The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1858-05-20

their wretched cllarne house 10 where alone
they could look for release from their suffer
ing-thc grave. One Of their number could
speak English pretty fluently, and from him
it was ascertained that the whole of them
had that been beaten. Not one of them
could walk, and it was dreadful to see the
agony they suffered in trying to draw their
bleeding forms into tile open air. Some
had been beaten on the thighs, others on
the feet and ankles; and they were all
ironcd, notwithstanding that tl.ey were
not able to stand even, much less to es
cape.
TIE FIELD OF BLOOD OF CANTON.
Threading our way under the guidance
of some experienced friend, we come to a
carpenters shop, fronting tho entrance to a
small pottcr's field. 1t is not rood in area,
of an irregular shape, resembling most al
oblong. A row Of cottages open into ii on
one side there is wall on the other. The
ground is covered with halt baked pottry :;
there are two wooden crosses fornc,i Of un-
barkcd wood standing in an angle, with a
shred of rotting rope hanging from one of
them. There is nothing to fix the attention
In this small enclosure, except that you
stumble against a human skull now an,i
then as you walk along it,. This is the
Aceldama, the field Of blood, the execution
ground Of Caution. The upper part of the
carpenters shop is the place where nearly
all the European residents have, ut the price
of a dollar cacl, witnessed the wholesale
massacres Of wlicl, Europe has heard viii,
hcsitating skepticism. 1t was within this
yard that that monster Yeli has within two
years destroyed the life Of seventy thousand
fellow beings.
These crosses arc the instrument to wlicl,
those victims were tied who were condemned
to tho special torture Of being sliced to
death. Upon one Of these the wife Of Il
rebel general was placed, and by Yeh's
order her flesh was cut from her body.
After tho battle at Whampoa tho rebe
leader escaped but his wife fell into the
hands of Ych-tllat was how lie treated
his prisoner. Her breasts were first cut off
then her forehead was slaslled and the ski,
torn down over the face, then the ncslr,
parts Of the body were sliced away. Tier,
arc Englishmen yet alive who saw this done
but at what period Of the brtclery sensa
tion ceased and death came 10 this poor in
nocent woman none can tell. Tie frag
mcnt Of rope which now hangs to one o.
the crosses WAS used to blind woman who
was cut up for numbering lIsr husband
The sickening details of the massacre per
petrated on this spot have been related to
Inc by those who have seen them, and who
takes shame TO themselves while they con
fcss that after witnessing one execution 10y
cutting OH the cross tile rApility and dex
terity with which the mere behcading wa'
done, deprived the execution of 4 hundred
men of half It's horror. The criminals were
brought down in gangs, if they could walk
or brought down in chairs and shot out into
the yard. The cxecutioncrs tlIcn arranged
them in rows, giving them L!ow behind
which forced out the heal and neck, ana
laid them convenient 70, the blow. Then
came the warrant of death. II is II banner
AS soon as it waved in sight, without yer
bal order given, the work began. There
was a.rapid succession Of dull cruncl,ine
sounds-chop, chop, chop, chop. No sec
ond blow was ever dealt, for the dcxtcrous
man slapers are educated to their work
Until they can with their heavy swords slice
great bulbous vegetable as thin as We
slice cucumber they are not eligible fol
their office. Three seconds head suffice
In one minute five exccutioners clear of
100 lives. 1t takes rather longer for the
assistant TO cram the bodies into rough cof:
fins especially as you might see them cram.
ming two into one shell, that they might
embezzIe the spare wooden Lox. Tire heads
we're carried off in boxes the saturated
eartl, was Of value as manure.
"WaIl, Jefferson, guss you are ioIera-
bio late nor you used to was said an en-
gine driver on Yankee railway, who las
been waiting at a junction a good while for
tie train that just arrived under tie charge
! Of Jefferson.
"Wa'l,' replied Jefferson, wiping bis per
spirng face will, handful of cotton waste,
II reckon we are behind considerable
scarce, but that dou'trases he, no how; it's
getting along here any time astonisI'es me-
a several-it does"
"Deen smash r inquired tie 6rs.
speaker, chewing slowly.
II expact not returned Jefferson, but
we'll nigh one. Why ye SEQ down away
i. was dsrned hot very, and the rail-
was all expanding so much .hs. the way
was not only drawn out dreadful, bat, what