Cochise review., 1900-10-23
CHINESE POLICEMEN.
Queer Officials of the Celestial
 Cities and Their Duties.
Between l6,OOO and 10000 of Tn sna Required to Preserve order With in the Walls of the ImDsriaI
 City of PekinR.

In costume Chinese policeman is something between a circus clown and football player. His brooches are
 always baggy and very we'll wadded--
 so clumsy you wonder how he gets
 around in them-particularly when, as
 is often the case, he wears a coat also
 thick and clumsy coming well below
 the knees. Dark blue is the prevailing color, set off and accented with bands and facings of lighter blue, red, green,
 maroon and brown, but never yellow.
 That is the sacred or royal hue, per
 mitted to nobody below the rank of viceroy, says foreign paper.
 In the treaty ports-that is to say,
 those open to foreign influences and commerce--the police force is largely made up of Sikhs from northern In dia. The reason, perhaps, is that the Chinese themse-yes are so essentially
 unwarlike; they have proverb to the effect that mo good man is ever d sol dier." As men in the pay of the Chi nese government, whether natives or LASls lAS hu'N tuhCiI dl aCllNC par in the present troubles in China.
 The police rank officially as gen darmerie. In Peking the head of them is always a Manchu Policemen must
 be p!entier than blackberries in the Chinese capital The sacred or i'm perial walled city keeps between l5.- 900 and 20,C00 of them This walled city is two miles square, with two great gates in each wall face, half a mile from the corners and mile from each other. Broad streets stretch straight from one to another, thus cutting the space inside into big nine-block Pc lice stations are scattered al. along the nine squares, especially around their outer edges, which face upon the passway inside the wall The head of the police has charge of all the city gates. They are nine in number since the side next the palace has an extra gate in the exact middle of the two mile wall. Policemen in this, the Tar tar city, belong to what is known as the Eight Banner corps. They do not carry arms, not even so much as the baton of a civilized officer. but keep swords, spears, guns and cut!asses in racks at the stations. and make rush for them when they hear the signal gun. This Is fired by an officer whose special charge it is, either upon orders or if in his own judgment it is ne ces- sary. The penalty for firing it at the wrong time is severe--it may be deg radiation and banishment or simple Strangula tiou,
 Upon parades and reviews the police men are always armed, especially if foreign devils are to witness the re- view or the parade. The weapons are curious locking but wicked in the eN-s treme-the three hooked spears they all carry ill particular make jagged and ghastly wounds Besides the 20,. coo within the wall Peking maintains $ force of IA GOO with which to regulate affairs in the outer city. They are under command of the same general officer and governed by the same regu- lations. though there are variations arising from the differences of situa- tion. Men and officers alike furnish their own uniforms, but are armed by the state, and receive monthly rice allowance in addition to their pay The chief gets a fair salary, but the men and subordinate officers are me- gerly paid, Notwithstanding, they make and save money enough to retire after moderate terms of service. In fuence" in the shape of cold cash stands the prisoners friend in China oven more than anywhere else in the world. In fact. but for the presents" the force is allowed to squeeze out of natives and foreigners alike there might be difficulty in getting men for the service, even though humanity is cheaper than dirt cheap all over the Celestial empire,