The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1883-11-03
WHO THE "BLACK FLAGSv ARE
A History of the FreehDOfers whom
France in Frying 10 Subdue.
from the st. James Gazette.I

A History of the FreeboOters WHOM,
france IN Frying 10 Subdue.
From the st. James Gazette.I
To find out who the Black Flags are
and how they came to settle in Tonuuin,
we have to go back TO the DAYS of the
TAPPING rebellion. When Marking fell
after It's long siege and Hung Sen Tseu-
men resigned his kingdom of eternal
peace, which had fought so desperately
during all the dozen or more years that
it lasted, the imperial troops proceeded
to make very short work of the Tipings
that remained. The rebellion had taken
its rise in Kwang-si, of which province
Hung was a native; and the Peklns man
darins were naturally more anxious to
punish the shOck-headed ut will be re-
membered that cutting off the queue
and growing the hair was the sign of a
rebel, natives of that province But the
men OF the West River were far more
lucky than others of their brethren, who
were slaughtered by the Hwang- tbs
troops aud massacred by the Lo-los In
Ssu chu'an and Kan-suh.
When they found that resistance was
useless they simply crossed the frontier
into the hills III the north of Tonuuin.
and the imperialists did not follow them.
At the head of these rebels, who did not
number more than 5000 altogether, was
Wa tsong, one of the minor Wangs IN
der the rule of the king of Eternal
Peace. When they found that their
pursuers were satisfied with driving
them out of the middle kingdom, aud
did not venture TO continue the attack
into the hull country, the Black Flags
proceeded to make very free with their
new dwelling place. They poured down
into the valleys, sacked and burned
towns on their way, and carried off
women and children into slavery. In
no very great time the whole of north
east Tonquin was in their hands, and
the provinces of Gao Bang, Tuyen-
kwaDg, Long-Son, Thai Nguyen, Bac-
nlnh and Sontay were IN as pitiablea con
dltlon as the greater part of South
China during the TAPPING struggle.
Eventually the terror stricken officials
agreed TO pay tribute to the Flags, and
matters quoted down. There was no
love lost between the rival Cinnamon:
but they too managed TO rub along to-
gether, and IN a short time there was
comparative peace. The Flags estab.
lshed regular duties, created mOnopo-
lies, got agencies at Hong Kong, and, in
TACT, had everything their own way. AS
Cinnamon, and therefore good men of
business, they took care not to kill trade
by imposing too heavy exactions, and
the Hong Kong and Canton guilds very
soon found out that trade was really
much brisker than under the feeble gov
eminent of Annamese.
Matters were thus going on very well
when M. Dupuis appeared upon the
scene and stirred up the hornets nest
which will cost France so dear. He
sailed up and down the Song-coi and
| through all the creeks of the delta, lee
turing Annamese mandarins as if he was
minister of the interior and they were
sub -perfects. His steam launches the
Laokai and the Mang-hao steamed up
to the Black Flag headquarters and the
explorer threatened to shoot down the
whole of LUIS band if they were not
civil.
On his descent of the river he came
upon the Yellow and Black Flags firing
at one another across the river. NJ.
Dupuis ordered cessation of the en-
gagement till he had passed, and was
very Indignant because some of the Black
Flags took no notice of his commands.
It was he who led the enthusiastic Gar
nier into the rash exploits for which he
paid the penalty with his life. Finally,
1t was he who persuaded the French
government that the Flags We're almost
! as contemplate foe as the Annamese.
When he was exploring the country in
1878, M. Dupuis found that the Black
Flags were most feebly armed. At
LaokaI they had sixty double barrelled
fowling pieces, with a few ancient flint
and-match-locks. At KOuen-ce he did
not see a single gun among them; most
of them had spears and pixies, but good
many seemed to have nothing more for
midable than flags. No doubt this in
formation led the French government TO
! determine on the annexation of the Flags
/ country, for it is there that the chief
mineral wealth of Tonquin is to be
/ found-the gold and silver and copper
| and iron mines. But now that it has
| come to fighting the Black Flags, it Is
1 found that they have multiplied, and
! that they are all armed with Remington
rifles; and finally, that fighting the Black
! Flags is very like fighting Chinese.
/ Even if the Chinese government and til
/ French republic arrive at a peaceful
solution of their difficulties, the Hak-
/ kis have yet to be reckoned with before
the Song River is opened to com
/ merce.