The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-08-18
CHINESE kIDNAPERS.
Child Stealers Are Many in the Ce-
lestinI Empire.
From the lPhiladeIphia Record.


From the Philadelphia Record
One of the strangest breakings out in
China just at this time is kidnapping, the
cause or purpose of which the English
Chinese papers do not explain. This ma
MIA has spread especially through Hankow
ana Wuchang. All along the streets and
al all hours of the day there are people
beating gonss and crying 'lost children. 4"
The walls are stuck full of notices offer
ing rewards for their recovery. The kid
napers are called moh-hu-toz, and are
created with possessing occult powers 1t
is said they have merely 10 look at a child
and to touch it when in a dazed sort of
way 1t follows its captor whittier led
Even grown up people, it is said, are some
times led off in this manner
strange to say, the foreigners are blam-
ed with being al the bottom of it all And
what Is stranger, there appears to be no
summary and legal way of dealing with
these fellows. No explanation is given as
to what is done with the children, which
1t is said, are mostly girls. The stories told
are almost unbelievable Were the childfen
held for ransom that would explain It.
How so many children can be kidnapped in
populous localities and not be recovered
is hard to understand
Not long ago, according to the account
given, three of the kidnapers were caught
On being taken before a magistrate $50
the story goes) they were discharged
They were Immediately set upon by the
Infatuated mothers and fathers of all the
children around. One of them was tied
with a bundle of pith lamp wicks, over
which tin of kerosene was poured. and
n MO ht1N anA 10 til
two cases the outraged and defenseless
people rushed upon the kidnapers and bat
tered and stamped the life out of them
with their hands and feet.
Perhaps the strangest part of all this
child stealing was the explanation. II
was this, that the children were being kid
naped TO be sold to foreigners on the rail-
way. So firmly was this believed that the
viceroy of the province had to issue a
proclamation to the effect that this was
false. The idea was that these children
were being sacrificed" to the foundation
of the railway, whatever that means. So
serious became the situation that a reward
of 20 taels was offered for the apprehen-
sion of every kidnaper caught. No partic-
ulars have been received as yet as to the
effect of this reward or as to what becomes
of the children.
1t is evident from all the accounts pub
lished that over large areas of China a
spirit of lawlessness has broken out, be
the cause or inventive what it may. The
viceroy's power seems 20 be limited by
writing on a bit of paper and giving his
COMBINATIONS such publicity as he may
have at his command. The disorders, to
all accounts, are spreading, and there ap-
pears to be no recognized or available
means to repress them. There are in GER
tain quarters considerable bodies of men
we would call tramps. who congregate at
places where subsistence is attainable, but
who, unlike our tramps. have the semblance
of military organization. There is certain
ly much need of a schoolmaster with
stronger weapons than books and cata-
chisms in the Flowery Kingdom to- bring
order out of threatening chaos.