanged, but singular
70 Say, not an individual was even
powder burned.
Finally, when all the ammunition
n Virginia City and the surrounding
owns was exhausted, the Four COM
oanies decided to go back to the an
,ient methods of Chinese warfare.
They prepared stink pots and sharp
med pitchforks and made pixies They
Jut ugly masks on their warriors to
i've them a ferocious appearance.
Kill Two Defenders
When all was in readiness, TO the
lin of gongs beating and much yelling,
hey took the redoubts Of the Two
practically at the point Of
'ayonet. The forces of the Two COM
lanies were not strong enough to re-
ist them. Two of the defenders were
Tiled and the rest fled. The battle
nded with small Two company man