"Hot Tamale Louie" Claims He's White in Citizenship Suit"  Post-Enterprise,15 August, 1926

Even though he is a white man, the fact that he was born in Asia and not in Europe may deprive Zarif Kahn, "Hot Tamale Louie," from his citizendhip gained last November.Citizenship laws permit only Caucasians and Africans to become  citizens, and a series of Supreme Court decisions have interpreted the term "Caucasians" as meaning only those Caucasians from Europe--excluding those from Asia, R.G. Diefenderfer, attorney for Kahan, said Saturday. Khan, who was born and lived his early life at Barra Kabul, Afghanistan, insists that he is as Caucasian and is as "white"' as any European. 

An Associated Press dispatch was filed Friday that Albert D. Walton of Cheyenne, United States District Attorney, had filed a petition in federal court to cancel Khan's naturalization certificate on the grounds that the Afghan is neither a Caucasian nor an American. A letter protesting that Khan is a Caucasian, but admitting that he was born in Asia was sent to Attorney Walton by Mr. Diefenderfer Saturday.

Mrs. Ray Ellis Says Louie' Khan Learned His Food Trade In Mexico
Sheridan Press July 1, 1964

He learned to make his chili, tamales and hamburgers in Mexico, said Mrs. Ray Ellis, 611 East Burkitt.
She was speaking of Zarif Khan or "Louie" the Sheridan man who was killed in a knifing incident in Village Bara, Pakistan, on June 23.

Mrs. Ellis has a lot of recollections of Louie because she worked for him 18 years.  She and her family became close friends of Louie and later  Louie and his family.

She said Louie told her he came to this country when he was nine.  He was actually from Afghanistan, but in the re-arrangement of countries there, his part of Afghanistan became part of Pakistan.  Louie told Mrs. Ellis he came to Mexico and that a man there taught him his trade.

As Mrs. Ellis understands it, Louie went from Mexico to South Dakota.  Here he invested in stock of the Homestake Mining  company.  She recalled too that he had spent some time in Texas and once owned a grapefruit farm in Arizona, which he later sold.

When he first came to Sheridan he carried tamales and hamburgers in kettles hanging from a yoke.  There was canned heat under the kettles, and Louie told Mrs. Ellis that the heat burned off his beard that he wore at one time.

While reminiscing, Louie told of winning a $5 bet in a foot race up Main street. This was before the street was paved and it was muddy.  Louie ran in his barefeet.  He also told her that people would steal his hamburgers, would make not quite honest bets with him, but always paid him back.

Mrs. Ellis thinks it was about 1911 when Louie began using a cart to sell his wares.  Several years ago when workmen dug under the tamale stand to install a water line they found the wheels of the cart.  They are still there as far as she knows.  She says Louie was 77 years old.

 

She recalls that when Louie's business was going good they would use as high as 150 dozen buns a day.  She thinks the average was about 60 dozen.  This was several years back.  In the past few years, since Louie was married and had a family, and was making trips back to his homeland, business had fallen off.

Louie never forgot a friend on his birthday or at Christmas, Mrs.  Ellis recalls. He gave lots of food away and fed lots of bums.  Mrs. Ellis also recalled some things about Louie's wife, Fatima.  She came to this country alone from Louie's homeland.  The Ellis' and Louie went to Billings to meet her.  When she arrived she wore a veil and other clothing of her native land.  Mrs. Ellis says Fatima's name was Khan before she married  Louie.  She also says that Fatima is an awfully nice person.

Louie taught her American ways, even the art of using a knife and fork.  She could speak English pretty well.  One of Fatima's brothers was a dentist and the other a doctor.

Mrs. Ellis said Louie wanted his children ? there are six ? to have everything and had provided for their college education in this country.

Louie was a Moslem.  In his home, Mrs. Ellis said, is a prayer rug, and various pictures related to the Moslem faith.  Pork is a banned item among Moslems.  One time Mrs. Ellis had worn a pair of pigskin gloves to work.  She left them at the shop when she went home.  Louie found them, and someone told him they were pigskin.  Louie, according to the story, put them back quickly and called Mrs. Ellis to come and get them.

Louie's dog died while he was gone on a trip.  He wrote back to Mrs. Ellis to be sure and salt the body down.  This, too, has significance in the Moslem Faith.

Louie couldn't read or write, but had an uncanny sense of picking investment stocks, Mrs. Ellis said.

