Little Pete
Encyclopedia
Fung Jing Toy, commonly known as Little Pete (1864—January 23, 1897) was a prominent leader of the Som Yop Tong during the Tong wars of San Francisco's Chinatown
in the 1890s.
Born Fung Jing Toy in Kow Kong, Canton
(nowawdays known as Jiujiang Town (九江鎮) in Nanhai District, Foshan City, Guangdong Province), China
, around 1864, Little Pete immigrated to the United States
with his family at the age of five in 1870. As a child he was said to have witnessed a battle between the Suey Sings and the Kwong Docks Tongs in 1875 and studied how the outcome of the battle could have been saved. Becoming involved in San Francisco's underworld by 1885, Little Pete had become a well known Tong hatchetman involved in prostitution
, illegal gambling, and opium
peddling. On one occasion when he was attacked by members of the rival Suey On Tong Little Pete, wearing a steel-reinforced hat and chain mail
, managed to fight the men armed with hatchets and clubs, driving them off and soon throughout Chinatown he was considered invincible. By 1890, at the age of twenty-five, Little Pete was the leader of the Som Yop Tong and quickly became involved in a gang war with rival Sue Yop Tong during which Little Pete was said to have killed over fifty Tong members.
During this time the local press first began to take notice of him and dubbing him "Little Pete". Little Pete regularly began to walk around Chinatown in his chain mail armor, accompanied by three bodyguards, as his regular payoffs to city officials, particularly Charles A. Buckley
, convinced rivals of Little Pete's influence in San Francisco. This fear of Little Pete using his influence to eliminate his rivals may have been the cause of hired Tong assassins Lem Jung and Chew Tin Gop who attacked Little Pete in a barbershop
and, with one of the assassins grabbing him by the hair, shot him five times in the spine under his chainmail on January 23, 1897. Lem Jung and Chew Tin Gop later returned to China wealthy men as a result of Little Pete's murder.
Chinatown
A Chinatown is an ethnic enclave of overseas Chinese people, although it is often generalized to include various Southeast Asian people. Chinatowns exist throughout the world, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and Europe. Binondo's Chinatown located in Manila,...
in the 1890s.
Born Fung Jing Toy in Kow Kong, Canton
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
(nowawdays known as Jiujiang Town (九江鎮) in Nanhai District, Foshan City, Guangdong Province), China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, around 1864, Little Pete immigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with his family at the age of five in 1870. As a child he was said to have witnessed a battle between the Suey Sings and the Kwong Docks Tongs in 1875 and studied how the outcome of the battle could have been saved. Becoming involved in San Francisco's underworld by 1885, Little Pete had become a well known Tong hatchetman involved in prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
, illegal gambling, and opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
peddling. On one occasion when he was attacked by members of the rival Suey On Tong Little Pete, wearing a steel-reinforced hat and 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...
, managed to fight the men armed with hatchets and clubs, driving them off and soon throughout Chinatown he was considered invincible. By 1890, at the age of twenty-five, Little Pete was the leader of the Som Yop Tong and quickly became involved in a gang war with rival Sue Yop Tong during which Little Pete was said to have killed over fifty Tong members.
During this time the local press first began to take notice of him and dubbing him "Little Pete". Little Pete regularly began to walk around Chinatown in his chain mail armor, accompanied by three bodyguards, as his regular payoffs to city officials, particularly Charles A. Buckley
Charles A. Buckley
Charles Anthony Buckley was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from New York....
, convinced rivals of Little Pete's influence in San Francisco. This fear of Little Pete using his influence to eliminate his rivals may have been the cause of hired Tong assassins Lem Jung and Chew Tin Gop who attacked Little Pete in a barbershop
Barber
A barber is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, and to shave or trim the beards of men. The place of work of a barber is generally called a barbershop....
and, with one of the assassins grabbing him by the hair, shot him five times in the spine under his chainmail on January 23, 1897. Lem Jung and Chew Tin Gop later returned to China wealthy men as a result of Little Pete's murder.