GEE KING LONG, JEW HAR, SHEW CHIN, B W L SAM
Elmo Bollinger, Judge
Rose H. Blakely, County Attorney
Statement of Facts:
On the evening of October 2o, 1926, between eight thirty and nine
o’clock PM, five Chinese arrived at a gasoline station just outside of
the town of Kingman Arizona, filled up with gas and oil, put air in the
tires of the Chrysler touring car in which they were riding, and within
a very few moments after leaving the filling station , one Tom King, a
Chinese restaurant keeper of Kingman, was shot to death by four strange
Chinese who came into his place of business. The four who did the
shooting were positively identified by an eye-witness to the shooting
one Frank Craig, and the same four were identified as having been in the
Chrysler our by the witness, Carvill, who also identified the chauffeur
of the Chrysler as being one of the five who passed his station. From
the evidence introduced upon the trial of the cause, the same five
Chinese in the same Chrysler car were identified as having stayed at
Needles, California, the night of the 19th of October, 1926, and as
having left there on day of the 20th, shortly after noon, having
inquired the road to Kingman. Immediately after the shooting of Tom King
the Chrysler car wan seen leaving the town of Kingman and on the same
night at about the hour of two o’clock AM the same five Chinese were
arrested at Topock, Arizona traveling with some tourists, two men and
their wives, and two little children, who informed the officers that
they had picked the five Chinese up at a point about twelve miles East
of Topock where their Chrysler car had broken down. The Chinese were
brought back to Kingman and identified by several witnesses. Complaint
was filed in the Justice Court, and upon preliminary hearing the five
were held to answer to the Superior Court of Mojave County, Arizona on
the charge of murder. On November 26, 1926, an information was filed
charging the five jointly with the crime of murder, and on Saturday,
November 27, the defendants were duly arraigned, asked ,for time to
plead, which time was set for December 10th, 1926, at one o’clock p.m.
on which said day they appeared with their counsel, and an interpreter
being present, and defendants being represented by their attorney, L L
Wallace and the County Attorney being present, all five defendants
entered a plea of "Not Guilty" and demanded separate trials. The first
case, that against defendant B W L. SAM, was commenced on Thursday,
December 16, 1926, and on the 17th day of December was completed and the
case submitted to the jury which jury on the following day, December
18th, brought in a verdict of guilty of murder in the first degree, with
the death penalty affixed. The separate trial of Shew Chin was commenced
m Saturday, December 18th, and on Monday, December 20th, was submitted
to the jury, which said jury turned a verdict of murder in the first
degree, with the death penalty affixed. On Tuesday, December 21, 1926,
the trial of Gee King Long, having been fixed that date, came on for
hearing , at which time upon a request of defendants, Gee King Long, Jew
Har and Wong Long, those three cases were consolidated and tried
together on the 21st of December1926, and following day, December 22, on
which last mentioned date the case was submitted to the jury and a
verdict returned finding all three of the last named defendants guilty
of murder in the first degree with the death penalty affixed.
Upon request of counsel or all of above named defendants, time for
imposing sentence was fixed for December 31, 1926 at the hour of two
o'clock PM. at which time, defendants being present in open court
represented by their their Counsel, the County Attorney being present on
behalf of the state, and an interpreter being in attendance, the court
proceeded to impose sentence upon each of said defendant in accordance
with the several the several verdicts hereinbefore referred to. It
appears from such information as can be obtained from the evidence
adduced upon the several trials of the above named defendants that the
killing a Tom King grew out of the Tong War at that time being waged
between Hop Sing Tong, of which it was shown by evidence the deceased,
Tom King, was a member, and the Bing Kong Tong of which the defendants
are said to be members, and a certificate of membership in which Tong
was taken from one of the above named defendants. It appears that these
defendants come from Los Angeles or some point near there, in the
Chrysler touring car and were identified as having passed through San
Bernardino California where they purchased a canteen and a stillson
wrench which was afterward found in their car and identified by the
witness who sold these articles to them, and the next place they were
identified and connected up was at Needles, California, as hereinbefore
mentioned. The next day they were identified as going through Yucca on
their way to Kingman; again, at Kingman at the filling station as
hereinbefore related, and again at Topock, Arizona, where they were
arrested.
Inquiry at the California State Bureau or Criminal Identification and
Investigations, Sacramento California requesting information as to the
criminal record of these defendants, or any of them, revealed that Shew
Chin, one of the defendants herein, was known to the department under
the aliases Wong Shew Chung, Chung Wong Shew, Wong Chew Chung and Wong
Shew Chin, and had been arrested and convicted in Los Angeles,
California , in the year 1925, and the year, 1926, charged with carrying
concealed weapons. There appeared no criminal record against at any of
the other above named defendants. The defendant Gee King Long , resided
in Needles, California, for several years and was well known there and
bore a very unsavory reputation as having been engaged in gambling,
bootlegging and peddling narcotics, although no conviction had ever been
had so far so the authorities are informed, on any of these charges. He
had also been in Kingman, more or less, and it was the theory of the
prosecution that he was engaged by the Bing Kong Tong to come with the
other Chinese and point out the victim, Tom King, which the proof showed
he did. Gee King Long is in possession of a certificate of identity
issued to him at Needles, California by the U. S. authorities, under the
name, Gee King. Defendant Shew Chin, was in possession of a certificate
of identification issued to him in San Francisco, California, under the
name of Wong Shew Chin. These certificates will be forwarded to the
authorities at Florence, under instructions from Inspector in Charge at
Phoenix, Arizona, and will be delivered to the proper authorities by the
Sheriff upon delivery of the defendants under judgment and commitment.
None of the other Chinese have their identification papers, and all have
refused to give the officials any information concerning themselves.
It is understood that the Bureau of Commerce and Labor are making
further investigation concerning these defendants and will doubtless
report to your institution the result of its findings.
Wong Long #7045, BB Page 1225;
BWLSam #7046 BB Page 1226;
Shew Chin#7047 BB Page 1227;
and Jew Har# #7048 BB Page 1228;
Accomplices
Criminal Record - None
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