The Ouachita Telegraph - Sam Sing Dies
Submitted by: Lora Peppers May 2000

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The Ouachita Telegraph
Saturday, August 23, 1873
Page 1, Column 5

SAM SING, CHINEEMAN.
How He Dies and Departs to the Flowery Kingdom —
Becoming Festivities on the Happy Occasion and
Unhappy Denounement Attending, With How They
Planted Him at Last.

 On Carondelet street, near Girod, and at about right angles to the
office of the Chief of the Police, may be seen the unpretending sign of
"Sam Sing, Chineeman, washing attended to," and an inspection inside
will always show at least ten or twenty of the heathen engaged in
washing and ironing, makeing shoes, repairing, etc.

 Thus serenely have they progressed for almost a year, engaged sometimes
in selling genuine Chinese tea made out of willow leaves and such acts
as become their nativity, until a few days ago, when an unusual
commotion was observed, the workers having suspended operations and all
appeared to be engaged in some preparration of unusual interest, which
after a while centered in an object wrapped in a mat and lying in a
corner, which upon inspecting appeared to be no less a personage than
"the Chinaman" himself who had quietly after eating his rice and
potatoes, laid himself down and departed to the Flowery Kingdom, where
all good Chinamen who have victimized the Melican man are supposed to
go.

 The occasion was one evidently of deep import.  A steaming mess of
chickens and the rice had been prepared, the laundry had been swept, and
tthe invited guests in pig-tails began slowly to arrive until about 4
o'clock P.M., when at least fifty had congregated in the room where Sam
Sing, stretched on a board and cleanly dressed, with his pig-tail nicely
braided and his feet decked in a new pair of Chinese shoes.  It was
hardly one of sorrow, though, for each guest seemed to chat merrily,
wave their fans and stretch their shins in apparent serenity and peace.

 At promptly half-past 4, "Pung" arose and stated in Chinese that Sing
had sung his last song, and prematurely gone where the woodbine twineth
in the flowery kingdom.  In his life he had been a very good Sing, and
had aided the laundry establishment by his wisdom, as well as being
perfect in the art of making tea out of willow leaves, and sewing paper
soles inside of the leather soles of the "Melican" shoes, (Here his
audience became deeply affected, and one of them played a lively tune on
a gong.)  "Friends, fellow-citizens, " he continued, "without doubt you
all deeply regret this unhappy event, and will contribute largely to
send the deceased to his rest in peace."

 A collection was then taken up, each contributed something, when Pung
advanced with a big bunch of firecrackers and touched them off.  In a
minute they were potpping lively, when an unhappy denoument occurred,
which, it appears, was totally unexpected and uncalled for.

 A can of powder which had been left in a corner while a pile of
gun-poppers had fallen over, and a cracker communicating with the
powder, there was a sudden sizzle and a report, followed by a burst of
flame and smoke, and the living guests and the dead Sing shot out the of
(sic) like they were fired out of a cannon.

 Consternation for a moment reigned suppreme; but after a while, and a
consultation, during which we were informed, "dat am him devil," they
returned and the ceremonies concluded by putting Sing in a metallic
coffin, and a hearse having been procurred, he was placed inside, with a
box of potatoes, a little rice, a chicken, and about 25 cents in silver,
while his clothes were made up in a bundle and buried with him.

 His friends, such as could, climbed on the herse, but those remaining
behind went to work as soon as he was gone, and the old order reigned
supreme. — N.O. Picayune.