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At New Kensington, Pa., a customer walked into a laundry one morning and found Charley Lee, a Hip Sing, lying on the floor with a bullet in his head and a bullet in his chest. His partner in business, George Wong, an On Leong was missing. In Manhattan the police began to get busy. They revoked all pistol permits for Chinese, taking guns even from high Tong officials who had been given them for protection. Even the suave Wong Get had to surrender his gun; also Boston Charley, a smiling Chinaman of great popularity in the On Leongs.
One Chin Bing, a man who had been expelled in turn from the On Leong and then from the Hip Sing Tong, was arrested, suspected of the murder of Que Yee. For four hours the police questioned him. For four hours he answered "Me don't know." Their patience exhausted, the police arraigned him for murder.
They also arrested Lee Gee Min, International President, the voluable Mr. Henry Moy, International Secretary, and Lee Du, local secretary of On Leong—carrying out the threat to hold officers of the Tongs responsible. But a judge released the latter three because there was no evidence against them.
Meantime a grand jury indicted one Wong Fook, a Hop Sing, for the murder of Gong Mar Quong, since three Occidentals could be found as witnesses.
To make the pressure of the law felt, a combination raid of the New York City squad, Federal narcotic agents and immigration officials swept down upon Manhattan's Chinatown and seized 200 Chinamen. Those wanted by the police were placed in jail. The others were examined as to their right to be in the U. S. For want of evidence of lawful entry or U. S. birth, 42 were shipped to Ellis Island for deportation.
The same night in Boston, Chin Gow Woon, a Hip Sing, was shot as he stepped from his doorway.
In Cleveland, Wong Bowe, Hip Sing organizer, appealed to police for protection, saying On Leongs had set a price of $10,000 on his head and were despatching gunmen from Chicago and New York to earn the money.
In Sing Sing, in the death house, Mock Hirk, a Hip Sing, waited execution for the murder of an On Leong laundryman. At the opposite end of the row of death cells, Lu Chow, an On Leong, waited execution for the murder of a Hip Sing restaurateur.
More men will die before the White Rooster is killed (Chinese ceremony of peacemaking).