Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-08
THE SUBSTITUHSDlE
'--sH7a
High officials Escape From Punish
ment.
CHINA'S JOKE ON THE POWERS
Poor Men CheapIy Persuaded to
Represent the Condemned.
HOW THE THING IS DONE
Copyright. 19o1)
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

| Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
PEKIN, January 10, 1901.
| ut Is to laughr' j don't know just how
| this sentence would be phrased in Chinese
! but 1t conveys good impression of the ex-
| act state of the case as far as the granting
| of the demands of the powers upon China
] are concerned.
Nothing can be funnier than the notion
| that the Chinese are going to be obliging
| enough to kill a lot of their prominent peo-
pie to please us barbarians. They will agree
to do it, to be sure, and some people will
| be killed, but not the people nominated In
the bond. Very few of the Chinese who
were prominent In the Boxer troubles are
doing any severe trembling. They are keep
| ing dark and buying substitutes.
| 1t Is in connection with these substitutes
! that the laughing matter comes in. There
| is nothing humorous, of course about being
| killed, but it is the substitutes who are to
| give up their lives. and they quite will
| ing-nay. most of them are anxious-to be
| substitutes; and there is little occasion
| to be anxious about them
| In China the struggle for an existence Is
| terrificaliy hard one. Every year people
| die of starvation. 1t is certainly pleasanter
| to die by the sword, especially when ones
| relatives may be benefited by the death.
| Incredible as it may seem to you OF Amer
lea, substitutes may be found literally in
droTes.
The Way 1t Is Done.
| Suppose the officers of one Of the powers
| here obtained information that certain
| Chinaman named Lo Fan took a particu-
larry atrocious part in some Boxer outrage.
| probably a date prior to that of the fall
| of Pekin. 1t matters not particularly how
| the officers find this out; but they do. 1t Is
promptly decided to arrest and try Lo Fan.
Now, Lo Fan hears of this intention.
There are Chinese who can find out any
| thing that is going on IN Pekin. Sucn a
| Chinaman hurries to Lo Fan with the dire
news.
IF that is in the wind" replies Lo Fan.
passing a coin or two to his informant, Il
must take prompt measures
So he sends a retainer out to find Bing.
Now, Bing is a poor ne'er-do-well. who,
nevertheless, has the impudence to have
family. Bling is brought into the presence
! of Lo Fan, and throws himself on his face.
Rise to your knees, Bng," requests Lo
| Fan, cOndescendingly.
Il am here by your commands most au-
gust .neighbor" says Bing. And then he
waits, for he does not yet know what the
business is on which he has been sum-
moned
inquiries Fan. kindly.
"Often, and very hungry"
There can be very little pleasure living
when one is often hungry"
Bing agrees that this is SO.
How would you like to die by the
sword?" inquiries Fan, suddenly, if
struck by new thought.
Bing raises his eyes at this, and tries to
scent what is in the wind
you do not answer me-" comes from
Fan, after while.
THAT is because / do not know what to
say" stammers the wretch.
But you do not enjoy l!ving?'
THAT is true"
Then why should you care to live?"
Bing studies the floor and at length In
why do you want me to die by the
sword? What difference can 1t make to
you?"
officers have decided that 1 must die by the
sword
Bing begins to see the light now
| And as l never hungry" pursues
Fan, Il can see no reason why I should
| want to die. With you 1t is different. You
| have no reason to wish to live. What do
you say, then? VIII YOU die in my placer
Il do not know" replies Bing. Il do
! not care to die, either. 1t is not pleasant
| to feel the sword on ones neck. l think I
prefer to live
| This is not strictly true, but Bing Is work
| ing for object
your people are all poor They, too. are
| often hungry, and very hungry. Now, If
! you were to do me this little service of dy
| Ing in my place, and your relatives were to
| receive fifty taels-
| Fifty taels?" echoes Bing Indignantly.
| He rises to his feet, If about to cast
| all ceremony to the winds. but once he
| finds himself standing all his sense of defer
| entail respect returns and he bows his head
| low with a sweeping gesture as he muir
murs:
Fifty taels is so little money
But you have father and a mother.
They are often hungry"
Bing looks uneasy. The meanest China
| man is impressionable where the comfort
| and happiness of his parents are concerned.
| Il IS a part OF his religion.
you have a wife" adds Fan. Some
| portion of that fifty taels would buy her
| much rice"
At this Bling looks stolid once more. His
| wife is not a person of so much Importance
| to him. Very likely she has been shrew,
and 1t is equally possible that. whenever
he has earned a little money, she has squan-
dered a good part of 1t for opium
There is your son." goes on the tempter.
eff he does not die of hunger he may grow
up to be a rich and powerful man. He
may even become a mandarin
Bing groans. The son is the apple of a
| Chinaman's eye. Poverty does not kill a
| yellow fathers love for his son.
Are you going to let him die of hunger?"
| insists Fan blandly.
| Fifty taels are not many" argues the
| hungry man. 1T would help my parents
| ard my son little while. You, my august
| neighbor, are a wealthy man. 1t will do
you no harm to part with a thousand taelS
| to save your life
| "a thousand taels?' repeats Lo Fan in
| c-eduously mo. no! 1 shall pay no such
| price that when there are in Pekn thou
SANDS OF hungry Ulen WHO NOuiu NC Sidu
| to take up my offer"
| The Bargain Made.
| Then ensues vast amount of argument.
| conducted with all the skill of oriental
| cunning and diplomacy. Fan becomes a
| trihe more generous and his offer at length
| reaches the sublime height Of 100 taels.
| Bing is still gently, deferentially shy about
| giving his consent Fan finally, In pre-
| tended wrath, threatens to do business
! with another substitute Bing's claim
| thereupon drops to 500 taels. Fan hears a
| commotion In the neighborhood and his
| face assumes a lemon-green hue, which is
| the Chinese equivalent. for pallor. What If
| the foreign soldiers are already an their
| way to his house to arrest him? 1t Is so
| evident that time cannot be lost that Fan
| hurriedy concludes the bargain by making
| take-or-leaye price of 300 taels. This Is
| equal to about $500 in American money,
| and in China represents enough TO keep
| Bing's soon-to-be-bereaved relatives In
| comfort for long time.
| As soon the arrangement is made
| Bing's father is sent for in haste. Then
| Bling. who is henceforth to impersonare
| Fan, is quickly arrayed in some of the lat