The Brookhaven leader., 1884-04-10
Chinese Beggars.


One can not walk the length Of q
single street without meeting CHASTITY
procession of blind beggar-wOmcn. each
W 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,
knobby faces and discolored skin.
their bodies are perhaps a mass Of run
ming sores ant their feet and hands,
from which fingers and toes have liter
ally peeled oil, are simply hideous to
behold. Sometimes fore On l.des who
have ventu ed out in o the streets un-
protected hive found themselves sur
rounded by group of leper women
clamoriny for aims, tbrusting 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 ros.ties and such sickening
dcformlty meet the eye as dur ng an
hours walk along n Chinese street.
The realm of Chintse beggarhood can
furnish ;ch e ,ampl of distorted faces
an crippled limbs aS no hospital doc
tor ut home ever beheld or dreamed Of
| h I'VE seen poor creature rolling over
and over on the paved ,treet witt arms
and legs witheced into mere sticks
Another d ~ there was a victim to ele-
phanti"s 5, with legs literally swol en-
to ell phantine proper ions.
Many of these vagrants are able
bodied m and have adopted a mendi-
cant lie 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 oi
these vagabonds will make small for
tunes by petty thefts, and by Jogging
alone they will make POO or 500 cash
per day, which is at least double the
wages of coolie or day laborer. 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 n ragged
gown thickly waddcd with cotton, that
peeped from hundred holes in his rXt-
ten garments. His ia &c and limbs were
black with the accumulated filth of a
lifetime His thick, black hair hung in
shoulders and his eyes glared with
fiendish ferocity. My flesh began to
creep as he approached and | 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
ihina. He approached NE with a de
termined, nonchalant air, that indicated
trouble, and took up his position in the
middle of the path his huge body block
ing 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 were
reeking with Elth and full of vermin.
offered the usual two cash. which
he Indignantly refused and comm need
to lay hands on my collar, declaring he
would strangle me if refused his de-
mand "a threat which he seemed physic-
ally capable of carrying out on the SCOT.
| shook off his squalid arms and he drew
back to make another more desperate
onslaught. l got ready for him and
received him betw zen the ewes. The
blOW lCCl lhOO tllC DNuuN
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 he was born, at pace that
gave me no chance of escape. With no
firearms or weapon of defense, what
was | to do? A fist might have been
pummeled to jelly, bit no impression
won be made on the hide of such a
monster. Happy thought. My pipe
case was in my pocket. l 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 ba k upon me. Never d d a
pipe-caSe work 81 ch magical effects be-
fore. He paused not to utter one word
of adieu. He simply tied.-Cor. San
Francisco ChrGniclc.
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