The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1877-08-03


We found the courtyard thronged
with yellow-uniformed soldiers, armed
with halberds and match-locks, a
liers on little c~oiiee-colored ponies, para
soils, banners, gongs, a rich sedan chair
carried by six coolies robed in red-all
the cortege Of a great Mandarin-and in
the middle, seated on the ground in bas-
kets, with sullen c~ountenances and
heavily ironed, a dozen ragged men, the
victims.
AZ each moment 4 new captive was
brought up. One by one a police official
lugged them out Of the cell; each was
seized and bound by the turnkeys and
placed in the basket, TO be carried, de-
pending from a bamboo, By two bear
ers; a wooden tag tied round his neck
gave his name and age, and 4 label
pasted upon a stick announced the crime
or which be was To die, by order OF the
Emperor.
The execution ground Is a small, tri-
angular space; on n side Is "a low wall,
on another are some wrctched houses.
The NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. potters and a
carpenter-pay no taxes. They seemed
10 be miserably poor, and altogether in
different TO the scene to be enacted.
They used the field to dry their pottery;
indeed, as we arrived, an old Chinaman
was hurriedly removing pots and jars
from the center to make room for The
executioner and his victims.
At first sight nothing could be more
innocent and calm than this little I" Pot
ter's field but on looking along the
nall hr~rr srL.s Jsl ~. A..0 a..
Of skulls bleaching in the sun, some
boxes and jars OF quicklime in which
might be seen scattered tufts OF hair,
and crosses from which depended bits Of
stitfened rope. ITO those said H.,
"they tie prisoners who are 10 be tortllr-
ed. A common mode Of punishment il
TO cut them to pieces while alive, begin
ming with the eyelids, the nose and the
lips, and then going on to the arms and
legs. There is All Fong, the headsmen,r
he continued, indicating a thick-sct man,
with rousers and sleeves rolled up and
bearing a large saber. ale is an inn
portant parsonage and leaves the heavy
work to his assistants. Decapilaiing Is
his speciality
AT this moment the cortege entered
the little field; the coolies, out Of breath
and sweating, deposited their lading on
the ground; the executioners seized
their victims, led them 70 the middle Of
the s~pace-there was barely room
made them knecl one before the other
in single lines, twenty-four prisoners in
all stretched u their necks by raising
their pinioned arms; wrapped round
their skulls the queues hat had been
loosened or disarranged-then waited
The Mandarin did not arrive. He
had probably had some difficulty in
making his way through the crowded
streets, and till he reached the ground
nothing could be done. While waiting
for him the headsman examined criti-
cally the edge Of his weapon, and tight
ened his girdle, and the kneeling pris-
oncrs YEARLY twisted their outstrctched
necks. Thus Al least ten minutes pass
ed. Imagine what thoughts must have
coursed through the brains Of those poor
devils during these ten centuries Of
waiting, the mental torture. superadded
without motive and BY sheer negligence
to their physical punishment. There
they were, kneeling in a long line, each
one heholding before him the heads that
should be Topped off ere his turn came.
l scanned the yellow faces with some
such thought a. this, but ! did not see
upon them n impression, one indica-
tion Of sentiment, one muscle move, one
sign Of fear. Every where was resigna-
ton, indifference, or british uncon-
sciousness. Two were chewing the
betel-root, or something Of the sort.
A. I.rt tLn .rnx..l .nvn .nA fha
Mandarin's sedan appeared. This was
the signal to begin. What then trans-
pired | dare not write you. Its rcmem
brance Is like that Of a nightmare.
have still before my eyes the two exc
cutioners swinging their Redeemed
blades, heads rolling upon the ground
or remaining attached 10 the nccks BY q
rag 81 flesh, decapitated trunks sinking
down all fecked with gore. . All
Fong breaking off from his work 70
change his sword, the edge Of which had
become dulled; then | again hear the
steel clicking on the ncck-bone, the thud
Of heads falling on the bricky clay, the
cry Of admiration BY the throng ~ each
scientific blow.
In a few minutes all was done; IN the
middle Of the yard in a pool 81 bloody
mire lay twenty-four Topped corpses,
and the attendants We're FLASHING about
in IL, carrying by the hair several heads
with fixed eyeballs, or dragging behind
them the bodies, hacked, ignoble, hide
Gus. At this instant the headsman, who
had just noticed US, approached and
presenting, still smoking with blood,
the two swords with which the work had
been done, offered to sell them 10 ~ for
five dollars, as we might like 10 lave
them by way Of souvenir,
Now home comes the sweet glfl
--.J..s- ~ ..I t.l.. ~ L..~ ..ha. .t