Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-01-15
CHINESE HlGHBINDERS.
A Reign of Terror Established in the Ma.
 laysian Colonies.

Reign Of Terror Established In the M0.
 laysian Colonies.
 News from Singapore, India, shows that veritable reign of terror p,evails in that portion of the globe-espIcially among European rcsidents-on account of the renewed activity Of the Chinese secret societies, and there really seems to be danger of renewal of the troub- lous times of several years ago. Throughout tho whole Malaysian coun- try and colonies these societies have greatly increased in the past few years in power and numbers, while in China they almost threaten the imperial govern ment itself. The laws againt them have not relaxed their severity, for in China it is capital offense to belong to one of these societies, while in adjacent countries, whether under native or Flu ropean rule, it is a serious penal offense. But, notwithstanding these strict laws and severe penalties, Chinamen join these societies as naturally as they eat rice with chop-sticks, and no law which has yet been enacted can prevent them, as the membership in China alone is numbered by millions, while in the col onies it is proportionately to the entire population, much larger still.
 These men are all outlawed or would be if their connection with the societies | were known. As counte-blast to their own outlawry, the societies have de- creed that all Ghinamen who do not join them are their enemies, aud have eonse- quently outlawed all persons not mem- bers, so that between the two evils most Chinamen prefer to Incur the wrath of the government to that of the High binders, and unquestionably the choice is wise one.
 In China it is not an uncommon thing for some of the societies to create com | siderable insurrection. They will sack a whole city, or throw an entire prov ince into anarchy, and such outbreaks have lately increased in frequency. They are of course, suppressed with unsparing severity, all the participa- tors that are caught being put te death, the ring leaders with torture added, but even this does not seem to deter other revolts, as scarcely week passes without some outbreak, and in some provinces society and business have been in a panicky condition for the past two or three years.
 Only the presence of large bodies of British troops and several ships-of-war has saved Singapore from being sacked by one of the largest of these socities, the Ghee Hin, and the city of Bangkok. the capital oi Siam, only few Weeka ago was the scene of two days battle between one of the societies and the authorities, in which 700 of the outlaws were slain, together with about 200 gov ernment troops.
 The news of these doings will be re- garded with interest in America, be- cause probably one-half of all the China. men who have settled here belong to some of these societies. The notorious Ghee Hin is the most numerously repre- sented. Nearly all of the San Francis co Highbinders belong to the Ghee Hin, a body that numbers hundreds of thou sands of members in China and the Malay countries, and whose history reeks with crime and outrage. Qstepsi- bly, these organizations have 8 religious or political character, or are formed for purposes of mutual benefit. Actually they are formed for nothing else than the sake of lawlessness, and their mem- bers are effensiyely and defensively al- lied for criminal pursuits. They are all oath-bound to secrecy, often in the most fantastic or repulsive manner. In American and European courts, in talk ing the oaths of Chinamen such practices as cutting off fowls head or burning a bit of paper, have sometimes been al- lowed in lieu. of kissing the Bible. Some have supposed that these were the regular forms of judicial oaths em- ployed in the Chinese courts of law. Such, however, is not the case. They are merely some of the milder and less loathsome forms of swearing employed by the seGret societies. In the White Lily Society a tooth is drawn from thf members jaw at the moment of taking the oath of initiation, and others pre-: scribe still more abominable physical mutilations. The fate of a member whc betrays his fellows is terrible in the ex' treme. In the Ghee Hin he is starved D death, his aronies being intensided