The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1859-01-31

Horrible Barbarity-Torture and r. \
ecuiton OF n catholic bishop IL
China.
The narrowing facts given in the follow
ing article have been heretofore alluded to
but they are here given in greater detail:
i Iron the Hong Kong Register
We have details Of the horrible dsatl
which the mandarins have Inflicted on th,
venerable Don f. Melchior. The prelat,
/ was taken prisoner in the very village tha
! Father Delgado was arrested twenty year,
! ago. Its name is Khenglac. He was taken
on the 9Th Of July, and Immediately led to
the capitol. Two Of his servants were taken
prisoners with him. During the night OF
the Goth July the chief Mandarin ordered
the Bishop to be brought up to his yamum,
On the morning OF the 9th the venerable
prisoner told those who brought him his
meals that he required no change Of clothing,
and only asked for his trousers--the chief
mandarin having probably announced to him
the kind of death he was to die. On the
18th Of the same month, at O'Clock in ths
morning, the troops, elephants, horses, &C.,
left the city for the place of execution by the
north gate. They led with them two young
servants of the venerable martyr both Of
kwhom wore heavy chains on their neoks, and
cent on foot to receive joyfully the martyrs
D6lm. On arriving Mt the place great
circle was formed, and the executioner tied
thetwo young men to two posts near each
Other. They were kept about an hour in
this position OF torture. After this scene
occurred one still more cruel and terrible. -
After tha attendants had led the two young
men to TIP place Of punishment, they brought
forth thssyenerable Bishop by the east gate.
His Eminsass was led thresgh all thestreets
of the city with heavy chain around his
neck in his hand be carried his breviary,
and twenty guards, sword in hand, surround
ing him.
The escort Of the three prisoners consist
ed of about 500 soldiers, elephants, four
horsemen, two men bearing instruments
called chieng, drummer, and four trumpe-
tiers. Whsa the Bishop reached the scene OF
his martyrdom he was covered with sweat
and mud. On seeing bis two servants who
were awaiting the blow which should le.
their spirits Aoar to heaven, his Eminence
exhorted Their TO courage, and gave them his
blessing. Anew moments later, the manda-
rim who was seated on one of the elephants,
raised his voice and ordered the heads of the
two servants to be cut off first, and after
wards that of the skou" (the term applied
to Catholic prests.) At a given signal the
head of one VI the servants, named Tep,
was struck OFF but three blows were requi-
site to effe4t this. The cxecntoner then
struck of tie head of the second, named
Hieu, but a this occasion struck with
more Fortunate hand, for he only needed q
single blo~. These faithful attendants had
served the Bishop in his life, and in their
deaths they shared his glory and his tri-
umphs.B
The two servants having been executed,
the executioners stretched mat on the
ground, placed small carpet upon it, broke
the chain which was round the neck Of his
hminence, and made him lilo down on his
back upon the mating. The bishop wore
at this time nothing but pair of trousers
turned up to the thighs. The victim being
thus placed, the execu,ioner took two stakes,
which he fixed in the ground on each side Of
him, and to which his hands were tightly
bound by cords causing great pain. Two
others were then placed under the armpits
and crossed over the chest Of the bishop so as
to press tightly. Two other posts were then
set up at short distance from his feet. The
cord with which the feet were bound were
passed around these posts and stretched vio-
lently, the feet were pegged down, the loins
were similarly secured. 1t would be difficult
to conceive the tortures Of the venerable pre-
late thus bound and racked.
An order was then issued first to cut off
the feet, then the hands, afterwards the head
of the martyr, and lastly to eviscerate him.
AT this order five executioners commenced
their frightful daty. They were armed with
kind Of bill hook or Ratchet, purposely
blunted in order to inf.ot greater suffering.
They commenced by cutting Off the legs above
the knees, each limb receiving about LIZ blows
before it Was severed. The same process
was repeated with the arms. But the pow
er OF speech now failed the happy martyr,
who, so lorg as strength remained, had not
ceased 10 call on the name Of Jesus. His
head was then struck otfafter repeated blows,
and lastly his body was opened and the en-
trails drawn with hook.
Such is the exact account Of the death and
torture Of our dear Mgr. Melchior, near the
very spot which had been consecrated two
years earlier by the martyrdom Of his prede-
cessor. Immediately after the execution, the
different parts of tho body were wrapped up
in a mat and thrown into pit dug for this
purpose. The Tonquinese wished to make
the elephants pass over the spot 50 ~ to
irample under foot the grave OF the venrea.
BILE confessor of our faith, but these animals,
less savage, and, we may almost say more
humane than their masters, obstinately re-
fused to do so, as il they would not profane
the relics Of the noble martyr.
Bishop Melchior's head was exposed for
some days on the southern gate Of Nan dinh,
and then broken to pieces and thrown into
the sea.
Disiiculaiss kxpsEAenced by Ladies'
In TRAVELLING.
In no circumstance Of life II sommon sense
. more valuable possession than in the vexn-
tions, difficulties and psrils ii travelling. A
woman blest with this estimAble Quality may
travel alone for thousands Of milea, with per-
feet comfort and case OF mind. On the con-
trary, the weak minded and Slnnid female is a
trial TO her fellow travellers, d porAspes car
riage drivers and all the various ae1undantS
at the railway stations and other places. "a
woman who will not think coolly OF subdus
her fretfulness is In danger il she goes only
ten miles from home, even though 10 compa-
ny, and keeps her friends 10 continual dis
comfort. She 10 never ready when the time
for the train to start 10 at hand and q least
hurried along, tormented by vain appre-
henson that she has left some important
mater nnaccomplishsd or some article be-
hind. She shrieks in . tunnel, and gets into
nervous furry NJ the sound Of the whistle.