The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-04-09
HE FELL AMONG BEGGARs.
An Adventure of the Young Chinese
Emperor Among His Subjects.

An Adventure of the Young Chinese
Emperor Among His Subjects.
? From the NeiC YORK Star.
few weeks ago the young Emperor of
China had a narrow escape from thorough
trouncing, if not worse, at the hands of
party of beggars in his capital. 1t is a
favorite pastime of the young emperor to
wander in ordinary Chinese clothes through
the streets of Picking, to lounge around the
corners, anu to drink HIS tea in the most
crowded restaurants, in order that he may
learn what his subjects may think of him
and his government. He runs no risk of
having his identity discovered while he is
| thus doing the town, for in Peking the art
of photography is not practiced, and con-
| sequently the people at large have no idea
of che personal appearance of their sover-
eign.
The emperor had gone but short dis
tance from his palace on one of these trips
| OF investigation, late in the afternoon of
last Dec. %, when he saw Chinese begRar
picking the pocket of a respectable mer
chant. The emperor promptly caught the
beggar by the back of his blouse, cuffed his
ears and forced him to return to the mer-
chant the stuff stolen from his pocket. Now,
this performance of the emperor was mucn
more remarkable in Peking than iu
| WOuku udN0 Dtou Ill any Obu6E DlR
city of the world, for in Peking
| beggars and pickpockets are protected by a
| kind of unwrltten law. Beggary Is recog-
nized as a perfectly legitimate employment,
| end the beggars constitute guild which
| has for its prime object the mutual protec-
ton OF all members Of the craft. Any one
who interferes with beggar in the prose-
| cution Of his employment exposes himself
to the vengeance of the guild This VEN
ma raa craparollN faEas fha 0f, nd W
form of the hogging of the interloper at the
hands of as many beggars as the beggar
who has been interfered with can immedi-
ately summon 60 his assistance.
OF course the young Emperor knew moth
ing about this abuse, which obtained many
decades ago in his big capital. After cuff
ing the beggar's ears he went his way quite
unapprehensive, and brought up in res
taurant but few RODS from the scene of the
row. He had hardly taken the first sip of
his cup of tea when every one in the restaur-
ant was startled by a wild hulabaloo. The
landlord went to the door. He found fifty
beggars before his house, under the leader
ship of the fellow whose ears the emperor
had boxed Thew ordered the landlord to
hand over Immediately to them the young
man who had offended against all the I'M
written laws ana precedents OF the Peking
guild Of beggars. The landlord recognized
their demand as perfectly legitimate, and
hurried to Quell the disturbance by deliver
in up the offender. The young emperor,
however, objected very strenuously to being
delivered up. and while making his remon-
strauces spoke such supreme Chinese that
the landlord preceived he had to do with
the son of some big wig. As II special favor,
therefore, he offered to parley with the
band Of beggars till their intended victim
could summon some of his friends to his
assistance
The emperor gladly accepted the sugges-
ton. He dispatched messenger at once
TO the governor of the palace, Commanding
him to hurry to the spot with two com
panies of soldiers. The governor and the
soldiers came, rescued the emperor, and
lugged the fifty beggars off to Jail. The
landlord got $3.50 for his consideration. The
leader of the beggars and three of his com
rades who helped 10 demand the emperor
from the landlord were executed the next
day. The rest of the rioters were impris-
oned for terms between five and ten years
each. The emperor has given orders to the
Peling officials that the authorized system
of begging must go.