Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-04-03
Chinese Beggars.


One can not walk. the length of q
single street without meeting . chastity
procession of blind beggar-women. each
W tn a hand placed on the shoulder of
the preceding one, ca b with an emaci-
ing along in quest of aims. They have
lepers come hobbling along with pulled,
their bodies are perhaps mass of rum
ming sores ant their feet and hands,
from which fingers and toes have liter
ally peeled OF, are simply hideous to
behold. Sometimes foreign ladies who
have yentu ed out in the streets I'M
protected have found themselves sur
rounded by a group of leper women
clamoring for aims, thrusting bambos
basket in the strangers face, or paving
at their clothes until relieved or driven
off by the street watchmen. Perhaps
there is no place in the world where so
many mons rost:es and such sickening
deformlty meet the eve as dur. ng an
hours walk along Chinese street.
The realm of Chinese beggarhood can
furnish sIch examples of distorted faces
and crippled limbs as no hospital doc
tor at home ever beheld or dreamed of.
have seen a poor creature rolling over
and over on the paved street with arms
and legs withered into mere sticks.
Another day there was a victim to ele-
phantias.s, with legs literally swollen
to elephantine proportions.
Many of these Migrants are able
bodied men and have adopted a mendi-
cant life either because they can find no
work or else because they are too lazy
and find begging a more remunerative
occupation than honest toll. Some of
these vagabonds will make small for
tunes by petty thefts, and by logging
alone they will make 200 or 800 cash
per day, which is at least double the
wages of coolie or day laborer. While
travelling on foot one day in a lonely
part of the Kwang Tung province l saw
before me on the roadside a big, bulky.
baleful beggar, dressed in q ragged
gown thickly wadded with cotton. that
peeped from a hundred holes in his rot
ten garments. His face and limbs were
black with the accumulated filth of a
lifetime His thick, black hair hung in
tangled masses like mop over his
shoulders and his eyes glared with
tiendish ferocity. My flesh began to
creep as he approached and l instinct
lively sought means to avoid him. The
only way of escape lay across paddy
field, knee deep in mud. Therefore
kept straight on my course, which lay
along one of the usual narrow, granite
paved highways, SO common in South
China. He approached me with a de-
termined, nonchalant air, that indicated
trouble, and took up his position in the
middle of the path, his huge body block
a. IL -.
paw and demanded one dollar before |
passed. The loathsome brute was COW
cred with disease and his clothes were
reeking with filth and full of vermin.
l offered the usual two cash, which
he Indignantly refused and commenced
to lay hands on my collar, decl Aring he
would strangle me if l refused his de-
mand-a threat which he seemed physic-
ally capable of carrying out on the spot.
l shook off his squa1id arms and he drew
back to make another more desperate
onslaught. I got ready for him and
received him between the eyes. The
blow made him reel into the paddy
field, and stung with pain he set up a
terrific believing. Fearing that his
cries would call forth whole detach-
ment of his ragged brethren to the res
cue, took to fight. Looking back, l
saw to my conste nation that the wretch
had recovered himself, had cast away
his rags and was pursuing me almost
as naked as he was born, at pace that
gave me no chance of escape. With no
firearms or weapon of defense, what
was I to do? A fist might have been
pummeled to jelly, but no impression
would be made on the hide of such
monster. Happy thought. My pipe
case was in my pocket. drew it forth
and pointed it at his face. 1t appeared
a revolver to him. Thoughts of powder,
bullet and sudden death flashed across
his brain. He, perhaps. remembered
that his mother had told him to come
home early. In an instant he turned
his naked back upon me. Never d
pipe-case work such magical effects be-
fore. He paused not to utter one word
of adieu. He simply tied.-Cor. San
francisco Chronicle.