The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1859-02-08
az. ,s. Frofa the Hong Kong Re lister:
HORRIBLE BARBARITY.
Torture and Execution Of Catholic DislS
Z oD In ChiuS.

on In Chine.
Tho narrowing facts given m tic follow
low article have been heretofoFe alluded to;
but they are here given in greater detal.
We have details of the horrible seatl..
which the Mandarins have inflicted on the
venerable Don. +. Melchior. The prelatc
was taken prisoner in the very village that
Father Delgado was arrested in twenty
years ago. It's name is Khenglac. lIc
was taken on the 9th Of July, and imme
dately led to the capital. Two Of his ser
wants were taken prisoners with him. Da
ring the night of the 25th Of July thu
Chief Mandarin ordered the Bishop to Id
brought up to his yamum. On the morn
ing of the 9th the venerable prisoner told
those who brought him bis meals that In
required no change Of clothing, and only
asked for his trousers-the Chief Mandn-
rim having probably announced to him tho
kind of death he was to die. On the estl,
Of the same month, at Z o'clock in tho
morning, the troops, elephants, horses, &c..
&c, left the city for the place Of execu
tion by the North gate. Thcy led with
them the two young servants Of the vener-
able martyr; both of them wore heavy
chains on their necks, and vent on foot to
receive joyfully the martyrs palm. On
arriving at th, place, great cr;'e was
formed, and the cXecutioncr tied the two
young men to two posts placed near cacli
other. They were kept for about an hour
in this position Of torture. After this
scene occurred one still more cruel and tey:
I'll l. a., ott LoI IaI "a
two young r1cn TO the place Of punish
ment, they brought forth the venerable
Bishop by the cast gate. His Eminence
was led through all the streets of the cay
with heavy chain around his neck; in his
hand he carried his breviary, twenty guards,
sword in hand, surrounding him.
The esc)rt of the three prisoners cor
sisted of about 500 soldiers tvc elephants.
four horsemen, two mon bearing instru-
ments called chleng, drummer, and four
trumpcters. When the Bishop reaclicd the
sccns of his martyrdom he was covered
with sweat and mud. On seeing his two
servants, who were awaiting the blow
which should let their spirits soar to hcnv-
en-, his Eminencc cxhortcd them to cour-
nge, and gave them his blessing. A few
moments later, the Mandarin, who was
seated on one of the elephants, raised his
voice and ordered the heads Of the two
servants to be fits. cut of, and afterwards
that of the kou, (the term applied tc
Catholic priests.) At given signal the
head Of one Of tho servants, named Tiep,
was struck off; but three blows were re.
quisite TO effect this. Tho cxccutoner
then took the head and flung it isto the
mir, that it might be seen by everybody
The executiorcr then struck off the head
Of the second, named Hieu, but on this
occasion struck with more fortunate hand.
for he only needed single blow. These
faithful attendants had the Bishop in this
life, and in their deaths they shared his
glory and his tr;umphs.
The two servants having been executed,
the cXecutioners stretched mat on the
ground, placed small carpet upon it, broke
the chain which was around the neck Of
his Emincncc, and made him lie down on
his back upon the mating. The Bishop
wore at this time nothing but pair Of
trousers turned up to the thighs. The VIC
tim being thus placed, the executioncr took
two stakes, which he fixed in the ground
on each side of him, and to which his
hands were tightly bound by cords, caus-
ing great pain. Two others were then
placed under his armpits and crossed over
the chest 50 as to press tightly. Two 9th
or posts were then set up at short distance
from his feet. The cords with which tho
feet were bound were passed around these
posts and stretched violently, the feet wero
pegged down, and tho loins were similarly
secured. 1t would be difficult to conceive
the tortures of tho venerable prclate thus
bound and racked.
An order was then issued TO cut off tho
feet, then the hands, afterwards the hend
Of the martyr, and lastly TO cvisccratc him.
At this order five cxecutioners commenced
their frichtful duty. They were armed
with kind of bill hook or hntclict, pur.
posely bluntcd in order TO inflict greater
They commenced by cutting off
the legs above the knees, each limb re-
ceivirg about twelve blows before it was
severed. The same process was repeated
with the arms; but the power Of speech
now failed the happy martyr, who, 80 long
rs strength remained, had not ceased to
call on the name Of Jesus. His head was
then struck off, after repeated blows and
astly bis body was opcnad and the cntrails
Drawn with n hook.
Such is the exact account Of tho deatl.
Ind torture Of our dear Mgr MelchoiN
near the very spot which had been conrc.
rated two years earlier by tho martyrdom
If his predecessor.
Immediately after the execution, Pho
lifcrcnt parts Of the body we're wrapped
n mat and thrown into a ri. dug for this
purpose. The Tonqdinese wished to make
he elephants pass over the spot, so as to
rampl0 under foot tho grave Of tho veneer
lblo conSessor Of our faith, but these ami.
mails, less savage, and, ~c may almost
ay, more humane than their masters, OBJ
tnately refused to do so, as il they wod
lot profane the relics Of tho noble martyr.
Bishop Melchoirs head was exposed for
ONO time on the southern gate Of the Nam
limb, and then broken TO pieces and thrown
nto tie sea.