The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-10-16
CHINESE HIGHBINDERS.
A REIGN OF TERROR IN THE MA
LAYAN COLONIES.

NJ terror prevails in this quarter of the
world, especially among European residents,
IN account Of the renewed activity of the
Chinese secret societies. There Fea ly seems
N he danger of a renewal of the troublous
times Of a generation ago. Here and at
Penang, at Sarawak, d, indeed, through
ont all the Malayan countries aud colonies,
these uoxious societies nave, in the last few
years, greatly increased inp power a ID num-
hers. wilhelm China they almost threaten the
imperial government itself. The laws against
tbsm have not relaxed their severity one
whit In China it is a capital offense to
belong TO one of these societies. In all of the
adjacent countries, whether under native
or European rule, it is a serious penal Of
tense But Chinaman joins t ese societies
rs naturally as he takes to eating rice wi b
chopsticks, and is deferred therefrom by no
laws that can be enacted. The membership
of these societies in China itself is reckoned
nv many millions In the colonies it is
nroportionately to the entire popula-
hon. Arger still. Here in Singapore
there are known to be more than
n 600 Cinnamon enrolled in them,
and in Penang there are more than 100, 900.
These men are all outlawed, or would be If
their connection with the societies could be-
legally proven. As q counterblast to their
own oullawry, the societies have decreed
the outlawry of all Cinnamon who refuse
10 ioin them. Between the two, the aver
age Celestial prefers to incur the wrath of
the civil government rather than that of
the "Highbinders"; and PROFESSIONALLY his
choice is prudent one.
In Cuina it is not an uncommon thing
for such society as the Ghee Hin, the
Triad, or the Golden Rose, to create con-
siderable insurrection. l. will sack whole
CITY or throw an entire province into an
archy. Such outbreaks have lately
increased in frequency. They are sup
pressed, of course, with unspariDg severity,
all Of tie participators who are taken being
put to death, the ringleaders with torture
added. But such an end of one revolt does
not seem in the least to deter others
Scarcely a week passes without some
more or less serious outbreak and in
many provinces society and business have
been in a panicky condition for year or
two past. In the various colonies aud pro-
tected states the societies are equally
troublesome to public order. Only the
presence of nsid -rable body of British
troops and number of ships of-war has
saved Singapore itself from being sacked
by the Ghee Hin. In the city of Bangkox,
the capital Of Siam, a few weeks ago,
pitched battle of two days duration was
fought with the members of this society,
and no less than 700 of hem we're slain, to-
gether with nearly 200 of the government
troops.
Another most serious revolt has Just been
suppressed i'll Sarawak. The "Highbind-
ers" in that colony have never forgotten
nor forgiven the manner in which their co IL
peers were subdued, or, rather. extermi.
mated, by Rajah Brooke, more than thirty
years ago, That episode was. comparable
to the Sepoy mutiny in character,
If not in magnitude. The High
BINDERS" in great force, came suddenly
one night upon the own with the avowed
purpose of destroying every European
on that part of the island. The town was
burned to the last building and the inhab-
itants slaughtered. The forts were seized
and Rajah Brooke himself narrowly es-
capped with his life. The next day he wrote
"Y esterday | was sovereign; to-day | am
a homeless beggar." He displayed, how
ever, the same indomitable spirit as that of
Jan" La Nrence I'd Havelock in India.
II have a duty to perform" he wrote
from which / may not shrink l have
long known with an aching, but steadfast
heart, that this duty enoails trials aud
struggles to the end What, then, is the
yelling of these Chinese for my lifeW The
Dyaks and Malays stood by him bravely
however. 81 have lost all, all, but the
hearts of my people," he wrote. So he
rallied the Dyaks, the most furious fighters
OF the Malayan world, and turned them
loose upon the rebels In a short time not
one Chinaman remained alive in Sarawak
1t was a terrible retribution, but it was
necessary, and it was amply justified by the
years of pc ce that followed.
Of late, however, IN ny Cinnamon have
settled there, and they nearly all belonged
m the lin
they have cherished the purpose of aveng-
ing the destruction of their fellows in 1857
by massacre of the present rajah and all
the Europeans In the colony. A month ago
thelr conspiracy came to head. It might
nave been successful but for the fact that
they first tried to enlarge their force by
compelling some other Cinnamon in Sara
wax to join them. The latter appealed to
the present Rajah Brooke for protection.
he soon became acquainted with lall the
details OF the plot, and his wrath fell
quickly and heavily upon the conspirators.
All the leaders were captured and + ken
before court, of which the rajah himself
was presiding officer, and from the sentences
OF Wnlch there was no appeal. Six of them
were condemned to death, and were imme-
dlately shot, and their bodies thrown into
tne river. A dozen others were logged
branded and imprisoned. All the rest we're
exlled, under pain of fogging and imprison-
ment.
The news Of these doings will be regarded
with interest in America, because
prooaoly one-half of all the Cinnamon who
nave settled there belong to some of these
oocletles. The notorious Ghee Hin is the
most numerously represented. Nearly all
oI Ine Sa Francisco "1ighbinders" belong
70 the Ghee Hin. body that numbers
hundreds OF thousands of members in China
an1 the Malay count les. and whose history
teehs WITH crime and outrage. Ostsnsibly
shese organizations have a religious or DO
I.lcal Character, or are formed for purposes
1l mutual benefit. Actually they are
iorned for nothing else than the sake of
!!a"leSsness, and their members are offens-
Nely and defensively allied for
criminal pursuits. They are all
S9atn-oound to secresy, often in the most
Iantastlc or repulsive manner. In
american and European countries, in
taking the oaths of Cinnamon,
suGh practices as cutting off fowls head,
VI burning bit of paper, have sometimes
Seeu allowed in lieu of kissing the Bible.
some have su posed that these were the
tteguiar forms of judicial oaths employed in
tlie Culnese courts of law. Such, however
- not the case. They are merely some of
Vue mllder and less athsome forms of
swearing employed by the secret societies.
IL "a the White Lily Society tooth is drawn
t rom the members jaw at the moment of
taxing the OATH of initiation a d others
prescribe still more abominable physical
mQtllatiOnS Tho fate Of q x.rEo 10