Fully Licensed

LOUIE ROSS, Proprietor

OLD EMPRESS HOTEL

Prince Rupert, B.C.

of Wu Tze Pao to kill “any foreign police-
man” in revenge for the loss of “face” she
had suffered when the police had searched
her car a year before.

But like all gangsters Wu finally reached
the end of his tether and overstepping the
mark became an annoyance to the Jap
military machine. When the Japs entered
the front door of his residence early one
morning, Wu made good his escape by the
rear entrance. I was told on good authority
that Wu paid $2,000,000 to one of the
Japanese Gendarmerie for the tip off about
his impending arrest. The last I heard of
him he was in Soochow, where he ultimately
died in poverty.

Perhaps the most feared of all Chinese
criminals are the jaung-dau or armed rob-
bers. As I mentioned previously a great
number of Chinese soldiers escaped into the
International Settlement to escape capture
by the Japanese in 1937 and equipped with
Mauser pistols, a lot of them turned to
armed robbery. Their methods were crude
but brought the desired results. They
worked in gangs of from three to seven
men, and one of the number usually “cased”
a shop or a home a few days in advance,
getting all the necessary information. Then
one night (they always worked at night)
they would gain entrance by some ruse,
such as telling the person who answered
the door that they wished to see the toong ka
(master). Vd like to mention here that it
is characteristic of the Chinese that they
will not open a door until they have received

a reasonable answer from the person seeking
admittance. On the door opening the rob-
bers rush in and brandishing pistols herd
the occupants into one room where they
are tied up with stout cord. While one
stands guard over the bound occupants the
rest of the gang ransack the premises.

Of course leaderless soldiers were not the
only men who committed armed robberies
but I have used this illustration to show
that most Chinese criminals when given a
pistol will committ armed robbery or even
a kidnapping if opportunity presents itself.
Most Chinese criminals are of an extremely
low type of humanity and perhaps this is
why so many of their crimes lack the finesse
of foreign criminals.

Are Chinese criminals tough?

I don’t think so, although now and again
we ran into some pretty bloodthirsty
episodes. Generally speaking, the Chinese
criminal is glad to escape the clutches of
the police, although he will stand and shoot
it out if he thinks that’s the only means of
escaping arrest. But he does this not from
“toughness” but rather it arises from the
fatalistic attitude all Chinese have about
life or death. Chinese I have met after they
have been condemned to death for some
crime show little remorse, and even less
concern about their impending execution.

AVERAGE CHINESE IS LAW-ABIDING

And lastly, let me say this. While this
article has been devoted to some aspects of
Chinese criminals and their work, don’t

make the mistake of assuming that th
Chinese are any more lawless than ap
other nationality. Generally speaking, th
average Chinese is a pretty law abidin
individual with a standard of honesty th
equal of any other nationality. But th
pressure of war and famine (of which the
have had plenty) has tempted a lot ¢
Chinese men and boys into a life of crime,

“NOW, my boy, double-up your fist ;
tight as you can, and—.”
“For shame, Abie, teaching our little Ike
to vight, and him so young.”
“T vas not teaching him to vight, Repeccs
I vos teaching him how to hang on to h
money.”

Knox Hotel

M. C. LaBelle, Proprietor

“You'll like the Knox”

64 Rooms, All with
Hot and Cold Water Showers

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Phone 71
Ist Avenue, West

PRINCE RUPERT, B.C.

P.O. BOX 1159

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J. SHORTILL, MANAGER

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