Connecticut western news., 1888-02-01
"HIGHBINDERS." ;"
An Outgrowth of Chinese Life in
 San Francisco.

San FranClSCQ.
 Secret Societies for Purposes of
 Murder and Blackmail.
 The Highbinder societies in San Fran cisco number about fifty. They are an outgrowth of the life of the Chinese on this coast, as none of them were organ izcd in China. When the coolies first began to flock here in great numbers, allured ly the offer of high wages to work on the Central Pacific Railroad, the .lawless element among them saw the opportunity for blackmail and general espionage, and began tho organ iza,ion of the societies that have proved the source of most of the Chinese crime committed on this coast. There were already iu existence then what were known as the Chinese Six Companies. These were societies formed for the mutual protection of members, for aid to the sick and destitute, and, most im- portant of all, for the transfer to China of the bones of those who died. The companies represented tho two districts of China which contributed the greatest number of coolies to this country, and no Chinese vcnturcd to come to this country without joining one of these com -panies. The companies did much good in early dsys ia enforcing order, and in pu ,ishing any crimes of its members but of lat, years their power has been so much encroached upon by the high binders that little remains.
 Nearly twenty years ago the first high. binder society was founded. It was known as the Chee Kung Tong, and it was regularly incorporated. This parent society is very wealthy. It owns hand some brick building on spofford alley, in the heart o: Chinatown, and here are the headquarters of the officers, the large meeting room, and tho Joss, be- fore which all new members are initi- ated and all oaths taken. One enters the door, which bears plainly in English and Chinese the name of the society, and as- cending flight of stairs reaches the main audience room, where state coun- els of the society are held. This is a handsome apartment fitted up in the celestial style, with heavy old oak ranged around the wall; large table stands in the centre directly under a costly lamp, while Chinese paintings and mottoos from Confucius and other moralists cover the walls, for your high binder is nothing if not moral. Near the head of the stairs is an enormous boxwood tablet, let into the wall, on which are engraved the names of the 1, 200 charter members of the fraternity, with the sum of money that each con- tributed to found the institution.
 At whatever hour of day or night one may enter this room, he will find in the small rear office some one to inquire i about his business, and to answer any questions. It seems that the Chee Kung Tong boasts of over 450O members in this city alone, while throughout the United States, South America and Cuba the roll amounts to 15, 900. In all it has 390 branches scattered over this great territory, but each reports to the parent society. Every six months four '''headmen" are chosen by election to conduct affairs, and under them are ! thirty three "hatchet men," or active police, who arc under oath to obey im- plicitly any order of the headmen. The Chee Kung Tong for many years was the most influential of tho highbinder so- l cietics, but many of its most active ] members have started other associations and now the palm of supremacy in local power is disputed by the Ga Sin Sea and the Bo Sin Sea.
 Whatever may have been the prin- | ciplcs upon which Gnu Ksng Tong was founded, it is now carried on mainly for purposes of blackmail, like all the other highbindcr organizations. Many reputable merchants have been forced to join these societies, to escape the cxactions of highbinders, but the lead ing spirits in each are men who recog- : nizo no allegiance to any government, and who obey no laws but those of their i own making. Over the halls of most of these societies floats no fl ,g but that of their order, while not even the com l , mand of the consul gcncral-the vir- tual representative of the emperor could stay any order that had gone forth.
 The power of these societies, there fore, is very great, and no earthly au- thority can stay their vengeance. What :, this vengeance means may be seen from typical case. We will say that Chi , ncsa through jealousy or other motive, kills another Chinaman. and that he and his relatives refuse to make good the loss to the dead mans kindrcl by a money payment Then the society to which the murdered man belongs issues an order proclaiminy the murderer and putting price on his head. Every Chi nesc in the country is warned against harboring or aiding in any way tho fugitive under pain of the vengeance of the society. The prescribed man can not get any assistance in this country,
 and he is unable to escape, as every ave- l uue is closely watched. Payment of tho