3
December 30, 1905.]
It is impossible to free the Taotai from all responsibility. He was warned, we understand that his action in the Mixed Court matter was not unlikely to be followed by a riot, and it can- not be said that he did his best to preserve the peace."
"The small amount of damage actually done, considering the vulnerability of the Foreign Settlement, is a convincing proof, if any more proof were wanted, that the riot was not the work of the Shanghai people, who knew, indeed, that if the riot attained serious dimen- sions, they would suffer quite as much as foreigners." "The value of our Volunteer Corps has been again most effectually demonstrated as well as the fact that it is never safe to leave Shanghai without men-of-war capable of landing a considerable number of men. The Taotai has no force that could be trusted to protect the Settlements, if he wanted to do it; and our Volunteer force would have to be much larger than it is, if we had to rely exclusively upon it and the police; for to the looter the wealth of Shanghai offers an enormous temptation."
THE BEGGAR KING" AND THE RIOT. The mob on Monday consisted in the first place, naturally, of the rowdies. loafers, and unemployed coolies of the Settlements: next of a body of gamblers and salt smugglers from outside the Shanghai district, and lastly and most important of all of the followers and partisans of the late Cheng Tse-ming (Coll:-Zung Tze-ming) an erstwhile "Chiao- hna Wang," or King of Beggars of Shanghai-hsien, or district-a post which, by the way, is a hereditary one in China. A word as to this ex-Beggar "King" Chêng Tse-ming who, when he succeeded to his here- ditary "dignities," had found under his special command some thousand or two lusty and strap ping ragged beggars in this district, still further added considerably to his strength and influence, by means of his brute courage and strength, a following of some hundreds of row- dies, loafers, and gamblers who are known as, and also proudly call themselves "Zug Tse- ming,' or Partisans of Chêng Tae-mingtong, By their help the Beggar "King" murdered and robbed, kidnapped and oppressed. the whole countryside for some dozen years or so within a seventy-five miles' radius of Shanghai In his gang also were Vah Mao-mac, Vah Kah-der, and other ruffians whom the Shanghai Police are using their best endeavours to lay by the heels. So notorious had Cheng Tse-ming become by the lawless acts of himself and gang that the Chinese authorities could shut their eyes no longer to the man's shortcomings, with the result that his arrest was decided upon and a
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
A SPEEDY SUPPRESSAL
There was no means of getting authentic figures of casualties. No foreign lives were lost; but it is believed that many of the rioters were killed, as foreigners unattached to the various forces did not hesitate to shoot when threatened. The Chinese removed their own dead and wounded. Next day it was said and admitted that they had "had a lesson; and although precautions very properly continued to be taken, there was no serious attempt to renew the trouble. The display of preparedness was too strong.
WHEN IT WAS OVER.
**
The subsequent excitement was due to the indefatigable rumour-mongers and "scare manufacturers. Business was resumed as far as possible under normal conditions in the morning. An evening paper made a con- temptible suggestion that Japanese were aiding and abetting the rioters; but the character of the journal thus guilty was already generally known; and although the suggestion was formally repudiated, nobody thought necessary. As a matter of fact, it is recorded that the Japanese were in fear of an attack they could at the Consulate. themselves, and mustered as strong a guard as A number of nervous people resident in the outskirts con- tinned to stay at the Country Club, where they were hospitably cared for. Telephone communication was never interrupted.
A SENSIBLE CHINESS COMMENT.
it
483
and the main bodies of bluejackets were with. drawn to the Consulates as the most central points of defence.
au
The glare in the sky continued and
hurried off towards Sinza village where the was got up on the fire-float, while the Brigade
native houses were found well alight. and there blaze was in progress. A large number of
incendiary action. The outbreak was tackled were also large quantities of straw, pointing to
with such energy and success that by half past one o'clock it was entirely under control and the engines returned. The streets by that time were as quiet and deserted as ever.
CURIOUS INCIDENT AND COMMENT.
。
Curiously enough, the Indians seemed to be most unpopular. An Indian with a white turban and armed stick was quickly walking along the street on the 19th, when he was espied at a distance by a crowd of rioters who called out stones were flung in the man's direction which "Here comes a cursed Indian!" A volley of made him quicken his footsteps while a number of the rowdies proceeded to give chase. At this critical moment au armed patrol consisting of two English and four Sikh constables suddenly came on the scene, and the mob scattered, but not fast enough to escape before two of their num. ber had been seized by the Sikhs, who at once prepared to bayonet their prisoners. Then the English constables interfered. They struck up the Sikhs' bayonets which were within an ace
of the breasts of the two rowdies and then or- dered them to be released. A shout of approval The Nanfangpao, discussing the riot, said.
at this act of clemency arose from the native "The great mistake was that the mob was
onlookers who were standing at a distance, and not fired on at the very beginning, for no doubt
we may be sure [it is a Chinese telling the the outbreak would not have been so serious, story] that the story will go the rounds amongst had a few of the ruffians been killed. Once they the native population and incline them to look had a taste of blood, without receiving punish-bers of the Force than hitherto, and cause many with much more favour at the European mem. ment, they got bolder and bolder and every foreigner that came in their way was attacked.
