Omaha daily bee., 1901-01-06

mass of barren rocks inhabited by a few
fishermen, and no one thought of its being
a city. The Portuguese did most OF the
commerce. They owned this peninsula,
paying q nominal rent to the Chinese gov
ernment of about $500 year. They kept
up this rent until fifty years ago, when one
of the governors refused to pay 1t. The
Chinese officials then sent kidnapers 10
Macao. They watched for the governor,
and when he came outside the city they as
sassinated him. My guide showed me the
place where they killed him, and l put my
hand on the stone where he was laid when
his head was cut of. The head was taken
to Canton, but that act stopped all payment
of rent and since then China has recognized
the Portuguese rights to this territory.
The City of Macao.
Still the Macao of today Is largely
Chinese. The colony has $4,000 people, ana
of these about $4,000 are Chinese, 4,oOO are
Portuguese and in addition there are l6o
Europeans, not including the Portuguese
officials. There are sixty English and as
far as l can find no Americans. The Por-
tuguese rui. the colony. They have gov
ernor appointed by the king of Portugal, u
little army and one or two boats. The gov
ernor has a cabinet, and there are SO many
officials that you would not dare to run an
automobile through the town for fear Oh
Knocking one down. The place has good
revenue, and 1t spends 1t right royalty
Everything in the town is taxed. the land
covered with houses pays cents square
yard. Every trade pays its license, and
goods coming into the city from the coun-
try must pay toll This Is so of chickens,
vegetables, eggs and other such things.
A large part Of the income is from gov
ernment monopolies, which are farmed out
to the highest bidder. One company. FOL
instance, has the right to manufacture
opium and 1t makes something like
million dollars worth OF this product 9
month. Another pays for the making o.
tobacco and a great number for the Keep
ing open of gambling houses and lottery
shops. Macao Is now the center of the lot
terry business of Asia. The Manila lotter,
has moved here. 1t has Its regular draw
ings and it's tickets are scattered through
out the western Pacific There are all kinds
Of subordinate lotteries and policy shops
The Chinese have their own games OK crap
and come here to play them. You can be
, on any kind of number or combination o
, numbers. You can buy tickets in lotterie
at 10 cents apiece, or you can lay dow
your s. and have q chance at grand priz
worth tens OF thousands of dollars. Tn
, gambling hells | speak of In another letter
They bring In sl50O0O a year to the gov
ernment revenue.
Portuguese Kidnnpers.
For long time the government mad
money by sanctoning the trade in Chimes
, coolies. Until twenty-five years ago Maca
was a halfway station for this trade be
5 tween the United States, South Americ
and Australia and China. The coolies wer
r enticed to Macao, put into jails and hel
: until the ships were ready to carry thei
( to different parts of the world Thousand
Q were kidnapped and carried to the island
o off the coast OF South America, where the
were forced to dig out the guano The
Q were cruelty treated and so many Of the
II died that 1t is not uncommon today to IN
d coolie corpses In the guano dug up. Othel
d were sent to the Isthmus Of Panama
q work on the railroad and canal. Mar
= went mad and committed suicide there,
Il much so that one station On the railroad
n now known as Matachn, or dead Chini