Fong Chong ran Postville's chinese "Washee Shop" for a number of years. He came to Postville to engage in the laundry business in 1895. He was one of Postville's big baseball fans. Fong attended all of Postville's bully ball boys baseball games, when they played at home.

Ping Pong was a cousin of Fong Chong and helped him in the busy laundry for several years. Fong Chong and the Postville Review Editor Bert Tuttle remained good friends for the 18 years that he had the Chinese Laundry in Postville.

Excerpts from the Postville Review in the late 1890's and early 1900's:

--Fong Chong, our Postville "Washee man" has removed his laundry into the old Graphic building. He is nicely fitted up in his new quarters, which is nice and cozy. Friend Fong will be ready for 'biggee' business before too long.

--Fong Chong has hung a brilliant new sign over his laundry. He has put in a dynamo and will light his laundry with electricity. This Chinese "Washee" is a real enterprise.

--Ping Pong, a cousin of our laundryman Fong Chong arrived last week to make his home here in Postville.

--Friday, July 27th, 1900 -
The very first automobile seen in Postville came down on the pike on Friday afternoon, conducted by a traveling man. He parked the machine right in front of Fong Chong's Laundry Shop. It was a very nice machine. A call was received in Postville from a farmer near Castalia who said the devil had run over and killed 3 chickens and wantonly wounded several more and wanted our Marshal Dapper Dan Dayton to hold him until he paid $2.00 for his rash act. He paid and went merrily on his way, followed by a parade of about 25 young bully boys.

--The Chinese do not say "Nixy". When Fong Chong, our lively laundryman says no, he puts it, thus: "By a dammy sight no!"

--One day this week, some little boys were throwing large wooden ball and a billiard ball and catching them, in front of Fong Chong's laundry. One of the boys hit another in the head with the wooden ball, and strange to relate, the BAWL came out of the little fellow's mouth.

--Our lively laundryman, Fong Chong had an accident while out riding a bicycle. While going down a hill the wheel ran away from him, throwing him into a gravel ditch about ten feet deep, causing a badly gashed leg and bruising his head some. Friend Fong says he will live.

--Our "Washee Man" Fong Chong and his cousin Ping Pong visited Prairie du Chien, Wis. on Sunday going down and back by 'ridin' the rails.

--Our "Washee Man" Fong Chong tells this story:
An English sailor who was watching a Chinaman placing a dish of rice by a grave inquired: "When do you expect your friend to come and eat?" Retorted the Chinaman, "Same time your friend come out to smellee flowers .... you put."

--An incipient fire at Fong Chong's Laundry about eleven o'clock last Friday, burned the covering off two ironing tables and destroyed a basket of collars and cuffs, besides giving the fiesty fire dept. boys the first run it has had in a long time. Not too much damage occured, and fastidious Fong thanks the fearless fire boys.

--While fishing on Bob's Creek the fore part of the week our lively laungryman, Fong Chong hooked a swardfish, and as he pulled the fierce fighting fish out, it struck him on the right cheek and as it swung back it connected with his left cheek .... completely wiping off every vestige of the yellow fringe that had been accumulating on this measely mug for several months. the transformation in friend Fong Chong's personal appearance was simply amazing.

Editor Bert Tuttle writes this humorous article in the Postville Review, 1902

Henry Koevenig and Geo. Schultz, the Postville First Nine battery were practicing the other day throwing long throws at each other when Hank touched one off that landed safely in China .... and for a short time there was an open window as well as an open door in the celestial empire. Hank was satnding in front of "Billy Buck" Durno's barber shop, throwing the ball across the street to jumpin' George, who was standing in front of Fong Chong's Laundry across the street .... the thought struck "Hank the Hmmer" to lam the cover off the tarnal thing. So with one fell heave, he heaved it and off it went across the stree, over leapin' "Cap'n Gawg's" head and boom .... it went through Fong's front window with a mighty crash. Although the tariff on balls entering by the window route is $3.00, Hank and a number of onerous onloookers say ..... it's worth the price.

The Supreme Court has ruled that a child born in the United States to Chinese immigrants is a U.S. Citizen.

Fong Chong's Chinese Puzzle Poem:
Ching Ling Lung and Chang Long Luey
Could not get enough chop-suey,
One day they ate until they died
Did they commit chop-suey-side?

Bert Tuttle and Fong Chong became fast friends down through the years. Bert wrote this story, published in the Postville Review:

Friend Fong Chong
Our genial laundryman Fong Chong, besides being a first-class workman in his line, has the head of a genius on him of which he has no reason to feel ashamed. We fund it out this week by accident. He dodged into our office Monday to avoid a sudden shower, and in looking around discovered a pressure gasoline lamp, hidden in a corner obscure and all alone several months ago..... because it failed to perform its proper functions. Fong wanted to know what was the matter with it, so we gave him the opinion of an "expert" handed down to us some time ago. He pulled it out and unscrewed the diseased part of the lamp, and after a moment's obseration says "Me fix 'um with a file." So Tuesday afternoon he dropped in and after about 20 minutes work had the measly thing shining as brightly as of yore. Fong tells us the trouble was the piston rod was too big for the hisnocker, and when it expanded it filled the hole so full it would not permit the gasoline to flow into the kerdonnicker. Anyhow -- the lamp now burns brightly and our friend Fong has our eternal thanks.

Bert Tuttle says: Did you ever notice that tobacco is always clean? If a man drops a piece of meat, no matter how clean the floor may be, he will EITHER give it a kick or lay it to one side. He will never eat it. But let him drop his plug tobacco on the ground, and no difference how dirty the spot where it fell, he will pick it up and give it a careless wipe on his coat sleeve or on the bosom of his pants, and hten take a chew with greater relish than ever.

We have a new game in the Town of Postville. Ping Pong is now the latest craze, and all kinds of sporting goods at J.M. Thoma's. Even our lively laundryman Fong Chong likes Ping Pong.

Bert Tuttle:
"Improved Ping Pong"
A farmer, north of town, is the inventor of a new game called "Improved Ping Pong." It is to be played on the farm in the fall of the year. The player gets up at 4 o'clock in the morning, milks the cows, feeds the hogs and horses, eats breakfast, then hitches the team to a wagon about the size of a boxcar, and heads to the cornfield. Here is where the ping pong comes in. You grab a big ear of corn with the left hand, and with the right hand and a contraption of some kind, you yank the shuck off and throw it at the big wagon. When the ear of corn strikes the throw-board it goes "Ping" and then it hits the bottom of the box and goes "Pong", making a very interesting game at three and a half cents a bushel.

Our Chinese laundryman Fong Chong's amazed
And loudly he asserts
Though President big Bill Taft may be a famous man
More wonderous --- are his shirts.

In 1913 Fong Chong departed Postville by "ridin' the rails" with very few belongings. He was headed for Prairie du Chien, and from there "headin' for somewhere."

- published on the Allamakee co. IAGenWeb with the generous permission of Stan Schroeder
- original transcripts provided by Stan Schroeder & transcribed by Sharyl Ferrall

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