Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1900-11-10
CHINESE POLICEMEN.
Queer O@cials Of the Celestial
Cities and Their Duties.
Between $1,000 and 10000 81 1Asn
ReQuirea to Preserve Order With
IN the walls Of the Imperial
City Of PeklAg.

something between a circus clown and
a football player. His breeches are
always baggy and very well wacded-
30 clumsy you wonder how he gets
around in them-particularly when, as
ia often the case, he wears coat, also
thick and clumsy. coming wei below
the knees. Dark blue is the prevailing
color, set of 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-
yiceroy. 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 themselves are SO essentially
unwarlike; they have proyerb to the
effect that mo good man is ever sol
der" As men in the pay of the Chi
nese government, whether natives or
not, they have taken an active part
in the present troubles in China.
The police rank officially as gem
darmerie. In Peking the head Of them
be plentier than blackberries in the
Chinese capital. The sacred or i'm
perial walled city keeps between 49,
OOo and 10000 of them. This walled
city is two miles square. with two great
gates in each wall face, half 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. Po-
lice stations are scattered all 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 wal. 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 mDch as the
baton of a civilized officer, but keen
swords, spears. guns and eutlasses in
racks at the stations, and make a rush
for them when they hear the signal
gun. This is fred by an officer whose
special charge il is. either upon orders
or if in his OWE judgment il is neces-
sary. The penalty for firing it at the
wrong time is severe-it may be deg
radiation and Punishment or simple
strangulation.
Upon parades and reviews the police
men are always armed. especially il
foreign devils are to witness the re
view or the parade. The weapons ara
curious looking. but wicked in the ex
treme-the three-hooked spears they
all carry in particular make jagged
and CHASTITY wounds. Besides the 20,
600 within the wall Picking maintains
force of 1900 with which to regulat,
affairs in the outer city. They ar,
under coml-Iand of the same genera
officer and governed by the same regu
lations. though there are variation!
arising from the differences of situa
ton. Men and officers alike furnish
their own uniforms. but are armed b,
the state, and receive a monthly rie
allowance in addition to their pay
The chief gets fair salary, but tn
men and subordinate officers are mea
gerly paid. Notwithstanding, the.
make and save money enough to retir,
after moderate terms of service. 'In
fluence" in the shape of cold casl
stands the prisoners friend in Chin
even more than anywhere else in tn,
world. In fact, but for the presents
the force is allowed to squeeze on
of natives and foreigners alike, Their
might be difficulty in getting men TO
the service, even though humanity i
cheaper than dirt cheap all over tn
Celestial empire.