The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1870-09-29
VOLUME 22-NUMBER 80
Chung Lsns-CajneSe JuSfiee

Tie following story related to Tn,
writer by the magistrate concerned
Chung Lung, now one of the mem.
bers Of the Peking foreign bOartl-wiI
show the Inconvenience which some
times attends being even the plaintiff
I III n just cause. One day the Official
IN question was crossing the court.
yard between his private quarters and
I the public portion Ofthe ydDJf7, when,
as he approached the Court room, he
found his way impeded by man who
I threw himself before him, EOJr-t0lcinC
Z or knocking his head upon the ground,
and implOring justice and protection.
! Thinking that he was some euIprif
who dreaded just punishment, Chung
Lung mOtiOned him away. The man,
/ however, persisted in begging a prom
/ ise of Justice" until our friend lost
all patience, and angrily told one OF
the eXeeutiOners to give q hundred
blows for his impcrtinence. Ifhe had
made a considerable noise before, it
was nothing to the yells with which
he filled the inclOsure as the braWny
arm Of the tlagellatOr applied the
bamboo to the more fieshy parts of
his body, and the job completed he
was left sObbing and moaning in a
corner until the case in which he was
concerned should be called on.
After the more pressing business be-
fore the magistrate had been disposed
of, the party fiOgged was brought for
ward; and it then appeared that, in
stead Of being n defendant or criminal
he was the plaintiff in a suit wherein
it was very evident that he had just
cause Of complaint. "Well,H said
Chuugi-'I didn't exactly know what
to do. Dhe other fellow against whom
he complained, had been highly de-
lighted at seeing his persecuter get
Sdch warming. The only way was
70 make them start fair; so, before L
heard the case through, 1 Just laid
him down and gave nim a hundred
as well; his face was q perfect picture
as they seized him, and / thought
should have died with laughing"
And then Chung Lung added, with
perfect gravity: you see in this way
neither had anything to complain
ofTI
The means used to secure prisoners
before trial are generally harbarOus
and revolving to every one with any
feelings of humanity. If a supposed
piTatical junk be captured the unhap-
py crew are lashed tOgetherin couples
the wrists and elbows being tightly
secured with leathern cords behind
the back, while the ankles, similarly
secured, are drawn up to the wrists as
far as they will come. In this posi-
ton the prisoner is absolutely help
less for any purpose whatever, and
the difficulty of movement is inereas-
ed by his being tied to a companion.
When, as is sometimes the case, a
nest of thieves is hunted down, and
the soldiers capturing them are to few
to act as efficient guards, they will
actually nail their prisoners down to
the cart in which convey them by the
hands. OF course, in these cases, the.
innocent suffer with the guilty. and
great is the torture which these IN
fOrtunates undergo. AS for the tor
lures illegally" inflicted on prisoners
and even witnesses, 8 long essay
would be necessary to detail them at
length. 1t is in cases of this nature
that the terrible distinction between
Chinese Claw and Chinese 'justice"
becomes apparent.
There are, of course, many Chinese
who possess some feelings Of
humanity, and discouutenance q re-
sort to torture as much as possible.
Even with them, however, the stick
or bamboo is in constant requisitiOn,
anu nobody loses in dignity because
he happens to meet with the "misfOr-
tune" of 4 flOgging. The bamboo is
in fact the great handspring of Chi
nese administration, and there is no
conceivable (Or incOnceivable) Offense
which is not duly ''ticketed," so to
speak, with so many blows. Singu-
larry enough, responsibility in official
matters decreases according to the
rank of the offender, the lowest grade
clerks in an Office where a mistake
occurs receiving the heaviest punish
ment. If, for instance, a SEALS affix-
ed to a State document in the wrong
place, or upside down, the "keeper"
of the seal is heavily visited, while
the mandarin who may actually have
affixed the seal gets of with a lighter
penalty. Should any military opera
ton be delayed, or fail, owing to a
question of the authenticity of the
OEviuIs frUIu SUCH u Cuusr5- tlsO clerk
who wrote the document is put to
death.