Morning journal and courier., 1886-09-06

Mongolians invaded China and established the present Ming dynasty, which is nearly four hundred years old. The society was composed of the old Chinese nobIes and their followers, who were opposed to the new emperor. Their numbers were naturally small at first, but the years added to their strength. Each member educated his chill dren to belief in the doctrines of the or
 der, until now their numbers include nearly
 one-thlrd of the entire population of the en-
 plre. There are also about thirty thousand
 in the United States. The influence of the society is naturally very great, and it's mem
 bers have much to do with the formation of Chinese affairs of state.
 'From it's inception four centuries ago the society has instigated innumerable rebellions,
 and all the members naturally imbibed a strong martial spirit. As consequence the order has developed many famous soldiers, and among them the great General Loy Yee
 who at the age of eighty years was the com mander-in-chief of all the forces of the en- pire. His appointment to this position was of course measure adopted by the emperor to conciliate the society to which he be- longed. Many of China's foreign ministers also owe their positions to this policy Be- ing statesmen of great ability, they naturally become power to be feared by the govern ment, and are accordingly appointed as am- bassadors to some foreign court in order to get them out of the way. Chin Lin Pan the first minister to the United States, was one of these, and if the truth were known I would not be surprised if every minister since was a Chinese Mason, or member of the Chee Kung Tong, as the society is called
 "You will gain some idea of the strength of this organization when I inform you that the great Tai Ping rebellion of '57 was brought about by it's leaders and fought by it's soldiers. The famous armies known as the Black Flags and Yellow Flags, which performed such bloody work in Tonquin during the recent war with France were also composed entirely of the members of the Chee Kung Tong and led by it's officers. The headquarters of the order are in the district of Quong Ton, or Canton, as it is known to us. It is from there the edicts are sent which so vitally affect the policy of the Chi nese government, and which in time may overturn the throne and establish new dy- nasty. The queue worn to-day by the Chi nese people is symbol of their bondage to the Mongolian Emperor, and is constant reminder to them of tbeir subjection.
 "The rites of the society," Yes, I know something of them, though there are so many and in such infinite variety that my knowledge of them is necessarily limited. There are thirty-three oaths to be taken, and regular cast-iron ones too, before an appli- cant can become fully constituted member of the society. He can, however, withdraw before taking the last oath, provided he promises eternal secrecy about what he had previously seen and heard of the ritual. If this agreement should be violated, or mem- Der of the order should in any way disgrace himself in the eyes of his brothers, punish ment swift and terrible is meted out to him. In China it is death, but in this country that is impossible, though they go through all the formulee of an execution without the final continuation. The accused is always allowed a trial, but is seldom acquitted. The wise T,,ar md ofrior he of tbn Il together upon that occasion in some one of their Joss houses, and there the accused and accusers are brought before them. The lat ter step forward first, and prostrating them selves upon the floor at the feet of the oldest of the wise men, they present their charges
 The accused then prostrates himself and places the foot of the wise men upon his neck as sign of submission. After this he tells his version of the story, still fiat upon his stomach on the floor. When this is over the head man announces his decision in a long and impressive speech, which is inter rupted at the end of every sentence by the others prostrating themselves and uttering words of assent. The judge next claps his hands and in comes the executioner with long sword and wooden bowl, the latter being for the purpose of catching the blood that is not spilled. Going up to the con- demned man, who is still lying face down ward upon the floor, the executioner raises him to h1s knees and DareS h1S neck for the fatal blow. Three times the sword is raised and brought down with terrific force until within half an inch of the kneeling mans neck, where it stops. This concludes the ceremony, but the victims punishment is not yet over, if he happens to be so fortu- nate to live in this country. Great pla- cards announcing his disgrace are posted on all the dead walls throughout the Chinese quarter, and as soon as the news becomes known the guilty man is completely ostra- cised by his old associates, and in fact by all the society,""