The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-05
1RANSVAAL FACES
A YELLOW PERIL
Chinese Imported for Mines Have
Become a Menace to the
South African Peoples.
journal Special Service.

y
peril. For the moment at least it is a
land Under the shadow of the Chinese
danger. Away in the country districts
men manufacture weapons OF defence
and barricade their houses by night,
and women dread to be left alone. They
fear the Chunchuses of the Rand.
East, west, north-always Chinese
The matter is serious. Chinese loot a
lonely farm and murder the occupant;
Chinese raid stores and kill the proprie
tors with knives and butcher s cleavers;
Chinese fight Kaffirs away on the weld
and get killed; murdered Chinese are
police organize "drives'' against Chi
nese; mobile columns sweep the country
rounding up Chinese.
Chinese in Blockhouses.
Writers to the newspapers report
Chinese holding blockhouse in mill
tary fashion, from which sentinels spy
upon the passing traveller; others assert
that the limitless lime caves in the
Sterkfontein district on the West Rand
give refuge to bands of Chinese ban
How many wanderers are there7 No
one knows. Official figures report only
524 missing from the mines at given
time. out of total of $4,000. The un-
official world thrusts tongue in cheek
and talks in four figures. Antimines
newspapers hint at murders never made
public An indignant Chamber of Mines
denounces exaggeration, defends Chi
nese, and talks of temporary troubles,
and of agitators. The unofficial world
SCOTS openly, hints the Chinese are fit
for mines, calls for more police, calls
for a strict compound system.
Grim, Undeniable Facts.
But amid all the dust of controversy
certain grim facts cannot be denied.
In less than a month there have been
the following undisputed, indisputable
happenings:
"Twenty Chinese attack the house
of Mr.. Lunn, a farmer on the East
Rand One of the coolies killed and
two wounded.
In the same district Chinese attack
the house of Mrs. Sullivan, widow,
and bind her and her children while
they ransack the place Before leav-
ing they try to fire the place.
attacked by Chinese. Joubert murdered
with knives; his wife, son, aged TO
years. and baby of 1S months injured
Believed the coolies would have mas
sacred the entire family had not the
alarm been given.
Homestead of Mr.. Jackson, Sterk:
fontein, near Krugersdorp, held up and
u.
threatened with knives.
Fight between wandering Chinese and
Kaffirs on a farm in the Pretoria dis
trict. One Chinaman killed. .
Chinaman found dead on the weld
having been hacked to death with
butchers cleaver.
Chinese attack Chinese store neal
Krugersdorp.. butcher one of the pro
prietors and nearly kill another.
Twenty, Chinese attack an Indian hut
on the Kleinfon tein estate near Boks
burg on the East Randi Two OF the In
dians murdered and three others in
jured.
These things do not look nice OF
paper. They do not read will even II
the security of Johannesburg. But theA
farnhouses on dark nights. Ugl,
phrases are used. At Boksburg on tn
end and at Krugersdorp on the west tn
word "lynch' has been uttered, tn
some of the papers have not printed 1t
The heart of the Boer grows bitter
"This, then, is your boasted Britis]
rule,' he murmurs.
Yet with all thissone cannot help feel
ing some pity for the Chinese; Ever
mans hand is against them. 10 wan
der in ignorance from the mines is t
enter an enemy's country. In the ma
tive skraals it is whispered that til
yellow men eat babies; and the Kaffir
hunt them down with relentless Wig
lence.
But why this leakage from the mines
Did these men know when In CHINA tina
their work lay thousand odd ieet ~ ns
low the surface of the earth, or did the
think that the gold mines Of the Ran
were like the tin mines Of the Straits
The Chamber Of Mines say they, knew
Are they beaten? The Chamber G
Mines say that they are not. Z
Why Do Chinese Desert Mines?
Then why do they desert9 No OF
knows. But by fours and fves an
ffteens and twenties, they wande
away across the great uplands, goin
they know not whittier, living they kno
not how Hiding in dongas by da
sinking across the farms by nigh
dodging South African constabular
patrols, chivied by Boer farmer
chased by Kaffirs, stealing fowls, ro1
bing lonely homesteads, barefoote
contempt of life in their blood, Chimes
cruelty and callousness in their heart
No one can understand them; the
understand no man. Is it strange tn;
the end is sometimes violence al
murders
But something must be done. III
land between the Vaal and the Zambe
cannot be left at the mercy of t.
Chunchuses of the Rand.
Measures Against Crime.
Lord Selborne has adopted drast
measures. The South African co
stabulary posts near the mines are
be strengthened and re-arranged-
mobile column, eighty strong, is to
at strategical point just outside
johannesburg city, ready to proce
at any moment to any part Of the Rec
another 100 men will be specially e
ployed to apprehend roaming Chimes
legislation is to be introduced to gi
Europeans the right to arrest wand
ing Chinese in the absence OF polio
white residents are to have permits
possess firearms Of any description sa
magazine rifles; and the governme
will lend guns and ammunition to pc
whites in the country districts until
Chinese danger has passed away.
And Who is to Pay?
But this is not the end of the d
fculty.. But who will pay for all tn
If the money is charged to the int
colonial council which pays the Sol
African constabulary, there will be
a strong protest from the Orange ri'
colony, which is already crying
8. that it is saddled with more than
fair share of the common expenditd
And if the Transvaal alone has to p
there are many who will strongly obi
fearing additional burdens heca1