The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-09-10
THE vAGABoNDs OF CHINA.
Thieves md Dcggars Ruled by Thei
Own Kings

A returned traveller. who has spent many
months in China. relates some peculiar
things concerning the people Of the crlez-
tial Empire
Beggars. thieves, and iepers in China
have certain place in the public Affairs
of the Empire. They are controlled By no
laws except those made by the king of
each clan" and as Migrants they are al
lowed to roam where they VIII. Like
other classes Of people in China. they are
formed into guilds. the most powerful hav-
ing headquarters at Nankin In Pekin
and Tientsin also fraternities OF these de-
generates are great nuisance to foreign
ers
The beggars in Pekin and other largo
Chinese cities are divided into two or mo-s
districts. each Of which is presided over
by an official head called the king of beg
gars." The so-ealled king" receives a
large percentage Of all the charitable gifts
made to his subjects and also demands
enormous sums from the shoppers and
from merchants who wish to keep beggars
out of their shops. In this way the king
becomes wealthy. He usually lives in tina
best of Chinese dwellings and commands
the respect of his fellow men
There are many frightful sights among
Chinese beggars, as they often MAIN and
dishgure themselves in order to excite
the sympathy of passersby. In this re-
spect they resemble the Italian mendi-
cants, who are noted for manning ard
Gripping themselves to become better
beggars. Many OF the Chinese beggars
are blind. having themselves destroyed
their sight. A man will put a live co.k-
roach in his eye and then bind 1t up
securely. The insect will eat out the
eye entirely and the man will then go
out to beg. Frequently these horrible
looking men go round in droves; in fact,
on certain days OF each year they may
be seen in gangs of 100 or $50. When
they go around in large numbers 1t is
their purpose to demand aims from the
shoppers and merchants, and upon tn So
occasions the king" receives much
tribute, for the shop owners VIII gladly
pay to him the required sum II he will
only forbid any OF his subjects to enter
their stores. Should a drove of tn So
beggars go into store there would be
little stock left when they vacated it,
They are always persistent and seldom
cease to annoy you until some contribu-
tion has been made. A State Depart
ment official relates how a Chinese bey-
gar girl followed him for nearly half
mile and merely touched the end of his
coat, not once speaking to him. He said
the touch was so soft and gentle that it
was bearly noticeable but it was re-
peated until he was compelled to give
her coin.
Thieves in the large Chinese cities are
also divided into-districts and controlled
by a so-called king of the thieves" The
king" knows everything that goes on in
his district He knows just where the
stolen articles are and by whom they were
III ~.
a district without the king knowing OF
it and having him brought Immediately
under control. The king Of the thieves
gets a large percentage of all property
stolen by his subjects. Cinnamon are skill
full pickpockets and do not hesitate to rob
anyone who passes by. When a foreigner
is robbed the property or money is gen.
orally returned He must first make COM
plant to the local magistrate that the
property has been stolen The magistrate
will then send for the king of the thieves
and demand that the stolen articles be re-
turned. Il don't know anything about it,
is the usual reply. The magistrate then
has the king soundly thrashed and he
brings back the stolen goods. or course,
he has to be rewarded for the recovery.
and the owner Hs;ist pay to him a nominal
sum of money. In case a native is robbed
it is almost impossible to recover stolen
property for neither the magistrate nor
the king viii listen to the complaint.
Every Chinese city has leper house
outside its gates, and most of them have
two or more. As in the cases OF the beg
gars and thieves. there is an executive
head, called the king of the lepers.' who
controls all lepers and makes rules and
eompaets, which must be observed These
unfortunates are numerous throughout the
Empire. When in the first stage of the
disease they are brought to the leper
houses. Good care is taken OF them as
long as their relatives can meet the de-
mand of the king" But, no matter how
wealthy their families may be, the king
eventually drains them of every cent, and
both the leper and his relatives often have
to turn beggars. The poorer lepe-s are
assigned to miserable, unclean huts. Pro-
viding poor shelter against bad weather.
These classes of people have been a
great drawback to China for many years.
and missionaries have devoted much time
in trying to break up the clans.