The Strange Story of the Ruffian Who Wanted: to Raise an Army Big fleas have little fleas—and on and so on. A blackmailer China, if one quoted him the saying, would smile ruefully in acknowledgement; for big blackmailers have little blackmailers, and little blackmailers have lesser, and so on ad infinitum, until if one could reckon them all one would be surprised how large a proportion of the 400,000,000 profit by blackmail ing; or what in countries where the devious ways of "squeeze" are less Known, would be so called.
Mr. Million Dollars, for instance, is dissatisfied with his wives and concubines. Variety being the spice of life, he approaches a middleman—perhaps better called a procurer. This man is in touch with smaller procurers, and they with downright and open villains. Mr. Million Dolfars gets his wish. But} What a chain of troubles he has forged for himself! Mr. Middleman sees a chance to levy a little extra toll and writes suggesting a small sum as a incentive for keeping his mouth shut; Mr. Procurer, if he happens to know the principal for whom Mz, Middleman is working, son of well-to-do farming folk, who sent him to school at the age of seven. When sixteen, having' imbibed any amount of revolutionary propaganda, he joined the students' regiment " in the revolution, and fought under Gen. Wang Ching. On disbandment he came to Shanghai, but his appetite for work had been spoiled and he lived well on the bounty of friends and what he could persuade his parents to Isend him from home, He joined up again in the second revolution and this time saw some real fighting, being taken prisoner after only a few weeks in uniform. But within a few days of this capture he escaped and fled to Shanghai, where once again hit friends rallied to his support, In Shanghai in 1922 he conceived the idea of raising an army of his own, at the time in Fukien, and Tsang saw in it the opportunity to become There was some war or other on a general and a commander-in-chief. Forthwith he launched his campaign, for an army to command, He took two. friends into confidence and together they worker A snap of Tsan on his way to the execution ground.
His spirits never failed him throughout the journey. also Writes his suggestions; while teach of the lower workers blackmails whoever he can. In the end the transaction has proved profitable all concerned, except Mr. Mi Dollars, who is in such a position that he cannot put it into the hands of the police. But than an. illustration and makes another story—a story all on its) own, The commonest form of blackmail in Shanghai is by the threatening letter. One reads cases about it every day, sometimes attended with grisly circumstances such as the sending of a girl's little finger or a couple of pistol bullets in the letter as an earnest of the writer's bloodthirsty intentions should his demands not be complied with. Blackmailers of this kind stop at nothing—on paper. And sometimes: there comes up one who will stop at nothing in the flesh, a cold calculating man whose campaign terrorism is worked. out it out that at least $100,000 was needed for capital. Once the army was raised, it could look after itself by pillaging villages in the approved style, But $100,000 is a lot raise, if one has nothing at all, and Teang and his friends east about for wealthy persons in Shanghai they could approach for part of the money. For their first victim they chose a resident of the French Concession who lived in an alleyway off Rue Ratard. To him they wrote explaining their project and adding that, should he fail to hand over $5,000 as his contribution, he and is family would be put to death. Tsang signed the letter with the title "Commander-in-chief.'
The intended victim was not to be intimidated, however, and im. mediately placed the matter in the hands of the police. But Tsang had uncanny Knowledge of psychology, who does his "dirty work" himself. Such a one was Tsang Zang-kong, who went to the execution ground in 1923 declaring himself a martyr to the cause of nationalism. Against. him were the charge of sending threatening letters, the murder two men, and the wounding of several more, in the attempt to extort money from one whom he: thought was able to afford it. Of such staff are martyrs made.
Tsang, though he posed as a man from the south and an adherent of the Kuomintang, which was not altogether popular in Shanghai in 1923, was a native of Kompo, the Bold to the Jast, Tsang refused to be blindfolded on the elec ground.
He is seen seated in the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.