Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1900-09-19
CHlNA,S ODD WARRANTS
Interesting Facts About the EN-.
pire's Beggars and Thieves.
GREAT NUISANCE TO FOREIGNERS

How They Are Controlled by "ktngs
81 C1ans." Who Thrive on Their
Of Blfndinx Them.elves-TAe Lep-
ere Of China
Beggars, thieves and iepers in China
have certain place in the public af-
fairs of the empire which IL now the
seat OF international interest They are
controlled by no laws except those
made by the king OF each clan." and
as Migrants they are allowed TO roam
where they will Like other classes Of
people in China. they are formed into
guilds. the most powerful having head
quarters at Nankin. In Picking and
Tien-tsin also fraternities of these de
generates are great nuisance to for
eigners-
The beggars In Picking and other
large Chinese cities are divided into
two or more districts. each Of which is
presided over by an official head called
the king of beggars." The SO called
king" receives large percentage OF
all the charitable gifts made to his sub
jects 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 the 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 disfigure themselves In order
to excite the sympathy Of passersby.
In this respect they resemble the Ital-
ian beggars. who are noted for MAIN
Ing and Gripping themselves TO become
better beggars. Many of the Chinese
beggars are blind. having themselves
destroyed their sight. A man will put
a live cockroach 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 around 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, it is their purpose to
demand aims from the shoppers and
merchants, and upon these occasions
the king receives much tribute, for
the shop owners will gladly pay to him
the required sum If he will only forbid
any of his subjects to enter their
stores. Should drove of these beggars
go into a store there would be little
stock left when they vacated 1t.
They are always persistent and sell
dom cease to annoy you until some con-.
tribution has been made. A state de-
partment official at Washington re-
Gently told a New York Tribune report
er how a Chinese beggar girl followed
him for nearly half a mile and merely
touched the end of his coat, not once
speaking to him. He said the touch
was so soft and gentle that 1t was bare
ly noticeable. but it was repeated until
he was compelled to give her a coin.
Thieves in the large Chinese cities
are also divided into districts and con-
trolled by a SO called king of the
thieves" The king knows every
thing that goes on in his district. He
knows just where the stolen articles
are and by whom they were stolen. A
new thief could not come into district
without the king" knowing OF II and
having him brought Immediately under
control. The king of the thieves" gets
n large percentage of all property stol-
skillful pickpockets and do not hesitate
to rob any one who passes by. When
a foreigner is robbed the money or
property is generally returned. He
must first make complaint to the local
that the property has been
stolen. The magistrate Will then send |
for the king of the thieves and de- |
mand that the stolen articles be re-
turned. Il don't know anything about |
It," is the usual reply. The magistrate |
then has the king" soundIy thrashed, |
and he brings back the stolen goods. |
OF course he has to be rewarded for |
the recovery, and the owner must pay |
to him nominal sum Of money. In
case native is robbed 1t Is almost i'm
possible to recover stolen property. for |
neither the magistrate nor the king"
will listen to the complaint
Every Chinese city has a leper house
outside its gates. and most Of them |
have two or more. AS In the cases Of |
The beggars and thieves. there is an ex-
acutive head called the king of the
epers." who controls all lepers and
makes rules and compacts. which must
De observed. These unfortunates are
numerous throughout the empire
When In the first stage of the disease,
hey are brought TO the ieper houses.
food care is taken Of them as long as
heir relatives can meet the demand Of
he king" But no matter how wealthy
heir families may be the king" even
ually drains them of every cent, and
10Th the leper and his relatives often
ave to turn beggars- The poorer lepers
re assigned to miserable. unclean huts
providing poor shelter against bad
Weather.
These classes Of people have been a
reat drawback to China for many
ears. and missionaries have devoted
much time In trying to break up the
ians.