Unfortunately some rascally Chinese have been using the names of various foreigners to affect lawsuits. Here is an instance to illustrate.
A mountain squatter from Anhui cut a few bamboos from the lot of a native landowner. Angry words led to a teashop and thence to the local yamen. The squatter pleaded in defence that he belonged to the foreign church, and while acting as chair-bearer one of the poles broke, making it necessary to cut the first bamboo he could find to keep the Western Kingdom passenger from being annoyed. The magistrate was inclined to regard the citizen as too severe with the squatter, until it gradually came out that the squatter was not a church member, had never been a chair-j bearer, and had out more than one bamboo. A foreigner's card (stolen) saved bim for a while a beating, but he will probably soon get his deserts.
Another Case was where a foreigner's employee wrote to the magistrate saying his master would be very angry unless a certain lawsuit long pending was settled quickly. The magistrate became alarmed, gave favourable judgment and then learned a few days after that the foreigner knew nothing at all about the matter. Chinese servants in foreign employ are apt to become overbearing when out among their own people. Missionaries especially need to be careful with their Chinese cards, because the temptation to use them is too much for the avorage Chinese about him.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.