Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-03-16
Trials and Executions In china.--shoek-
Ing RnrharifH OF me ssCaianrsnIn, >,


A correspondent Of the New York Word. At
tached to the American squadron in China, gives
the following revealing picture of Chinese iujasrcei
At Pun-yon a chief magistrate was presiding over
court Of justice. and large number Of crini-
mails were arra;gned before il for robbery, piracy
theft, &c. Several were tried while we were there
The criminal was obliged to kpeel IN front Of this
officer, the stone floor, with his feet and hands
chained. If he refused to answer aBy question he
was severely struck upon the mouth with piece Of
board, by man who was stationed near BY for
that purpose and if that failed to bring him ls
senses, he was strung up by bis pig TAIL great toes
and thumbs, his knees maze 81 rest on iron chains
and Kept IN this position unul his tongue hung out
and his thumbs and toes were black and Blue
There were over dozen to be tried. bat sight Of
two sP three was enough for us Some of them were
executed the following morning by having their
heads cut or The prisoner stands with ms hands tied
behind him, and his head bent little forward Just
enough for the exeeutioneF TO sever the head IRON
the body at one blow, when he kicks the head into
one corner, and pitches the body into another
streams of blood issuing from both a. water frous =
water>can, and by the time dozen or two are exe-
cued, lit often amounts to forty there is pool Of
blood, with mixture Of hair beneath your feet an
kle deep. Il is known that upon numerous occa-
sions three hundred human beings have been execu-
ted in one day. Il is a heartrending scene, but
after Witnessing it few moments you become ac-
customed to it, and the disgust with which you are
~ AEcs AulPECeecu wears on e0LlrtlJ- EACH Nuill-
man looks aboIt him as if nothing of Importance
was taking place, and seems glad when his surn ar
rives. They consider life nothing and they are only
sorry that they die in this way for they believe they
enter the other world withsut head. saw in the
"Chamber Of Horrors a miniature imitation Of
what they believe the next world looks like with a
number OF their eountrymen walking about in IT,
some turned into animals, some without heads
others cambering up mountains heavily laden, &c.
At one of the prisons we saw 3 woman, eighty
four years Of age, the mother Of the rebeehef Tai
Bing, who was captured four years ago and thrust
into this dismal place. Il seems when they do rot
capture the offender himself they take any one Of
his family they can lay hands on, and make them
suffer for his crimes. She looked haggard and care
worn, and IS if she had not sufficient food to keep
her body and soul together. There were number
of other women, old and young in the same place,
some of whom had been IMPRISONED for ten years.
AT another saw forty prisoners in & small and
filthy apartment, with heavy wooden collars about
their necks three feet square and three inches thick
so that they could not lie down get their hands
TO their mouths; If they were neglected to be fed,
the poor creatures starved to death. These collars
are put on three months at a time At another
saw some men and women, who told me that they
would much rather suffer death; they had been i'm
prisoned fifteen years. Again, saw some in the
streets with their hands pinioned behind them,
walking about, no one allowed TO give them NOR
sci of food for if they did it punishable b. in
slant death. Friends, relatives fathers, brothers
and sisters being obliged to their kin starve to
death in the streets. Others saw lying down in
what they call the dead house, just drawing their
asst breath