Sai Wing Mock
Encyclopedia
Sai Wing Mock aka Mock Duck (1879 – July 23, 1941) was a New York Chinese
criminal and leader of the Hip Sing Tong, which replaced the On Leong Tong
as the dominant Chinese-American Tong
in the Manhattan Chinatown in the early 1900s.
.
One Chinatown historian describes Mock Duck in 1904 as "strutting around on Pell Street, covered in diamonds," adding that, at that time, "Mock Duck is firmly in control of the Hip Sing, his sinister image bolstered by his long, lethal-looking fingernails, which signal he is too grand to do the dirty work he assigns to others."
Mock Duck survived repeated attempts on his life and wore a chain mail
vest. He was named by the press the "Clay Pigeon of Chinatown" and the "Mayor of Chinatown". During several attempts on his life, Mock Duck reportedly squat down in the street and would fire at his attackers with two handguns as his eyes were closed.
After Lee had put a bounty on Mock Duck and the rest of the Hip Sings, Mock Duck formed an alliance with the rival Four Brothers
. Mock Duck took advantage of the reform crusade started by Charles Parkhurst
. Duck posed as a businessman, and supplied information including addresses of the On Leongs criminal operations to Parkhurst. The authorities raided On Leong opium dens and gambling dens on Pell and Doyers Streets, although he withheld addresses from the lucrative Mott Street operations to use for leverage in his campaign against Lee. Although a truce between the warring Tongs was signed in 1906, the Hip Sings and the On Leongs would again be at war the following year.
Mock Duck, who had begun consolidating his power during the late 1800s, finally defeated Lee during the "Bow Kum
" Tong wars of 1909-1910. Although arrested several times during the next decade, during which time a number of attempts were made on his life, he was convicted only once in 1912 and served two years imprisonment in Sing Sing Prison for operating a policy game. In 1932, Mock Duck agreed in an arraignment with the US and Chinese governments to declare a peace among the Tongs
of Chinatown and he retired to Brooklyn
where he lived until his death on July 23, 1941.
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
criminal and leader of the Hip Sing Tong, which replaced the On Leong Tong
On Leong Tong
The On Leong Chinese Merchants Association or simply Chinese Merchants Association, formerly known as the On Leong Tong , was a tong society operating out of its territory in Mott Street in New York's Chinatown. Established in November, 1893, the tong fought a violent war for control of...
as the dominant Chinese-American Tong
Tong (organization)
The word tong means "hall" or "gathering place". In North America a tong is a type of organization found among Chinese living in the United States and Canada. These organizations are described as secret societies or sworn brotherhoods and are often tied to criminal activity...
in the Manhattan Chinatown in the early 1900s.
Emigration
Mock Duck arrived in the United States during the late 1890s, settling in New York's Chinatown where he formed the Hip Sing Tong, a minor criminal organization. Within several years, Mock Duck began challenging Tom Lee over domination of criminal activities in Chinatown, as well as the police and political protection of Tammany HallTammany Hall
Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society...
.
Manhattan Chinatown
In 1900, Mock Duck demanded half of Lee's revenue from his illegal gambling operations. When Lee refused, within 48 hours, Mock Duck declared a Tong war against the On Leongs setting one of Lee's boarding houses on fire which resulted in the deaths of two men. Following another incident in which an On Leong member was decapitated by two Hip Sing hatchetmen, open warfare began in Chinatown.One Chinatown historian describes Mock Duck in 1904 as "strutting around on Pell Street, covered in diamonds," adding that, at that time, "Mock Duck is firmly in control of the Hip Sing, his sinister image bolstered by his long, lethal-looking fingernails, which signal he is too grand to do the dirty work he assigns to others."
Mock Duck survived repeated attempts on his life and wore a chain mail
Chain Mail
"Chain Mail" is a single by Mancunian band James, released in March 1986 by Sire Records, the first after the band defected from Factory Records. The record was released in two different versions, as 7" single and 12" EP, with different artworks by John Carroll and, confusingly, under different...
vest. He was named by the press the "Clay Pigeon of Chinatown" and the "Mayor of Chinatown". During several attempts on his life, Mock Duck reportedly squat down in the street and would fire at his attackers with two handguns as his eyes were closed.
After Lee had put a bounty on Mock Duck and the rest of the Hip Sings, Mock Duck formed an alliance with the rival Four Brothers
Four Brothers (tong)
The Four Brothers was a New York-based tong which rivaled the On Leong and Hip Sing Tongs for control of Chinatown during the early 1900s. Their murder of 21-year-old Bow Kum, recently "bought" by a member of the rival On Leongs to take as his wife, began a violent gang war between the three Tongs...
. Mock Duck took advantage of the reform crusade started by Charles Parkhurst
Charles Henry Parkhurst
Charles Henry Parkhurst was an American clergyman and social reformer, born in Framingham, Massachusetts. Although scholarly and reserved, he preached two sermons in 1892 in which he attacked the political corruption of New York City government...
. Duck posed as a businessman, and supplied information including addresses of the On Leongs criminal operations to Parkhurst. The authorities raided On Leong opium dens and gambling dens on Pell and Doyers Streets, although he withheld addresses from the lucrative Mott Street operations to use for leverage in his campaign against Lee. Although a truce between the warring Tongs was signed in 1906, the Hip Sings and the On Leongs would again be at war the following year.
Mock Duck, who had begun consolidating his power during the late 1800s, finally defeated Lee during the "Bow Kum
Bow Kum
Bow Kum was a Chinese-born slave girl who belonged to the Hip Sing Tong and later to the On Leong Tong around the turn of the century...
" Tong wars of 1909-1910. Although arrested several times during the next decade, during which time a number of attempts were made on his life, he was convicted only once in 1912 and served two years imprisonment in Sing Sing Prison for operating a policy game. In 1932, Mock Duck agreed in an arraignment with the US and Chinese governments to declare a peace among the Tongs
Tongs
Tongs are used for gripping and lifting tools, of which there are many forms adapted to their specific use. Some are merely large pincers or nippers, but the greatest number fall into three classes:...
of Chinatown and he retired to Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
where he lived until his death on July 23, 1941.
Further reading
- Asbury, HerbertHerbert AsburyHerbert Asbury was an American journalist and writer who is best known for his true crime books detailing crime during the 19th and early 20th century such as Gem of the Prairie, Barbary Coast: An Informal History of the San Francisco Underworld and The Gangs of New York...
. The Gangs of New York. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1928. ISBN 978-1-56025-275-7 - MacIllwain, Jeffrey Scott. Organizing Crime in Chinatown: Race and Racketeering in New York City, 1890-1910. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2004. ISBN 978-0-7864-1626-4
- O'Kane, James M. The Crooked Ladder: Gangsters, Ethnicity and the American Dream. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction Publishers, 1994. ISBN 978-0-7658-0994-0
External links
- Mock Duck bibliography
- Mock Duck at Find-A-Grave