It was only upon the appearance of the soldiery that the fighting was
checked.
Inclosed I send clippings from the Bangkok Gazette, giving particulars. The
prisoners are now undergoing examination, and the leaders will be summarily
punished.
[Inclosure in No. 80.]
Riots among Chinese.
On Wednesday evening a serious conflict took place in the new road behind
the rice mills, between the Chinamen from Swatow and those from Amoy,
which resulted in the deaths of several of the rioters, and also it is
said of one or two onlookers. Some of the rioters were armed with long
bamboo poles sharpened at the end, and it is said shod with iron; others
had fire-arms. The fighting was very keen and it may be imagined there
were a good many killed and wounded. Some police came down but could do
nothing, and the riot was only stopped by the darkness. It was resumed,
however, next morning and continued all Thursday, the traffic on the
road being completely stopped.
On Friday morning the military were called out and a large body of
troops, both cavalry and infantry, was sent down to the scene of the
disturbance and quickly put a stop to the rioting. It is a pity this
step was not taken sooner. We hear that about 8 or 10 of the rioters
were killed during the two days the disturbance continued, and a great
many others wounded.
It is really time that the police were reorganized and placed in a
condition to cope with these disturbers of the peace.
Later news.
Yesterday morning a squadron of cavalry under Captain Castenskiold, a
detachment of infantry under Captain Schow, and at last, but not least,
the marines under Commodore A. de Richelieu appeared on the scene of the
riots. A lively fusilade took place and a good many Chinamen were killed
and wounded; but it must be said that the Siamese soldiers acted
humanely, and no unnecessary bloodshed took place. About six hundred
Chinese were captured at the different rice mills and tied together in
pairs with their pig-tails, which came in very handy for the purpose.
About four hundred guns, revolvers, and spears were seized. Numbers of
the rioters were caught in the water-tanks of the steam-ship Hecate, in her coal bunkers, and in the funnel,
and some were caught bundled up in small baskets and among pig’s fodder,
with only the mouth and nose above the surface.
Mr. E. B. Gould, the British chargé d’affaires, accompanied by Mr.
French, the acting consul, and several officials of the British
legation, was on the scene of action and gave permission where the
houses of British subjects had to be searched. Owing
[Page 657]
to some requests addressed to the German
legation having been written in Siamese, some delay occurred before
searching Messrs. A. Markwald & Co’s mill.
It is to be hoped that now the Siamese have shown themselves to be
masters in their own country they will keep the upper hand of the
Chinese and not permit anything of the kind to occur again.
The riots will cause heavy loss to the steam-ship lines to Singapore and
Hong-Kong. The steam-ship Hecate, which should
have left yesterday, is not yet discharged, the steam-ship Hecuba has been here since Thursday, and
to-morrow the steam-ship Hydra is expected.
We hear that all the prisoners, numbering between thirty and forty, taken
during the last riots some four months ago, were released after paying
each 3 catties as a fine. We hope, although we are no friends of capital
punishment, that the blood, especially of innocent passers-by, that has
been shed on this occasion will not be avenged by mere money payments.
We hope at least to see the rattan freely used upon the 600 now captured
as a warning to themselves and other members of the secret
societies.
