The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1855-10-26
Execution of Rebels at Canton.

thousands Of men brought to Canton rs
prisoners, are now being dccapitatcd at the
rate of one hundred and fifty day. That
was the number, we are told, executed on
Saturday last, a spectacle TO which we were
witness. The Canton execution ground has
before been described i'll this journal, and
for all our readers it is not necessary to re-
peat that it is situated about 100 wards
from the river at distance of two miles
or SO below the factories. The ground is
oblong, about $50 feet in length, the CHI
trance OH the side nearest the river being
about six feet. This is closed with bars du-
| ring practical operations. At the grand
entrance the ground is about 90 feet wide.
On the right hand, doorways open to sew
eral oven and tile manufactures.
AS we approached the execution ground
many were met with hands TO their nos
| trils, orw with their tails tied round their fl,
ccs, for the purpose Of avoiding the horrid
stencil, which could literally be "felt' mt a
considerable distance The ground was
covered with partially dried gore, the re-
suit OF the past days 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 ! l-2 4 half d ,zcn men arrived with the
knives, preceded by barrics of rough deal
wood boxes, decorated with bloody sides.
These were the coffins. Unconccrn was the
general appearance of the soldiers and spec
tators, OF whom, altogether, there may have
5een one hundred and fifty. The day was
dull, Il fresh breeze from the eastward carry
ing the stencil away from Foreigners who,
to the number of dozen, had obtained ad-
imttance to the top Of one Of the houses on
the far side Of the street passing tue en-
trance OF this "ficlI Of blood" At IL Sd
the first batch OF ten prisoners arrived,
speedily followed by the rest in similar
Quantities. Each prisoner (having his hands
tied behind his back, and labeled on the
tall appeared to have been thrust down in
a wicker basket, over which his chained
legs dangled losely, the body riding uncom-
iortably, and marked with a long paper tai
y, pasted on slip of bamboo thrust between
the prisoners jacket and his back. These
"man baskets" slung with small cords, were
carried on bamboos on the shoulders Of two
men. AS the prisoners arrived, each was
made to kneel with his face to the South,
In aspace Of about 20 feet by IL we count
ed as many as 70, ranged in half dozen
rows.
AT minutes to twelve whitcbuttoncd
mandarin arrived, and the two to be first
cut IN pieces were tied to the crosses. While
looking at this frightening process the exc
cutloncr commenced, and 20 or 80 must
have been headless before we were aware
OF it. The only sound to be heard l,or
rid cheep-cheep-cheep, rs the knives
tell. One blow was sufficient for each
they fell tnmbling 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 forever.
In four minutes the decaptation was
complete; and then on the other victims
commenced tho 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 Incorporation Of
the weapon. Dcxtcrous as butchers,
slice was taken successfully by the operators
form the calves, the thighs, and then from
each breastss We may suppose, we may
hope, that by this time the sufferers were
lnsensible to pain; but they were not dead.
+ The knives were then stuck into the abdo-
men, which was ripped up to the breast
bone, and the, blade twisted round and round
rs the heart was separated form its holding.
Up TO the moment, having once set eyes on
the victim under torture, they had become
fixed as by fascination; but they could be
riyeted there no longer. y A whiflingsensa-
ton ran through the brain, and it was with
dihicultyswe could keep ourselves from
falling But this was not all :sthe lashings
were then cut, and the head, being tied by
the tail TO n limb Of the cross, was severed
from the body, which,. was then dismem-
bereds hands and arms, feet and legs
| separately, After this thes mandarins left
the ground, .t6 return, however, with man
and woman; thcrlatter, twas said, the wife
I of one of the rebel chicfaAthe man a leader
of s6me rank. : The woman was cut up in
thesway we have described !. for the, man
asmore horrible punishment was .decreed.
He was fayed alive. We did not see this,
but it. was witnessed by the Sergeant OF
Marines Of the Emitted States, ). P Kennedy
Tbs cry at the first insertion Of the knife
actoss the forebeadsand the pulling Of the
fisslispyer. the eyer beng most horrible: -.
1 yTaE aK1sat or rns PuMpKIsls 4, Al Gu D.;
tfious. custom prevails in Paris Of annually
IProclaiming the @king Of the spufipk kiiIs,' .
and OF making a solemn, PROCESSION iti
ihof4 of tie large est. .Yepatabls Eof sfhe ana.