Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-06-13

|
Flags" Are Principally Made Up of
Pirates-Triad Society the Oldest.
Events have recently been happening
| IN China of which much would have
been heard in England but for the con-
centration of the national mind upon
the war in South Africa. says the Lon
don Leader. There is another big in
surrection on foot, and n cable mes
sage told US a few days ago that it is
| assuming alarming proportions. The
secret societies, as usual, are behind
the movement, and this time it is the
Boxers" who have been most active.
| They came into collision with the i'm
periaI troops at Yen-Chi and gave Il
good account of themselves. The ac-
ton is said to have been indecisiyc,
which probably means that the impe-
rial troops were defeated. Prior to
this they had been making themselves
terror throughout the province of
Chilli, and, to say nothing of murder
GUS outrages on a lot of native Chris
tians, had assassinated an English mis-
sionary named Brooks.
The Boxers" known also as the
big Sword society" form only one of
nese empire is hOneycombed. They
are all actuated by the motives under
lying their motto OF China For the
Chinese" The Boxers" made great
parade of their loyalty TO the throne
and pretended that it was only the
fan kwei-the foreign devils-whom
they wished to drive out. But the en-
press dowager knows better, and when
she found that the governor of Shang-
tung, where they first broke out, was
encouraging them that masterful wom-
an promptly superseded him.
Last years experience with the
BLACK Flags" was doubtless not for
gotten. This society is made up prin-
cipaIly of the pirates and other wilder
spirits who infest the coast from
Annoy down to Hainan. They are the
men who organized the three great re-
belliOnS which broke out simultaneous
Iy at Macao. Amey and Shanghai just |
before the Tapping affair, and they, |
aided by the "Koloa Hui" and the |
of the religious impostor
who called himself the Heavenly |
king" were mainly responsible for
that outbreak. They have fomented |
trouble on several occasions since then, |
and they are by long way the most |
inveterate enemies whom the reigning /
Nantchoo family has to fear. The /
BLACK Flags" it may be remarked, |
are the hardest as we'll as the bravest /
Of all the people who make up the ma
ton.
Another great Chinese society-more
important from its widespread distri-
button than the BLACK Flags" and
Rctuated by the same mOtive-is that
known as the 'Koloa Hui" The au-
thoritieS made an attempt last year
to squelch this organization, but of
course they did not succeed, though
they contrived to capture enc Of the
leaders, whom they executed with
much circumstance of brutality. The
roll runs we'll into the
and it has its secret meetings
in every city of China. It's members
must commit murder at the command
of the order. They are initiated by
the drinking of hot wine mixed with
the smoking blood of a cock, killed at
the time. The society counts among |
It's members n large number of army
and the great viceroy of Nam
king, who died not long ago. was for
u /
troubles in the Shangtung province
were backed up by the 'Koloa Hui"
The oldest society in China is the |
Triad society. known also as the Sam
Hop Hui" 1t has its lodges. and there
are flags, banners and umbrellas con-
nected with it. 1t holds regular meeb
ngs, and it forces influential indiyid.
lals to join its organization if they
are not amenable to persuasion. 1t has
the power of life and death over it's
who have their own signs
and passwords. You can tell, it is said, |
a man belongs to the order |
by the way he enters a house. Their
motto is, Drive out the Tartars," and
one branch of the society dates back
TO 1864 A D., or 90 years after the
They have been working
10 overthrow the government ever
Sfnoa and ono day fhav may 4