Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1888-02-03
CHINESE HiGhBiNDERS.
FIFTY Societies I'm san Francisco
Murder tonsidered AZ One OF the
Pine Arts.

much excited as ii is at present over
the deadly fned OF two rival highbinder
soc cites The attitude Of the prom
nent highbinders is so threatening that
the Chinese merchants met at a con-
sulate and resolved. il is said. to adopt
the most stringent measures to prevent
any moro bloodshed. The police aided
them by making AFRAID on Chinatown
in order TO capture armed highbindcrs
They succeeded in breaking up large
number of gambling establishments.
The highlander societies in San Fran
cisco number about fifty. They are an
outgrowth of the life of the Chinese
on this coast, "a none OF them were
organ zed in China. When the coolies
FIRST began 10 flock here in great mum
bers. allured by the offer Of h Oh wages
to work on the Central Pacific railroad
the lawlcss element among them saw
the opportunity for blackmail ami
espionage, AMI began tho organization
of the societies that have proved the
source Of most of the Chinese crime
committed on tn coast. There were
already in existence then what were
know rs the Oh neso SIX companies
These were societies formed Tor the
mutual protection Of members, for aid
TO the sick and destitute, and, most
important OF all. for the transfer to
China of the bones of those who died
The compan 81 repres nted the two
districts of China which contributed
The greatest number of coolies TO tn
country. aud no Chinese yentured TO
come TO this country without Joining
one of these companies. The cOmpan-
les did much COOL in early days in en-
forcing order and in furnishing any
crimes Of Is members, but OF late years
their power has been so much en-
croached upon by the highbnders that
little remains.
Nearly twenty years ago the first
highlander society was founded. 1t
was regularly Incorporated through
the aid of a white lawyer, who declar-
eel in his application that it was Il
society Of Chinese Free Masons. This
parent society is very wealthy. Ii
! owns handsome brick building on
/ Spoflord alley. in the heart of Oh ma
I ",
the officers. the large meeting room. and
/ the JOSS. before which all new members
are initiated and all oaths taken. One
cutters the door. which bears plainly in
/ Engl sh audChnese the name of the
/ society, and ascending the flight of
stairs reaches the main audience room
where the state councils of the society
are held. This is a handsome apart
mcnt fitted up in celestial style, with
/ heavy old oak ranged around the wall
/ n large table stand, in the center di-
rectly under a costly lamp. while Chi
n"se pa rtings aud notices from Con-
fucuS and other moral SIS cover the
walls. for your highb nder is nothing
/ if not moral. Near tho heal OF the
stairs is an enormous boXwOol tablet
set into the wall. on VIII ch are engrav-
/ Ell the names of the 200 charter MEM
bers of the fraternity, with the sum of
money that each contributed to found
The institution.
At whatever hour Of day or night
one NAV enter this room he will find
someone in the small rear office to IN
luire about MS business, or to answer
any questions 1t seems that The Chez
Kung Tong boasts of over $500 mem
bcrs lu this CITY alone, while through
out the United States. South America
aud Cuba the roll amounts to l5, 0O0
la all ii has 800 branches scattered
over this great territory, but each re-
port TO the parent society. Every six
months four ''head men, are chosen by
election TO conduct affairs. and under
hem are thirty-three ''hatchet men, ;"
II active police, who are under oath TO
)bey implicitly any order of the head
men. The Chez Kung Tong for many
years was the most influential of the
highlander societies. bit many of its
most active members have started
other assoc ations. and now the palm
If supremacy in local powers is dispu-
tel bv the Ga Sin Sea and the Bo SIN
Sea, the two societies between which
the present deadly fen RACES
OF these minor societies there are
now about fifty in Chinatown. Besides
tioSe named the most prom nent are
lhe Suey Sing Tong. Suey Ong Tong.
Hop Sing Tong. Ep Sing Tong and On
Y ok Tong. The peculiar feature of
membership is that man may belong
to one of the original six companies.
say the Sam Yup Company. and also
to the Gnu Kung Tong and the Ooh
Sin Sen. In fact. the Chu Kung Tong
APPEARS to have assumed the position
o grand lodge. and every highbinder
in otl er slcict es that was talked with
belonged to the parent fraternity.
Whatever may have been the princi-
Piles on which Chu Kung Tong was
founded, it is now carried on mainly
for purposes of backmail. ! ko all the
other hghb nder organizations. Many
reputable merchants have been forced
to join these societies TO escape the ex-
actions of highbinders. but the leading
spirits in each are men who recognize
no allegiance TO any government and
who obey no laws except those of their
own making Over the halls of most
of these societies floats no flag but that
of their order, while not even the COM
mand of the consul general, the virtual
representative of the emperor. would
have power to stay any order that had
gone forth.
The power OF these societies there
fore is very great and no earthly