The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-07-16
THE BLACK FLAGS
One Feature Of the Tonquin Trouble-The
Leader of the Pirates.


Leader of the Pirates.
Paris Paper.
With the announcement that hostilities
between Frame and China are now inevita-
BILE, comes the statement that 1000 BLACK
Flags" are Already menacing Namdinh,
while 10, 900 are concentrated at Sontai where
they are intrephed. The most accurate
particulars Regarding these extraordinary
warriors is furnihed by Captain Kergaradec,
the newly-appoiitad French Plenipotentiary
to Siam, in the Ievue ct Coloniale.
In 1876 this officer was sent to Cochin
China, and madtan exploration of the Song
Koi or Red river the main fuvial artery of
Tonqun. He ii also thoroughly informed
regarding Indo-Aina, Siam, Anam and Ton
quin; and this iswhy he was chosen by the
French goverriIrnt as its representative in
trusted with theask OF arranging the Ton
uuin affair Vim last heard from he had
arrived at Saigon, the capital OF French
Cochin China, ahis way to Hue, the capital
of Anam. But lie delayed starting for the
latter place, beng uncertain whether EN-
peror Tu Due afer the bloody affair at
Hanoi, would peacefully receive him.
In 1876 Captain Kergaradec found the
Song Koi ALREADY infeted with the ''Black-
flag pirates, who preyd upon the ordinary
boatmen OF the river, an it was with view
of suppressing theai thatshe Anamese SOW
ereign concluded wNs France the proteeto-
rate treaty of 1874, an@vby the exoedition
of Commandant Riviere as insuour,ted in
March, 1882.
The BLACK Flags are .olrseized unter the
command of a redoubtable ,siieftainNi
Vinh-Phuoc. Along the rive thew ofl,,,,y
several important points from which nv
radiate throughout the country and ~;
mand the navigation of the Song ri ~,
number about ] 600 men-at leastbis * ~
figure of the payroll which they sJmitaS
to Tu Dues government which alwSs naJ
them openly or in secret as occasiGa dt
nanded. This force in reality is the onl,
band OF the BLACK Flacks" which is orsan
lied in the military way, but in additiont
these regular" piratical troops there are i
regular bodies ten times as numerous, con
posed of Chinese of the border-a race pa
ticularly dangerous.
The headquarters of the "Black Flags"
at Lao Kai, the farthest Anamese towr
which is separated from the Chinese prov
ince of Yunnan only by the river Nam S
Despite all his efforts Captain Kegarade
could not visit that mysterious. place, fror
which he was kept by the suspicious LuT
Vinh-Phuoc
This chief of the pirates inhabIts an I'M
mense citadel of square form, with n towe
at each corner Heseldom goes out, and
guarded by 200 picked soldiers. The balanc
of his force inhabit the exterior town, CON
posed of bamboo-built houses.
n-Viph-Phuoc is a man of forty-fv
years OF age short and slender, very su:
picious, and of difficult approach except b
his most Intimate satellites. He seems t
have inspired all with profound terror
which is amply justified by his cruel acts
Captain Kergaradec asserts that he has see
the river carrying along corpses of execute
people, and often of men and women tied tC
gether
The little town of Lao Ka derives it
chief in,re.-.---~S from Its fortunate Situa
ton. Being constructed upon the border
or CHINA and Anam at the meeting of tw,
pavigable rivers, the Red river and the Nan
ST, and at the crossing OF roads leading +,
Yunnan and the Anamese provinces It i,
naturally designed to become the entfenot n
the important trade which will flow by the
way of the Red river between the sea and
Southern China 1t is there and not else
where, that European merchandise will hav,
TO he exchanged for the products of Yunnan
The navigation of the Red river, which wa
possible under certain conditions IN to Lac
hai is becoming more and more difficult OIL
account OF the presence of the "Blacl
Flags"