The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-11-22
BRIGANDS IN CHINA.
Robber Bands Assume Proportions of
Small Armies-POlice and Army
lmpOtcnt-Piracy Along Rivers and
Canals-MissiOnaries Flee From
Fukcin and are Unable to Return.

hity Oh small armies. They muster
both foot and cavalry and are as
large as two American regiments.
NO province is free from bandits.
From Manchuria, where the Hung
hutzes ply their trade, to Kwantung,
infested by pirates, and from Kiang-
su to Turkestan, come reports of
freebooters who defy the authorities.
There is no local police to cope
with the outlaws and the army is not
at present dependable branch of
the administration. China is never
free from brigandage. bat it is only
at periods of transition, when the
authority of the government is shak-
EN- by political disorders like the re-
cent rebellion. that the bands attain
such large proportions.
The American missionaries who
fled from their homes in the interior
Of Fukein province are still at Foo
chow, unable to return because no
protection can be assured them by
the government. The American consul
late at Foochow and the legation at
Peking have been trying in vain for
several months to get the Chinese
government to take vigorous action
against Hwang Liang. the outlaw
who proclaimed himself Sixteenth
Emperor OF the Ming Dynasty.
A consular report from Shensi
says that province is practically ad-
ministered by outlaws, who work
solely i'm their own interest. The
governor adheres to the central gov
ernment only because there is no in
terference from Peking and because
it is good policy for him to describe
himself as loyal. The governor, or
tutu, as he is called, was q poor and
unscrupufous official but now he has
amassed large fortune and a nn-
merous harem.
The consul gives an account of
how the commanding general like
wise obtained wealth and authority.
Being appointed commissioner for
the suppression Of opium in the pro-
vince, says the report, he started on
tour with body of troops. He
took the precaution always to send
word ahead announcing his ap-
proach, a policy which, as is CUSTOM
airy. brought forth munificent pres
ents from the people. II the pres
ents were ample no opium was dis
covered. He confiscated only the
prepared drug, that being most easily
portable and of the highest value
and brought it back to the important
centers and sold it.
"A member Of the American consul
lar service who came recently to Pc
king from Canton says that piracy
along the rivers and canals is more
extensive than ever before. The au-
thorities are endeavoring to extermi-
nate 1t by giving the chiefs govern
ment offices and Incorporating the
ordinary pirates and brigands in the
navy and army. 1t is evident that
this time-honored practice has not
passed away with the Manchu dy-
nasty.
The French legation has received
news Of the burning of Roman
Catholic mission church during the
plundering and burning of town
I'm southern Honan, not far from
Tsaoyang, where the American and
Norwegian missionaries were made
prisoners in September. The gov
ernment has sent troops i'm large
numbers to fight against white
Wolf,' the brigand chief who is ter
rorizing that section of the country
but according to the report of an
other American consul, the soldiers
though sufficiently numerous, are not
making serious efforts. They have
been trying, ostensibly, for several
months to round up the brigands.
yet walled towns are still being be-
SieSeu, captured and looted by them.
A missionary i'm Honan city de-
scribes how a band two thousand
strong impressed villagers to carry
fuel up to the gate of town barred
against them, i'm order to burn down
the gate 80 that they might enter
and loot the place. The villagers
were literally between two fires, for
when they approached the gate they
were shot at from the walls by the
soldiers garrisoning the town, and il
they refused to advance the brig
ands laid them low.
Within hearing of the walls of
Peking village blunderbusses can he