The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-21

nlled with soldiers, saddled horses and
naked children of both sexes and all sizes,
ana a number OF men in long, blue sur
touts and hats shaped like inverted wash
bowls, with red pumes of horse hair hang
ing from their crests
These We're the notorious yamen run
ners, who are the terror of all Tien-Tsin
You md them at the residence of every
mandarin, more or less numerous accord
ing to his rank and official power. They
hlackmail those who have business at the
yamen or in the courts; they prosecute the
unfortunate and constitute sort Of fence
between the public and their patrons,
which none can pass without paying tri-
butte. These creatures dare not blackmail
foreigners as they do the natives, but It is
always wen to fee them for any service,
nrst because they expect n gift from every
visitor to their chief, Il is the custom of
the countrN second, because they have it
in their power to grease the official ma
chinery or obstruct 1t and cause trouble,
annoyance and delay. They have a close
organization among themselves, and It is
not only impossible usually to see an Off
cial without their consent, but they have
a way of finding out the nature OF one $
business and calling upon him at his office
or his home TO OFFER their assistance
When foreign visitor at a yamen smiles
upon these runners in friendly way they
day one of their number will call to re-
ceive the reward. II the foreigner eX-
poets to have frequent errands at the va
men he will do well to give a liberal fee
He could not make a better investment
1T IS a popular superstition that the man
darns frown upon this Matchmaking sys-
TEN. bat the most OF them do not Some
require their yamen runners to divide
their plumber and play into their hands.
Every official and mandarin has them
about him. The lower the rank the fewer
the leeches, but no ofiice-holder is so in
significant that he has not at least one
yamen runner to do his dirty work, and
squeeze" people who have business with
him.
When the mandarin goes anywhere
they accompany him as a body guard or
escort of honor, showing people out of his
way, and shouting orders for everybody
to clear the road for their patron. You
can always tell when great man is com
ing by the racket his runners make, and
people are given a chance to step into a
side street or slip into a shop until he
passes by. one and sometimes two Of
them ride ahead on horseback. with ba-
tons of red horsehair which they brand
ish frantically in. the air. Another car
ries pole with a sort of enormous lamp
shade made of red silk and edged with
deep fringe. That is a sign of rank. It
is like the colorS of company or troops
carried in battle, or the flag that floats
from the masthead Of a man-of-war when
an admiral is on board
There is an ugly feeling toward for
eigners in all parts of China, and while
violence is infrequent loafers and igno-
rant coolies feel at liberty to make ugly
remarks to strangers who come where
they are and often annoy them in VAR
Gus ways. One soon becomes accustomed
to hearing the word fan kwei" which
mean fair haired devil, for nearly every
child he meets upon the street will shout
1t after him. Foreign devil" is the ordi
nary expression used in conversation by
the natives to describe a European or an
American. 1t has become so general that
in a measure 1t has lost It's original mean
ing, and may not always be considered
as offensive.
1t is almost impossible for any one in
foreign clothes to visit a Chinese city.
He viii invariably be followed by crowd
of from $50 to 800 people. hustling each
other to get close to him, shouting all
sorts of insolent remarks and annoying
him in every possible manner. Men do
not mind this so much as ladies, but 1t
is not pleasant for any one.