Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-09-09

The old execution ground is situated about
| one hundred yards from the river, and is of an
| oblong form being about two hundred feet long
10y fifty wide, Tue entrance at the end nearest
the liver is only, eight or ten feet wide and was
closed witlfbars when the bloody scenes we've
being enacted The grand entrance az the other
epd is twice as wide, On one side doors opened
into bakeries and other small manufactures;
nut all was now as silent as death. Not an in
dividual was encountered-not one was seen;
and even little children, who were at their
sports in the great street Into which this lane
entered apparently frightened by the scenes
which tiIcy had seen OF heard reported, shun-
ned placing their feet upon the soil, OF oven
looking into the bloody aren't 1T looked like
a sepulchre above the grounl.
| In the time Of the executions, as my friend
inlo riIied me, when be Visited the bloody arena,
as he often did he was accustomed, as he ap-
preached the spot, to encounter Chnamen with
their fingers pressing their noses, OF else with
their tails tied around their faces, to avoid the
horrible stencil proceeding from the bodd and
bodies, aud carried like miasmatic breath, far
from the narrow area where It originated On
one occasion he found the ground covered with
partially dried gore Of the executed, the fruit oi
the last days work. There were no drains Ia
take off the enormous quantity of blood accu-
mulatng from the buehery Of five hundred ant
six hundred rebels day after day, at certain pc
RODS Of military success over them nor was any
| substance used to slake or absorb H. mar
was found, on one visit, digging holes for tive
crosses, on which be said. upon Inquiry, foul
persons were TO b tied and cut to pieces Al
account OF this days procee Sings, as related bJ
my friend, will illustrate all othe.s, as they are
/ mere repetitions. " --.-""
The execution had been fed at noon. Al
a 4 -
ecuion ground, each armed with what resem
bled a cleaver Iuth than sword, and pFece
ded by bearers Of rough pine boxes, decoratet
with sides painted as If with blood. Thes'
were collins Tor the gang to he excepted, whici
that day numbered one hundred and fifty
General upconcern and even stoical indifference
marked the eOuntenance OF both SOLDIERS ant
spectators, who together amounted TO one hun
dred and fifty. A breeze spraug up, which car
ried the intolsrable stencil from the quarter oc
cupied 10y the foreigners, who, TO the numbe
OI a dozen, bad obtained admittance 10 the toT
Of one OF the houses oplthe aide of the street a
the entr nee Of this, "ield Of blood Soon aite
the arrival of the executiOneIs and the collins
division of the condemned appeared on thl
ground, consisting Ofien irdiyiduais, speedily
followed by the rest of the unhappy wre ohcs il
companies OF the same number. thH'
Each prisnnDr had his hands tied behind hi
back, aud label stuck on bis tail or long queue
while he was thrust down in a wicker baskt
over which lis chained legs danaled loosely
the body riding intentionally, and. marked by
long paper tally pasted on a strip of blmbu,
THRUST between the jacket Of each condemnei
ndiyidualS back These "man 5askcis," a
they are called, swung With small cords, weT
carried oy bagIbuo poles upon the shoulders .
two porters A. the prisoners arrived they wer
taken fron the baskets and made TO kneol fac
ing the south. La a space Of twenty fee b,
twelve were counted as many Of seventy prise
ner, ranged in halfa dozen rows AT five min
tites 90 twelve, Mandarin wearing a whit
button arrived, and the two indti iuals VIII
we're FIRST TO be cut in pieces wen tied TO th
eTpsses whichhad been planted, This was prob
, ably designed TO increase The terror Of dealt
to those Who were about to experience il, Jus
as though the natural bitterness was not sn6i
p cient Ia the meanwhile that this frightenio
process was going ON the execution cOmnenc
ed, and twenty or thirty were headless befof
our iriepd was aware ofit The only sound 3
be heard was hOrrid eheeB, eheep, cheep, as Oh
executi ,ner's knife or clrRyer iell uponthe nee
OF the victim No signs Of fear we're seen ]
the idces o. the prisoners, as they knelt an
awaited the fatal moment. No cnlreaties wer
msdei no shHeks were heard. Oae blow wa
fufiicient for each, the hsad tumbling betwee
the legs Of the victim before the body fell. A
the sword fell, the trunk spoutiug with bloc,
sprang forward, falling on the breast, and wa
still forever.
ed, and one hundred and ifty human beings
I Al a j i