The Boy With the U.S. Census

ve become in a moment allied to secret powers of evil, and the whole atmosphere seemed baneful in the sinister significance of that drawing o

isplay had excited, and stepping forward, he reached

in

rasp the sketch, Hamilton quietl

you," he said, knowing that the other might n

ed the restaurant-keeper in a hoa

n that work and wearing the census badge he was not a private citizen. Again, it was not a crime to draw a hand on a piece of paper, and the space obviously le

it, that I am not a policeman, nor a spy; tell him that so far as I am concern

. The proprietor of the restaurant translated the boy's words, and with a brief reply, which Hamilton rightly construed to be thanks, the strang

as he could get his breath, "I had-a

himself, "but I don't believe you had. Anyway, there's no harm done. I've always heard a

iety," the Italian said, "at

Hand?" asked Hamilton a little ind

an shook

ed about, then?" queri

her, his lips just s

the Mafia use t

alian

is the sign o

the chiefs come to America. But the people are so far away it is difficult-a to speak-a to them all. One day

ack Hand,' doesn't

alian

and saying that much recent murders was done. Everybody become-a frightened, and the Mafia and the Camorra right away both begin-a to use Black Hand. So you see when I say there is no Black-a Hand society, no chief, no place-a to m

not suddenly dash in upon him unawares and stab him in the back with a stiletto to make sure of his not talking, nor that the res

his Black Hand experiences he found that his c

nded from the Lombards, but the Sicilians and Calabrians are a mixture of the old pirates, the Moors, and the degenerated Latin races that were left when the Roman Empire fell to pieces. The endeavor to break up the Mafia sent all the leaders of that nefarious Sicilian society here, and now the att

he?" aske

ago. Within a few months of his arrival he was arrested here and sentenced to three years' imprisonment And now, although he is a profe

f Italians coming over now?"

llage near Naples and not enough able-bodied civilians could be found in the place to carry the casket. All of them were in America. T

k about this Blac

ng the Middle Ages and the Freemasons were at other periods. The Camorra was once simply the Tammany Hall of Naples. But when, as happened last year, there were six hundred and fourteen Black Hand outrages in two States in four months it is idle to say that it does not exist in America. Th

oy looked at the I

he began,

ssian nihilism, Polish anarchism, German socialism may join hands with the Sicilian Mafia and the Neapolitan Camorra to institute a criminal organization such as the world has never seen before. There are enough ignorant immigr

rican institutions would prevent such a happening; that could only be in some o

ctor shoo

st you may be right," and he turned t

ral hours, and early in the afternoon he noticed a great deal of shouting in the streets. Being curious, and noticing that numbers of women were hurrying past, gesticulating violently, Hamilton followed, until almost before he was

h he questioned every one around him he could find no one that understood his questions. All that he could

n, we want o

uch interested in following the purposes of the throng. Finally the people stopped, but the boy was so far back that he could see nothing of what w

n, we want o

eing that she would not listen, he shouted at her as harshly a

the row abou

ay, never see our children any more. Oh, my Mario, oh,

he mob and saw the police gathering on all sides. Breaking through the front rank he

b," he said in a c

eman, recognizing immediately that

s doing some inspection work for the census when I g

re that the schools are goin' to steal their children. As if any one wou

eal their children? Do you mean that

the school that when a bell rings-'tis the fire bell I'm m'anin'-they sh'd all march out dacintly and in order. 'Tis a go

right enough," H

me from countries on the other side where they make them soldiers whether they w

't see why they should go on being scared. You

not makin' any trouble,

hat sta

eople that children were the cause of poverty an' that the only way to prevent poverty was

them to heed a

e. But yisterday, some rich lady, plannin' to give the children a picnic this afternoon and a treat, told them

dren should have some pleasure. From all I've seen recently of the way people live

an' weeks; they know a man on the street corner said the children ought to be shipped away; an' the next day they are

ly as all that! And what do

liceman answered, "but it's a bad busine

er of half-grown toughs, hoodlums, and trouble-makers generally. The cries were increasing, an

officer said, "but any time that there's a litt

boy said. "What do they think they're g

n turned on

ood man been hurt with less cause than this. That crowd's growin' by tho

"now I'm in this far, I'm goi

r slip through the school gates. Show your census bad

school entrance. As he did so, a bottle came whizzing at his head with deadly aim. Fortunately he had been keeping his head partly turned curiously toward the cr

e policemen, as Hamilton showed his badge and

when I wanted to get out I found I couldn't. I think," he added, a little nervously, for the flyi

was the reply, "especially a crowd of wom

y'll do?" asked the boy.

