Daily camera. [volume] (Boulder, Colo.) 1891-1928, 1900-10-16
CHINESE POLICEMEN.
Queer Omcials Of the Celestial
Cities and Their Duties.
Between $4,000 s.d 10000 ef TIE.
Required to Preserve Order With
In the Walls of the ImDeriAl
City Of Peking.

In costume Chinese policeman 10
something between circus clown and
football player. His breeches are
always baggy and very well wadded-
SO clumsy you wonder how he gets
around in them-particularly when. as
is often the case, he wears coat, also
thick and clumsy, coming well below
the knees. Dark blue is the prevailing
color, set off 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-
mitted to nobody below the rank of a
viceroy, 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 proverb 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
n the present troubles in China.
The police rank officially as gen
darmerie. In Picking the head of them
is always a Manchu. Policemen must
be plentier than blackberries in the
Chinese capital. The sacred or i'm
perial walled city keeps between 49,
eco 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 mber-since
the side next the palace has an extra
gate in the exact middle of the two
mile val. 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 much as the
baton of civilized officer. but keep
swords. spears. guns and cutlasses in
racks at the stations. and make rush
for them when they hear the signal
gun. This is fired by an officer whose
special charge it is. either upon orders
or if in his own judgment it 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 if
foreign devils are to witness the re-
view or the parade. The weapons are
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
coo within the wall Peking maintains
a force of goo with which to regulate
affairs in the outer city. They are
under command of the same general
officer and governed by the same regu-
lations though there are variations
arising from the differences of situa
ton. 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 mea-
gerly paid. Notwithstanding. they
make and save money enough to retir.
after moderate terms of service. In
fuence" 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 foreigners alike, there
might be difficulty in getting men for
the service, even though humanity is
cheaper than dirt cheap all over the
Celestial empire.