Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-24
CHINESE POLICEMEN.
Queer Ofiicfals of the Celestial Cities
and Their Duties.

and Their Duties.
| From the St Louis Globe-Demecrat.
In costume Chinese policeman is some
| thing between a circus clown and foo,
ball player His breeches are always baggy
and very well wadded-so clumsy you Won
der how he gets around in them-particular
ly when, as is often the case, he wears
coat, also thick and clumsy, coming well
below the knees. Dark blue is the prevail
ing color, set off and accented with bands
and facings of lighter blue red. green. ma
room and brown, but never yellow. That Is
the sacred or royal hue, permitted to no.
body below the rank of viceroy.
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 India. The reason
perhaps, is that the Chinese themselves are
so essentially unwarlike; they have prov
erb to the effect that mo good man IS ever
soldier AS men in the pay of the Chi
nese government, whether natives or not,
they have taken an active part in the pres
ent troubles IN China.
The police rank officially as gendarmeries
In Pekin the head of them is always a
Manchu. Policemen must be plentier than
blackberries in the Chinese capital The
sacred or imperial walled city keeps be-
tween 1900 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 a mile from each
other Broad streets stretch straight from
one to another, thus cutting the space in
side into a big nine-block. Police 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 wall. Po-
lfcemen In this the Tartar city, belong to
what is known as the Eight Banner Corps.
No. Il ,,nl,
as the baton of q civilized officer, but keep
swords spears, guns and cutlasses In racks
at the stations, and make a rush for them
when they hear the signal gun. This is
fired by an officer whose special charge II
is, either upon orders or If In his own judg-
ment 1t is necessary The penalty for firing
1t at the wrong time is severe-it may be
degradation and Punishment, or simple
strangulation.
Upon parades and reviews the policemen
are always armed, especially If foreign
devils are to witness the review or the pa
rade. The weapons used are curious look
ing, but wicked in the extreme-the three
hooked spears they all carry in particular
make jagged and CHASTITY wounds. Besides
the 10000 within the wall, Pekin maintains
a force of 1900 with which to regulate the
affairs In the outer city. They are under
command of the same general officer and
governed by the same regulations, though
there are variations arising from the differ
ences of situation Men and officers alike
furnish their own uniforms, but are armed
by the state. and receive a monthly rice
allowance in addition to their pay. The
chief gets a fair salary, but the men and
subordinate officers are meagerly paid. Not
withstanding, they make and save money
enough to retire after moderate terms of
service. Influence In the shape of cold
cash stands the prisoners friend in China
even more than anywhere else in the world
In fact, but for the presents" the force is
allowed to squeeze out of natives and for
eigners alike, there might be difficulty in
for ha arv,fa
humanity is cheaper than dirt cheap ali
over the celestial empire.