Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1900-10-13
MYSTERIOUS POSTER.

rivals in the business by lowering the
prices. and he had been tried by his
society and condemned and executed,
and though every Chinaman in the city
undoubtedly knew of it, no one was
ever found guilty or even accused. But
his death had been swift and merciful,
unlike the most of the offenders
against the code that binds them in
solemn compact.
There are numberless secret societies
in China, most of them born of oppres
sion. but now they are almost as strong
as the government, and there are. those
who think stronger, but they are not
all united.
These societies flourish wherever
there are Chinese. They had their
origin in conspiracies against Tartar
rule, which has always meant oppres
sion, and they were organized for the
purpose of the restoration of the ole
Chinese royal family.
The names of the most important of
these societies are as follows, and their
Importance may be judged by their or
der: First is the Tien-Ti-Hwey. or
Hung league. 1t was this league that
made the uprising of 1919 when atroc-
tiles such as history shows no paral-
lei for were committed by both sides.
After that is the Sam Hap, which APP
pears to be a branch of the other. Gee
Hok was another of the first. The WI
Wei-Keaou came next and then the
White Lotus, or Water Lily. This So
ciety was considered most terrible. and
"A large percentage Of the members left
cities and lived in the islands hidden
in the marShy river mouths and were
regarded as pirates. All sorts of out
RACES and high handed actions We're
laid to them. 1t is said that some
times of q dark night swarms Of their
boats would fill harbors, and when
they had finished their depredations
the shipping would look like "a forest
after the locusts had passed there. No
| Judge or court could condemn any one
Of them, for the White Lotus had as
many members on land as on sea or
rivers, and no one dared to incur their
/
| enmity.
Another secret society of fearSome
renoWn is the KO-Lao-HWey. or League
/ OF the Elder Brother. The Mohamme-
| dams in China have secret society,
numbering 100000 called Hwy
! Hwy-Jin This is considered more of
/ religious fraternity than a political
/ union. but when so many are leagued
/ together they become a power for good
or evil.
Just now the Tsai-Li-Hway has its
headquarters at Tien-tsin, and two
others are known as T'sze-T'wan-
Keaou and the TAM ei-Keaou, and
their secrets are absolutely unknown.
! All the Chinese associations in this
| country are branches of the parent
ones. and the members pay their dues
! which, after paying the necessary eX-
| penses in this country, are sent to the
head Of the order in China. 1t is claim
ed by some English and other foreign
ers thar the societies resemble the
| Freemasous to a marked degree, and
I many Of their symbols are exactly the
same. The Tien-Ti-Hwey means the
union Of heaven and earth, and the
triangle is it's symbol. Man Is repre-
scented as the base and the apex God
i and all together is to show the unity
OF God and mankind.
All the laws of all these societies
sound most noble and moral and de
mand that the members live simple
and moral lives and are charitable anC
compassionate. And they must for
give. The Sam Hap society is called
the Triad This society and probabl!
also the other last named society use