She has lots more recollections of Zarif Khan.  One is recent and sad.  She had a letter from him in May in which he said God willing he would be home soon.

Hamburger Louie' peddled tamales
  by Cindy Vannoy
Casper Star Tribune April 17, 1977

Zarife Khan, known here as "Hamburger Louie", is still remembered by Sheridan residents.  And, his widow remains here as owner of the Lariat Motel.

Louie, who came from a wealthy family in Pakistan, was fatally stabbed in 1964 in his homeland by Sultan Khan, a distant relative, over a land dispute.  He was buried there with Moslem rites, at the age of 80.

Zarife Khan came from Pakistan at the age of nine and started out in Mexico learning a trade, how to cook.  When he had learned the cooking trade, he set out for the United States, living first in South Dakota, where he invested money in the Homestead Mining Co.

In 1908 he began to sell hamburgers and tamales in Lead, S.D.  From there he moved to Buffalo in 1909 and from there to Sheridan in 1910.

For many years he was a familiar sight on Sheridan's streets, pushing his hamburger and tamale cart down the dusty streets.  After Sheridan grew and business improved, he bought a small shop at the corner of Grinnel and Main streets and sold his food there.

The name of the shop was "Louie's" when Khan purchased it, and from that time on Sheridan residents knew him as "Hamburger Louie" who made the best hamburgers in town.

Louie had an uncanny sense about stock investments and was a financial success,
with the hamburger stand mostly a side line.

He was liked around the town, and, although he was shy, he had a large heart.  In 1941 when World War II broke out, he sent gifts overseas to the service men to let them know they were not forgotten.  Although he was not personally involved in the war, he remembered those who where with cigarettes, money and checks.

Louie, related to the Pakistani president as well as many other people,often went back overseas for a visit to his homeland.  In 1952 he chose a wife of his own people and flew her into Sheridan.  He was elderly at the time and Fatima was only 16, but they spent 12 married years together.

Fatima, too, was from a wealthy family in the village of Campdellkur,  whose name was also Khan.  She knew how to speak English and as one Sheridan resident described her, "a really nice person."

 

Louie taught his bride many American ways and set about raising a family as well as running his business.  In 1955 he sold his restaurant and lived with his family on Scott Street, making occasional visits to his homeland. One of their six children, Zarina, was born in her mother's birthplace.  "I was pregnant and my husband said 'let's go' and I went," Mrs. Khan said.

Fatima stayed in Pakistan after her husband's funeral and the trial of Sultan and then returned with her young children, the oldest was nine, to Sheridan.

Mrs. Khan's six children have been raised in Sheridan, but she has taught them to speak fluently in her native language.  "So if I want to tell them something that I don't want anyone to hear I can tell them (in her native language) and no one can understand," she said.

In 1972 Mrs. Khan bought the J.E. Motel and Cafe on Coffeen Avenue in Sheridan and operated that for about 2 1/2 years.  Then, she found, the cafe was too much trouble."

Now she owns the Lariat Motel and Trailer Court and likes it much better. "The trailer court has all nice people.  They pay every month and no trouble," she said.

She does occasionally visit Pakistan and just recently returned from one such trip to visit her mother and family, two sisters and four brothers.  "Lots of nieces and nephews, too," she added.

Raised in this country, all her children do, however, have Pakistani names. Roenna is in her twenties and is the oldest.  She is attending the University of Wyoming.  Zarif is the eldest son and is owner of the Sundowner Motel in Sheridan.  Fatima, named for her mother, is the third oldest and is majoring in nursing at Sheridan College.  "Maybe someday I'll go back home (to Pakistan) and teach them what I have learned," she said.

Zarina, fourth in age, is resting one year before going on to college.  She graduated from high school in three years and Mrs. Khan said, "She can rest for awhile."  Nazir, the second son and next youngest is state wrestling champion in Wyoming for high school students.  The youngest is named Merriam and is still attending school in Sheridan.

Mrs. Khan said Pakistan is much like Wyoming in its country layout and has many United States companies. She also said that the United States sends "lots of teachers and Pakistan is glad to have them."

She said she likes Sheridan and her business here.  Right now she is  adding three units to the existing 23 at the motel.  She said the trailer park helps in the winter hen the tourist trade is slow, but in the summer she often has to turn away guests because of lack of motel space.