The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-02-05
ORIENTAL OUTLAWS.
SOME CHINESE SECRET SOCIE-
TIES.
What Has Been Learned About Them
In California,

In California.
ibid you ever think of it? There are
On this coast, say seventy-five thousand
Cinnamon, and every one of them is
governed, not by the United States, but
Chinaman gets grudge against man
he goes to professional murderer and
hires him to kill the man. If you
should want to get rid of some one
these societies would do it for you with
dispatch. If the Chinaman has one fad
more than another it is for secret socie-
ties. The average American believes
these societies to be benevolnt organi-
cations, but the majority are formed to
defeat the ends Of justice and enable
the members to com nit variety of
crimes without danger of punishment.
Americans call the organizations hatch
ct societies and the members Ratchet
boys, which well describes them.
"The history of the Ratchet or high
binder societies in America goes back to
a lot of political refugees, who came to
this country some years ago after an at
tempt to overthrow the government in
China. There are many societies, but
the grand head is the Triad society in
China, which crops up now and then.
If any plan is discovered against the
reigning house in China you may be
sure that it can be traced to the Triad.
The Triad, which refers to earth, heav-
en- and man, was first heard of in this
country in 1863 when a society was
started in San Francisco, apparently
for benevolent purposes, with the high
sounding name of Chez Kung Tong,
which means the chamber of high JUS
tice. In New York there is branch
which goes by the name of Yee-Hing
Oey, or the society of righteous breth-
rem All the brethren are by no means
righteous. The chief object of the soci-
ETY. is to even up old scores, and every
member takes an oath never to rest I'M
til the wrongs of the Triad are avenged.
For long time the police detectives
and students of Chinese puzzled over
this Triad They knew there was some
connection between the wars and muir
ders in California and the Triad, but 1t
was impossible to ferret it out until one
day, in making raid on one Of the
Tongs or societies, the police found
some books and papers, one of which
proved to be the secret ritual, or book
of rules, for the guidance of members,
and gave as we'll the entire history of
the association. This was quickly
translated and it has been used against
them ever since. You can Imagine
what sensation was created among
the Chinese when it was known that the
Americans had it. Suppose some one
was to find the secrets of Masonry and
publish them to the world? Well, 1t
was the same with the Chinese, though |
in their case the exposure was of Sc
benevolent society.
They have so many signs and secret |
words that it is difficult to keep track
of thenl Once I was an interpreter in |
the courtg of San Francisco and / know
many of them from studying this secret |
ritual. AS an example at what appears |
to beam innocent tea party the dishes |
Or cups will be so set that they tell |
wanted the right to submit the matter |
story to each member. The cups may I
be placed in a position to spell the name |
Hung or member may give signal |
to another by the way he holds his cup.
# you are drinking tea with lot of |
Cinnamon and see some drink by talk
ing the edge of the cup between the
thumb and two first fingers, you can
wager that they belong to the Chez
kung, as that is their secret sign. If in
through a crowd you feel a
thumb and two fingers pressed steadily
against you, you may know that it is
Ratchet boy of the Yee Hing throwing
put the three-corne seal sign. If you
return it he thinks you are member,
md If you wanted aid in putting man
,ut of the way he would feel himself
,biged to help you. If there is fight
n the street you want to go for the men
who have their queues twisted from
eft to right, and you will land a zee
Hung man every time.
I'm the secret ritual discovered was a
ong series Of words intended to deceive.
Thus, if member was ordered to kill a
certain policeman he was told to wash
he body Of so and so. A rifle was
znown as a big dog; revolver as
puppy; powder and lead as dog feed.
rhe Chinese are very clever and they
eek to give the impression that their
ociety with it's signs and passwords is
Ike our Masonry and when the ritual
vas discovered they said that it was an
ncient book of ages ago; but the socie-
Y of to-day has absolutely nothing in
ommon with Masonry, as any honest
Cinnamon will tell you, being a band of
utlaws that f1ourishes by murder,
lackmail and other crimes, and is COM
osed in America of outlaws of the
cantonese province.
How many murders can be laid at | !
he door of this society no one can tell"
he speaker went on, but undoubtedly
lany victims have been stabbed or shot {
t the orders of the Tong 1t is very
ard for Americans who don't know '
he Chinese to understand what these
yars mean. There are dozens Of socie- {
es, and each one has it's soldiers under
alary whose business it is to fight and t
ILL., Sometimes a man of one Tong |
ills in love with the slave of a mem I
or of another Tong, and aids her in es- '
aping. This means war at once, and h
atchet boy is picked out to kill the t
an whose Tong takes his part; and so Y
goes, until sometimes several are put 4
1T of the way. In some Tongs nearly X
le-fourth of the members are fighting t