"No one deplores the tragedy of yesterday more deeply than we do. The acts of violence were totally uncalled for, and the perpetrators, who had their ulterior motives, should be severely punished. We had thought that the Mixed Court outbreak was to be settled amicably, and that the recent disagreement was on a fair way to arrive at an understanding.
S
A serious blow has been dealt on China's
prestige, which will take years for her to
recover.
Our contemporary remarks on this :-
The police have been blamed for not acting with greater severity when the riot began; but we doubt if anyone realised at first how serious it threatened to become. It is, no doubt, true that if more Chinese had been killed early in the morning, it would have been over sooner.
Chinese to withhold their hand when circum- sentence is rather suggestive of Chinese hopes. stances are more in their own favour. The last
issue thinks the "clemency" was a blunder. He A foreign correspondent writing in the next
says:- Now experience with the Chinese has them; it is entirely opposed to all their always shown that clemency does not appeal to
methods; in a word, they construe it as weak. ness. The "shout of approval" from the crowd, to which your Chinese correspondent alludes in such a touching manner was, I shrewdly suspect, more in the nature of a shout were only acting under orders-it seems that all of derision. Doubtless the European police through the lamentable events of the past few days their powers have been woefully limited- but to release these rowdies without inflicting any punishment seems to a mere outsider a
large reward was offered in the usual way for It is amusing to see the Nanfangpao, which is piece of incomprehensible folly which the Chi-
largely responsible for the trouble, deprecating the tenderness of the police; we can easily imagine what its virtuous indignation would have been, if a larger number of Chinese had been shot down, resulting in such a rapid quel-
Cheng Tse-ming "dead or alive" which ended in some of his followers, tempted by the reward, betraying their chief to the authorities who forthwith had the man summarily decapitated. The mantle of this arch ruffian has since fallen on the much-wanted Vah Kahder and bis lieuling of the disturbance, that it would then have tenant Vah Mao-mao now undergoing twenty years penal servitude in the Municipal goal. The followers and partisans of the late Beggar "King
are all armed with knives when they go about, while the principal members of the gang keep a regular arsenal of weapons and revolvers on their persons. These were the rascals who had the chief hand in starting the riots of Monday with the ultimate object of breaking down the Municipal gaol to rescue their present chief's lieutenant.
19
MOUNTED VOLUNTEERS AT work.
been asserted that it was not a riot at all, but a mere temporary and local ebullition of feeling. The calmness and moderation with which the police acted, in the face of very serious provocation, deserves nothing but praise.
A MIDNIGHT ALARM.
weakness and not as an act of clemency." nese will assuredly regard as a confession of
JAPANESE ASSISTANCE HANDY.
Editorial comments three days afterwards the Wheelbarrow Riot was a comparatively took the line that long immunity at Shanghai insignificant affair] has lulled them into " false sense of security." The country round Shanghai is infested with ruffians who congre- reach them, and the native official arm never gate there because the foreign official arm cannot
tries. Although the community is impressed by the able way in which the trouble was tackled, and endorses the commandant's better than the volunteers, it is hoped that the opinion that no body of men could have behaved volunteer corps may be greatly strengthened. Many more would be needed in an affair like that of 1909. Our contemporary says:- 28 hours after receiving
· Meanwhile, it is satisfactory to know that in an appeal, the fully equipped, from Sasebo. The men are Japanese can land here ten thousand soldiers,
them are ready; and this is a fact reassuring a ways ready, and the fast cruisers to bring
would do well to remember.” to us, and which the rowdies round about
L
There were some moments of tense excite- stray shots were reported from the neighbour. ment just after midnight on the 19th. A few hood of Li Hongkow and the news came, by way of the Central Police Station, to the British naval headquarters at the Consulate, A detachment of the Light Horse galloped that a large Chinese army was marching on up the Maloo and charged into a mob, doing the Settlement from that direction, that they splendid work with the ponies, backing into the crowds and wheeling very effectively. This already in possession of it, and that they were were close upon the General Hospital, if hot work was assisted in by Sikh mounted police.firing the country as they came. They were One or two of the Light Horse used riding said to have driven in the outposts with the loss whips with good effect. On the cutlying of some lives to the defenders. To bear out this roads the mounted troops met with many statement the whole sky to the West of the rough gangs of Chinese both night and Settlement became ruddy, as with the glare of an day and some of them were inclined to try enormous conflagration. The general alarm was and force their way past the horsemen into rung from the bell towers, the bluejackets turn-¦ that all danger is past, they add. The Chinese We must not too soon congratulate ourselves the Settlement. These gangs were effectively ed out trom the British and German Consulates, are quiet for the moment, believing that the dealt with but if is reported that in some cases Volunteers came along the Bund at the double, Taotsi has carried all his points, including the firing had to be resorted to to disperse groups the machine guns were got into position the disposition of the Mixed Court, to suit himself, that were trying to unite and would have made a Garden Bridge and in front of the Astor House, and there may be some dissatisfaction when tough body had they succeeded. The patrolling and mounted soonts were sent out to ascertain the truth is known. It will take some time, was kept up continuously, the ponies proving | what was doing. The scouts soon returned with too, for the anti-foreign feeling which has been very hardy.
the information that they could looste no enemy growing up in the interior and up the Yangtze,
LINGERING UNEASINESS,
i
ஆனர்'