The Sun.
London, England, 1855-08-23 00:00:00

EXECUTION OF BEMS AT CANTON.

(From the Friend of China, March 14.)
In our remarks on the retirement of the rebels from
Sunchow, in another column, it is stated that the thou-
sands of men brought to Canton as prisoners are now
being decapitated at the rate of a hundred and fifty
a-day. That was the number, we were told, executed
on Saturday last, a spectacle to which we were witness.
The Canton execution ground has been before described
in this journal, and for all our readers it is not necessary
to repeat that it is situated about a hundred yards from
the river at a distance of two miles or so below the fac-
tories. The ground is oblong, about a hundred and
fifty feet in length—the entrance on the side nearest the
river being about six feet. This is closed with bars
during practical operations. At the grand entrance the
ground is about 20 feet wide. On the right hand, door-
ways open on to several oven and tile manufactories.
As we approached the execution ground many were mot
with hands to their nostrils, or with their tails tied
round their faces, for the purpose of avoiding the horrid
stench which could literally be " felt" at a considerable
distance. The ground was covered with partially dried
gore, the result of the past day's work. There are no
drains to take the blood away, nor is any substance
used to slake it. One man was found digging holes for
two crosses, on which he said four were to be tied and
cut in pieces. _ _

The execution had been fixed for noon. At half-put
11 half a dozen men arrived with the knives, preceded
by bearers of rough deal wood boxes, decorated with
bloody aides—these were the coffins. Unconcern was
the general appearance of the soldiers and spectators, of
whom, altogether, there may have been 150. The day
was dull, a fresh breeze from the eastward carrying the
stench away from foreigners, who, -to the number of
a dozen, had obtained admittance to the top of one
of the houses on the far side of the street passing
the entrance of this " field of blood." At a quarter to
12 the first batch of ten prisoners arrived, speedily fol-
lowed by the rest in similar quantities. Each prisoner
(having his hands tied behind his back, and labelled on
the tail) appeared to have been thrust down in a winker
basket, over which his chained legs dangled loosely, the
body riding uncomfortably, and marked with a long
paper tally, pasted on a slip of bamboo thrust between
the prisoner's jacket and his back. These " man-
baskets," slung with small cords, were carried on bam-
boos resting on the shoulders of two men. As the pri-
soners arrived, each was made to kneel with his faoe to
the south. In a space of about 20 feet by 12, we
counted as many as 70 ranged in half-a-dozen rows.
At five minutes to 12 a white button mariarin arrived,
and the two to be first cat in pieces were tied to the
crosses. Whilst looking at this frightening process the
exeention commenced, and 20 or 30 must have been
headlPss before we were aware of it. The only sound to
be heard was a horrid cheep—cheep—cheep, as the
knives fell. One blow was sufficient for each—the head
tumbling between the legs of the victim before it. As
the sword falls the blood-gushing trunk springs forward,
falls on the breast, and is still for ever.

In four minutes the decapitation was complete ; and
then on the other victims commenced the barbarity
which to think of only is sufficiently barbaric. With a
short sharp knife a slice was cut out from under
each arm. A low suppressed fearful groan from each
followed the operation of the weapon. Dexterous
as butchers, a slice was taken successively by the
operators from the calves, the thighs, and then from each
breast. We may suppose—we may hope—that by this
time the sufferers were insensible to pain ; but they were
not dead. The knife was then stuck into the abdomen,
which was ripped up to the breast bone, and the blade
twisted round and round as the heart was separated
from its holding. Up to this moment, having once set
eyes on the victim under torture, they had become fixed
as by fascination ; but they could be rivetted no longer
—a whirling sensation ran through the brain, and it was
with difficulty we could keep ourselves from falling.
But this was not all ; the lashings were then cut, and
the head, being tied by the tail to a limb of the cross,
was severed from the body, which Was then dismembered
of hands and arms, feet and legs, separately. After
this the Mandarins left the ground, to return, however,
with a man and woman, the latter it was said, the wife
of one of the rebel chiefs—the man a leader of some rank.
The woman was cut up in the way we have described ;
for the man a more horrible punishment was decreed—
he was flayed alive. We did not see this, but it was
witnessed by the sergeant of Marines of the U.S.S., J.
P. Kennedy—the cry, on the first insertion of the knife
across the forehead, and the pulling of the flesh over the
eyes, being most horrible. But enough ! Such is an
episode of this revolution in China—such some of the
last acts of the Manchou dynasty. It is impossible such
a government can exist much longer. Humanity must
make common cause against the demons who can per-
form deeds such as these.