Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1890-01-25
CHINESE HIGHBiNoERs.
itNtgn Of Terror Established la the MA
taystau Colonies.

iaysian Colonies.
N1ws from Singapore, India, shows
that yeritablc reign Of terror prevails
In tiN at portion of the globe-especially
AMONG European residents on account
OF III Il renewed activity of the Chinese
secr1t societies. and there really seems
10 bd danger of a r. newal of the troub-
lous times of several years ago.
throughout the whole Malaysian coun-
try and colonies these societies have
greatly increased In the past few years in
pow, r and numbers, while in China they
almds threaten the imperial govern
men Itself. The laws againt them
have not relaxed their severity, for In
China Il Is a capital offense to belong To
one 4 thc 81 societies, while in adjacent
ountries, whether under native or Eu-
ropedn rule. II ts "A serious penal otfense.
hut. Notwithstanding these strict laws
and severe penalties, Cinnamon 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
numH cred by millions, while in the col
onies h Is proportionately To the entire
popul alton, much larger still.
The men are all outlawed. or would
be II heir connection with the societies
were known. As counterblast TO their
own outlawry, the societies have de-
creed that all Cinnamon who do not join
them are their enemies, and have conse-
quently outlawed all persons not mem
hers, No that between the two evils most
thtnamen prefer To incur the wrath OF
the government To that of the High-
bindets. and unqucstionably the choice
Is Wise one.
In China IL is not an uncommon thing
for soIno Of the societies 70 create con-
sidera bile insurrection. They will sack
who lc city, or throw an entire PROV
ince into anarchy, and such outbreaks
have lately increased in frequency
They are of course, suppressed with
unspafing severity. all the participa-
tors that are caught being
put 70 death, the ring leaders
with torture added. but even this does
not s''cm to deter other revolts. as
scarcely week passes without some
outbreak. and In some provinces socicty
and bi siness have been in panicky
condition for the past two or three
years.
Only the presence OF large bodies OF
British troops and several ships-of-war
has say ed Singapore from being sacked
by one pf the largest OF these socitics.
the t'hfe Hin, and the city of Bangkok
the capital oi Siam, only a few weeks
ago waN the scene of q two days battle
betweeh one ~ the societies and tho
authori ties, in which 700 ef the outlaws
were slain, together with about 200 gov
ernment troops.
The ews Of these doings will be re.
sarded with interest in America, be-
cause probably one-half of all the China
men who have settled here belong 20
some of these societies The notorious
Ghee ii n Is the most numerously repre-
sented. Nearly all Of the San Francis
co Highbinders belong To the Ghee Hin,
body that numbers hundreds of thou
sSndS ~ members in China and the
Malay rountries, and whose history
reeks " lth crime and outrage. Ostensi-
bly, these organizations have religious
or political character. or are formed for
purposes of mutual benefit. Actually
they ait formed for nothing else than
the SAX, Of iawlessness, and their mem
bers arr Extensively and defensively al
lied for criminal pursuits. They are
all oath bound TO secrecy, often in the
most fan tastic or repulsive manner. In
American and European courts in TAX
ing the nhths OF Cinnamon such practices
as cutting of fowls head or burning a
bit oi paper. have sometimes been al
lowed IL lieu of kissing the Bible.
Some have supposed that these were
the regular forms of judicial oaths en-
ployed ih the Chinese courts OF law.
Such, however, is not the case. They
are mere " some of the milder and less
loathsomf forms of swearing employed
by the sfcret societies. In the White
Lily Society tooth Is drawn from the
members jaw at the moment OF taking
the oath of initiation, and others pre-.
scribe 81 II more abominable physical
mutilations. The fate of memb BIER who
betrays his fellows is terrible in the ex-
treme. IN the tihee Hin he Is starved
to death, his agonies being intensified
by his bting forced 10 drink blood
drawn from his own veins, and eat flesh
cut from his own limbs- National
Tribune.