Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1876-04-27

the te- paon. or local land officer, had NOT
been formally transferred By the taon- tai.
The official displeasure was manifested by
seizing everybody in any way connected
with the sale OF the land, including the
te-paon. The poor villager, the vendor of
the land, was actually beaten TO death, and
the rest are now in prison. Tie Chinese
officials are now irving to invent reasons
for this atrocious act. but there has not
been pretense of trial, and the tie paon
and his fellow-sufferers will probably be
kept in durance until they have exhausted
all their small means in bribing those
whose displeasure they have incurred.
Ii the spirit manifested in this case is TO
prevail the position Of the railroad will
be at least precarious. The mandarins
are already endeavoring to stir up the
common people to destroy The road by
circulating reports that it is intended
for the transportation of troops and artil-
lery If they will add to their fears by
assuring them that il is an avenue of
communication for the Feng Shut, or
evil spirit, or spirit of the north wind, ar
soul of the destroyer, as this malign in
tiuence is variously named, they will
obey the mandates of the mandarins
without a murmur. 1t was this appeal TO
their superstition that led them to destroy
the nearly completed line of telegraph be.
tween Shanghai and the mouth of the
Yang Use, several years ago. What con-
trast we find here TO the progressiveness
and eager receptiveness Of the Japanesel
And yet the Chinese hold themselves quite
superior to their island neighbors
The reliability of Chinese witnesses
,,,o he tai hxra thaf
ours to me. A Chinaman, employed on
against the Captain, an American, for
an aggravated assault with intent to- kill.
The parties appeared before the United
States Consul the Chinaman in a feeble
condition, with his head bandaged in
cloths saturated with his blood, supposed
to have been forcibly and unrighteously
shed. IL seemed clear that he had barely
escaped with his life. The Captain adj
mitted having boxed the mans ears, but
denied that he had wounded him, and in
sisted on removal of the bandages. The
bleeding victim protested that such dis
turbance would he the death of him, but
the court decided on their removal, when
10! there was not a scratch TO be found,
and the just now dying man took to his
legs and fed. arfg arasgye
In another case foreigner was charged
before his Consul with having kicked a
Chinaman to death. Tie evidence was
conclusive until the croSs-examination
began, when contradiction followed con
tradiction until the taon tai, who was
present, became very nervous and inquired
angrily why all these questions were
asked "All the Witnesses said he,
6 state that the prisoner killed the China
man, and that is enough - and when, in
spite of his remonsrances, the cross-ex-
animation proceeded he left the court in
disgust. OF course no just European
could convict on such testimony,
In their eagerness to make good story
they sometimes overdo it, as in the case
of a witness who went into court TO prove
that the plaintiff owned d certain piece
OF property, but not having learned his
lesson correctly testified that he himself
was the owner, much to the discontinue
of the plaintiff. Cases OF similar char.
acter might be multiplied indefinitely. Ii
"a Chinaman has a perfectly good case in
foreign court he often annoys his coun-
sel'and spells his case by trying 10 i'm
prove upon the facts and introducing lit
tie fictions which seem to him advantage.
Gus. This lawless state Of things has en-.
Gured for ages, and will endure so long
as the country is ruled by Chinese with
shom the force of old customs is greater
than would be the wisest code of laws
ever framed. A revolution and change OF
dynasty might work some change for the
better but until China has fixed laws and
the Chinese have learned TO respect them,
little real progress can be expected
Sha5agl.ai Cor. ~. Y. World. .., y.