The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-07-08
HIVE 4 KING IN PEKING
BEGGARS ORGANIZE A TRUST
WHICH is A MENACE TO THE
ENTIRE CITY
IS FEARED BY THE CITIZENS
May Play an Important Pnrt In the
War That Is Now Threat
ened with the
Chinese.

Pehlng Is city of beggars par excel
lenee. There are at the lowest comp1ta.
ten 100000 beggars in the capital of the
CnInese empire. The streets of the Vel
low City literally swarm with them. and
! owing to remarkably clever organiza-
ton these heggars are a state within q
state. Even the court has been obliged
| at various times to reckon With this pc
| culiar social factor, and formal trea les
are in existence between the King OF
the Beggars'' and the palace Of the en-
peror. While Paris boasts a Syndicate
Of People in Necessitous Circumstances"
the Picking organization is less eulhoni-
ously named, but much more powerful.
KING OF THE BEGGARS.
The bvsgars OF TIE Celestial city belong
almost without exception to one BEG
CARS guild" under the command Of a
king. whose orders are obeyed without
fail, and who las power of life and
death over the disobedlent Picking police
leave the Affairs of the Beggars' guild
severely alcne, says the Cincinnati En-
Quirer. The king need fear no inter-
fererce with the exercise OF his functions
by police authorities. He IS but seldom
seen b. his subjects. and he stands In
close contact with the officials OF the
empire. With these he does not Zeal peg
soually, but through a lord protector OF
the Euild-at present one Of the seven
princes of the Iron Crown-dcScendan
Of some Manchu chiefs which had been
Instrumental in assisting the present dy
nasty to the Chinese throne.
The headquarters Of the Picking Beg
CARS guild is to be found IN the Chinese
town, near the gate wnich only the soa
of heaven-tne emperor-can pass. The
whole city is divided Into u number OF
districts, which can be only exploited by
a certain grotT' Of beGsars. one OF the
greatest breaches OF beggars' etipfettc is
to venture into q strange district-and Sc
we're punishment awaits the offender.
"ANTI-TRUsT"r MENDICANTS.
Usually such a breach Is committed by
the so-called false brethren"--that Is,
beggars outside of the combine. 'anti-
trust mendicants. For many centuries
the Beggars' guild has observed commu-
nistie principles. Every beggar turns in
his receipts into a common treasury, and
the whole is then equally divided. Ine
temptation to enrich ones self at the eS-
pense of the communlstic principles, how
ever Is great, and, in spite of the remark
able honor which IS said to exist among
thieves the beggars Of Picking are a vert-
table plague upon the rest Of the inhab-
itants. They terroTze the population IN
a manner which leaves nothing for the
unhappy victim but submission. The po-
lice are entirely unsympathetic. and
themselves make contributions to the
guild Every house is assessed, and every
householder has to pay a certain tax to
the guild, according TO his income. Woe
unto him If he refuses. The next day ne
will find a horde of beggars booking the
street and demanding money with threats
Finally he has to give in. or his house
will be burned before dawn. More than
the loss of his house. the Chinese house
holder fears the threat of the beggar to
commit suicide near his door. There Is
nothing more dreadful for Chinaman
than that anybody commit suicide
though him. For, according to the mar
veleus laws Of the Chinese empire, he
who drives another person to suicide must
die and will also lose all happiness after.
Storekeepers make a special treaty with
the King of Beggars, and. instead of pay
ing a particular tax to d special beggar,
they pay yearly sum to the king and re-
ceive A sign on yellow paper: "BrethEen
are requested not to modest this house"
The storekeeper may be certain that he
will not be moested, for a complaint
would secure the speedy execution of the