The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1883-11-23
THE "WHiTE LILY"
How Chinese Secret Society Does Busi-
ness.

1t was in connection with these sold
iers that L got some information re-
specting a system which has of late
years spread all over China--I refer to
the secret societies. Night was coming
on, and l had returned to my house
boat with the intention of turning in,
when found my sailors busily employ
ed in getting up sail once more. As it
was my intention To stay at Hangchow
for the night, | naturally asked the
reason of this, when my men frankly
replied that though the ''braves" had
been looking at were very orderly in
camp and very excellent people in their
way, yet there were attached to the
camp certain number of pestilent per-
SONS who would very possibly take adj
vantage of the darkness to cut my
throat and pillage the boat. In vain |
expressed some skepticism on this
point; the boatmen were positive, and
in the end, rs either of the probabil-
ties they pictured would have seriously
incommoded me, concluded TO let
them have their way. Accordingly we
moored the craft nearer to the gates Of
the city. close to a police watch-housc
1t was then that the captain of the
boat ask leave for a few hours. He be-
longed, he said, TO Il secret society. and
could find out how matters stood at
Hangchow, il / would let him 20; and.
permission being given, away he went,
to return at midnight, in company with
several companions. all of whom slept
in the front Of the boat till morning.
and then departed afterward learn
ed that they had come ut his request io
watch for any stragglers from the canp
who might chance TO turn up A worry
little Inquiry showed me that the story
of the secret society influence was no
myth, but that the society" to which
the man referred was very real and
powerful organization. An incident
which afterward came under my notice
in neighboring country to China con-
firmed this. The proprietor-a French
man, curiously enough-of a saw-mill
thought fit to kick one of the celestials
in his employ before the rest of the
wcrkmen. An hour later the mill-bell
rang for the midday meal Out filed
the five hundred Cinnamon or so who
had been at work, all as well pleased
and apparently as well satisfied as
though they had been attending
funerals but, when the bell rang for
the resumption of work, not one of the
almond-eyed ones returned The pro-
prie.or fumed and frettcd, but to no
purpose. No Chinaman was in sight.
At last it struck the Frenchman that
something might be wrong, and short
examination showed him that all his
saws and bands had been broken, and
that notice from the Chinese secret
society had been posted on his mill
door, warning all Cinnamon off. Things
were beginning to look serious; nor did
they mend when he went home, for
there lay letter telling him that the
secret society intended to punish him
with death for what he had done. A
little reflection convinced him that it
would be better to leave the place.
which he did with useless anathemas
against secret societies in general and
the society of the White Lily in particu-
lar. Of course, heard of many anoth-
er incident of a like kind before / left
the far east. 1t was clear to me that
any man might be removed by the Sc
cret society without any trouble, and
that with the exception of the authori-
ties at Singapore, who have found
method of coping with this class of
lawlessness, nobody has yet been dis
covered who could fight against the
White Lily or its branches. s.-Cor. Lon
Ton Telegraph.