rer children the school authorities had opened a sort of restaurant where the kids could get lunch for three cents. The story got abroad that the children were getting ham and por

at

toward the end of the afternoon, and several people were wounded. One of our men was badly st

ation, the whole face of the crowd suddenly seemed to burst, the end closed in, and in a second one of the wildest hordes Hamilton had ever seen was at the school gates. There was a brief struggle a

and tell the principal to hurry up with letting out the

immediately to report. As he did so he found that the crowd was getting ready to make a third attempt to attack the police, when, turning the corner, sauntering down the narrow lane

elief. "I've known him for the past year o

rprise. The police force had had trouble enough

as the reply, "and Caesar himself kn

e boy turned, and speaking to the nearest officer, said, in Engl

hem won't

Hamilton could see them wince as this fourteen-year-old lad named them; then he commenced

ioters, and gesticulating wildly, answered the boy in what seemed to be a threatening tone. The young Italian lad heard him thro

milton to a police

find out his name-so that you would know it if you wante

at him and pulled t

they'd make me chief. Maybe, though," he added, "I wouldn't

alian

said, "the

wd was dispersing and that the members of the boyish gang were going all

o what he says because his father is a leader in the Mafia. There's never any one gives credit enough to the force f

se give much

in Chinatown going on now, or going to begin mighty soon. Three were killed yesterd

atants of the Five Brothers outside the impregn

ifteen organized Tongs of Highbinders, each with its paid band of 'Hatchet Men' for no other purpose than to rule Chinatown. The man who got up the

as it is here, they keep their killings to themselves, and they don't let any white men get mixed up in it at all. That's why you never can tell anything abo

aimed the boy. "Is

art of it," was

aking from his pocket the schedule he had been given

ht," the policeman said,

, "why, yes, so it is. Well, Tong or no Tong, I s

eman shoo

o wait a while. Take some other dis

straighten out a Chinese tangle over the census there. The Chinese refused point

g beside Hamilton in the direction of Chinatown,

e any obstacles in the way, not only was a copy of the President's proclamation in Chinese pasted all over the walls of the city, but, in addition

dea," said the pol

ther and had a brief threat printed and pasted across the face of the President's proclamation, as well as that of the consul,

erve o

en to fine or imprisonment. Over these second orders again was pasted the former threat of the Tongs. A few days later the enumerators, each accompanied by a policeman, went through C

N OF THE P

pulation once in every ten years, many of which have been taken and are on record, and since the present year is the time for taking another such census, which is to include the people of every nationality residing within the territory of the United States, and as the Chinese residents of this country, through po

untrymen may not understand the purpose and make trouble through a mistaken notion of the whole proceeding, the Consul-General at San Francisco and the Consul at New York shall publish and make known to all Chinese residing in every part of the United States that it is the custom of the United States to take a census at stated intervals, th

the United States to take a census of the population thereof once in every ten years, and as this proceeding has no connection whatever with the laying of taxes or the examination of certificates of residence, and as all persons irrespective of nationality are to be enumerated under the provisions of

nswered is hereby appended for

schedule (3

schedule (59

t moon (February, 1910), and sealed

ENSUS OF THE

ONSULAR P

ANSLATI

ly done?" the p

hey did. The fifth layer of paper was put on the billboards, and the Five Companies,

anies were stronger on the Pacific co

n who told me all about this explained that it was becau

that would be on the other slope. But there's enough of it here, ju

amilton said, "and there were eight men killed in that. It began over the possession of a

the close of a shooting affray; the p

Look at Boston-it was open talk that there were two regular executioners under Tong law, but the Chinks got ou

York, too," the boy said, "tha

. "Look at the shooting galleries," the two were walking down the Bowery, "they've been kept going for years by the practice of the Tong marksmen. You'd never think it, but some of those Highbinders could mak

low, coming forward to meet them, "but orders are s

"I'm a census agent and the Inspector told

took it and

derground places and we don't any of us go down there any more than we have to. Of course when we ha

ck it up personally, and don't you think I'd better do it? There's a chap there," he added

an said, "an' he's like us,-it's pa

ly he represents a newspaper an

cratched his ch

he said, "and I'll c

ck in a mi

ign of trouble-not that that means anything," he added, "but if you wait a minute the o

are there here?

ee streets," the policeman answered, "but I

en the reporter joined them. In reply to a question, Hamilton told his purpose, and the reporter, scenting a story, volunteered to accompany them.

t policeman had said, was mere

o down here,"

e policeman rapped on a door with his nightstick, a good loud rap. It was opened, and he strode in, followed by the two boys. A few questions from Hamilton verifi

n, I reckon," t

e cellar now," o

orter l

and nearly all have either two or three. A Chinaman doesn't care about fresh air at all, and he won't wast

went down a rickety stair, not much better than a l

Hamilton, scarcely able to breathe the foul ai

ter answered. "Ch

to know about his customers, the lad quickly made enough inquiries to assure him that there was no fault to find with the work, and started for the upper air. Just as they passed ou

just come out, but the policeman, as he left it, roughly gave him a push, as much as to say

on into the shadow of a doorway, "the Ong Leongs have bee

although more interested in the i

banquets before and after. Everybody brought fire-crackers to the theater, and at a certain time all the fire-crackers were set off. When the

?" cried Hamil

hers turned and made a rush. The two newcomers cut across the street, thus for a moment div

out of here as fast as we know how. We'll go to the end of t

ver their heads, Hamilton surmised were intended as a warning to keep out of the way rather than as attempts to shoot them.

in the center of the street. There was the sharp bark of a sawed-off revolver, and the wounded man just

amilton. He clutched

groes!" he cried, a hysterical note in his voic

ding pierced the sunlit air, far above the sordid savagery of the human rat-holes near by. Guiding monster beams into

here skill is linked to daring, where brain is joined to nerve, that the Yankee

ve and endurance are required is where

E