The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1877-02-21
-, ovn ,if, thn, saving him

take awav his own life, thns saving him
the obioauy of a public execution. vi
On Official who receives this message nf
death. be is practically said to have
been presented with the silver cord.
Theft is punished with the bastinsdo,
branding, torture and cutting of the
ou.re. nanslaughter aud homicide are
clas.ad With murder, and rs life is taken
for life. it may in some measure account
tor the fset that the Chinese hesitate to
approach s-iead body. or give inferma-
ton if they have seen one. from fear
of being charged either IN icipa'ion
in or with the capitsi crime itself.
The modes of intjlcting capital pun
ishmeDt are various. Sometimes the
culprit is decspita,ed or straugled by
the bow -string-the two most common
me thod.: at other times, the revolving
practice Of hewing the living victim to
pieces 10 resorted to: the extremities are
first severed one by one, in slow but
sure succession from the trunk, while
al vital parts are carefully avoided to
the last. so that the pain and suffering
of the unfortunate martyr may be pro-
longed
Filial disobedience is considered .
crime next IN atrocity to murder and Is
punished By the bsstinado and severe
beating with bamboos of different sizes.
By the penal code Mandarins may apply
torture for the purpose Of extortiug q
confession of guilt, but the same law
provides ample punishment for any
abuse OF this power, and exempt from
its penalties all those above seventy
and below seventeen years of age.
Assault and theft are both punished
/ by slow torture called the cangue,
which, is inflicted for various periods of
duration. This is the most common of
all criminal punishments, and consists
in the calprit being adorned with q
collar made Of plsnks having q round
hole in the center. fitting closely to the
neck. Upon the collar is affixed de-
scription in writing Of the offense for
which the bearer is suffering. 1t is
amusing to witness the attempts made
by these poor wretches to carry on
communication between their hands and
heads. The square collar is too large
to admit Of driving away heas aud
other insects, and where as in the south
of China, opthalmia is very prevalent,
tue result may be imagined and to
this his unshorne pat aud firm strug-
Cling pains on HE face. John China
man with his head in the stocks is any
thing but q captivating victim. Al
sunrise every mOraing these fellows are
! led ont of the icommon prison so
adorned aud conaucted to-: spot
where each has to be exhibited. If a
theft has been committed in the house
of barbarian. the thief is chained
to his trout gate. and when once an
idle vagabond has cut down = tree ON
one OF the streets in the foreign settle
ment of Shanghai. the Celestial magis-
trate with grim humor, sentences the
criminal to month Of the canque, dur
ing which time he is to sit upon the
stump Of the dismeulbered tree.
There are sixteen maxims which the
law requires shall be read aloud in the
court on the first aud fifteenth day OF
each month. but this is rarely If ever
carried out; when reading them the
mandrins address the assembled mul-
titudes. and usually taking one OF
them for text. they expound the law
and illustrate by example. familiar to
; the people. the manner in which it
should be applied to themselves, aud
perseveringly urge them on returning
to their homes to reflect seriously upon
their extortions and practice the doc.
trines they have inculcated, with what
result can be left to imagine.
Seattle. Feb. 10th, 1877. f.