The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-04-11
Chinese Begeafs.

One can NOT W8ik tno length Oi u
single street without meeting a CHASTITY
procession of blind beggar-women. each
" tn hand placed on the shoulder of
the preceding one, ca with an enact
ated infant strapped to her back, tramp
ing along in quest of aims. They have
hardly passed by before a group of
lepers come hobbling along with pulled,
knob faces and discolored skin.
their bod Les are perhaps mass of run
ming sores an, their feet and hands.
from which fingers and toes have liter
ally peeled of, are simply hideous To
behold Sometimes fore On d es who
have yentu ed out in the streets I'M
protected hive found henselves sur
rounded by group of leper women
clamoring for aims. Ibrustiag bambos
basket in the strangers face. or paving
vt their clothe; until relieved or driven
off by the street watchmen. Perhaps
there is no place in the world where so
many mons rosities and such sickening
deformIty meet the eve as dur ng an
hours walk along a Chinese street.
The realm of Chin' Sc beggarhood can
furnish ich eyampl of distorted faces
an cri piled limbs a. no hospital doc
:or at home ever beheld> or dreamed of.
have seen poor creature rolling over
and over on the paved street with arms
and legs withered into mere sticks.
Another d " there was a victim to ele-
phanti g. with legs literally swol. en-
to ell phantine proper ions.
Many of these Migrants are able
bodied m n and have adopted a mendi-
cant lie either because they can find no
work or else because they are too lazy
and find begging 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 2Uo or 800 cash
per day, which is at least double the
wages of coolie or day laOorer. While
travelling on foot one day in lonely
part of the kwang Tung province | saw
before me on the roadside a big, bulky.
baleful beggar, dressed in 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 9TH of n
LIFETIME His thick. black hair hum in
tangled masses like mop over his
shoulders and his ewes glared with
fiendish ferocity. Nv flesh began to
creep as he approached and l instinct
lively sought means to avoid him. The
only way of escape lay across a paddy
field. knee deep in mud. therefore
kept straight on my course, which lay
along one of the usual narrow, granite
paved high ways, so common in south
china. He approached me with n de-
termined, nonchalant air, that indicated
trouble, and took up his position in the
middle of the path. his huge body block
I'M up the way. He held out his grimy
paw and demanded one dollar before 1
passed. The loathsome brute was COW
cred with disease and his clothes We're
reek No with 18th and full of vermin.
| offered the usual two cash. which
he Indignantly refused and comm need
to Law hands on nv collar. dccl ring he
would strange me if | refused his de-
mand- threat which he seemed phySic-
ally capable OF ear wing out on hes OF.
| shook off his squalId arms and he drew
ba k to make another more desperate
onslaught. L got ready for him and
received him between the eyes. The
blow made him reel into the paddy
HtIu- anu sJuug Win pun ne set up
terrific believing Fearing that his
cries would call forth whole detach-
ment of his ragged brethren to the res
cue, | took TO fl ght. Looking back. 1
saw tn my conste nation that the wretch
had recovered himself. had cast away
his rags and was pursuing me almost
As naked a he was born, at pace that
gave m. no chance of ESCAPE. With no
firearms or weapon of defense, what
was | to do9 A fist might have been
pummeled to a jelly. but no impression
won d be made on tn hide of such
monster. Happy thought My pipe
case WAS in my pocket. L drew it forth
and pointed it at his face. 1t appeared
4 revolver to him. Thoughts of powder.
bullet and sudden death flashed across
his brain. He, perhaps. remembered
that his mother had tod him to cone
home early. La an instant he turned
his naked ba X upon me. Never d d 4
pipe-case work sea magical effects be-
fore. He paused not to utter one word
of adieu. He simply ried.-COr. San
Francisco ChrGn'Cie.