The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1878-02-14
Chinese Law.-.A Court Scene In the
City of Canton,


.Eoo1lgelist, in very interesting letter re-
Gently published, thus describes visit to
a court in Canton, China:
The court room was very plain. A
couple of judges sat behind tables, before
whom number of prisoners were brought
in. The mode of proceeding was very
foreign to American or European ideas.
There was neither jury nor witnesses.
This simplified matters exceedingly.
There is no trial by jury in China.
While we baggle and boggle about i'm
paneling juries and getting testimony,
and thus trials drag on for weeks, in
China no such obstacle is allowed to i'm
pede the rapid course of justice, and,
what is more, there is no lawyers to per-
plex the Court with their arguments,
but the judge has it all his own way.
He is simply confronted with the ac-
cused, and they have it all between them.
While we stood here a number of
prisoners were brought in; some were
carried in baskets (as they are borne to ex-
ecution), and dumped on the stone pave
ment like so many bushels OF potatoes;
others were led in with chains around
their necks. AS each ones name was
called, he came forward and fell on his
knees before the Judge, and lifted up his
hands to beg for mercy. He was then
told Of the crime of which he was accused,
and given opportunity if he had anything
to say in his own defense. There was no
spparent harshness or cruelty toward bir1,
except that he was presumed to be guilty,
unless he could prove his innocence; con
trary to the English maxim of law, that
man is to be presumed innocent until
he is proved guilty. In this, however,
the Chinese practice is not very different
from that which exists at this day in SO
enlightened a country as France.
In one case two mcn were accused of
robbery with violence-a capitol offense-
but by the Chinese law no man can be
punished with death unless he confesses
his crime, hence every means is employ
ed to lead a criminal to acknowledge his
guilt. OF course in a case of life and
death he will deny it as long as he can.
But if he will not confess, the court pro-
cecds to take stringent measures to make
him confess, for which purpose these two
men were now put to the torture. The
mode of torture was this: There were
two round pillars in the hall. Each man
was on his knees, with his feet chained
behind him, so that he could not stir. He
was then placed with his back to one OF
these columns, and small cords were frs
tened around his thumbs and great toes
and drawn back tightly to the pillar be-
hind. This soon produced intense suffer
ing.
Their breasts hcaved, the veins on thei
foreheads stood out like whipcords, ant
every feature betrayed the most excruci
ating agony. Every few minutes an off
Ger of the court asked if they were read,
to confess, and as often they answered 'No
never would they confess that they hac
committed such crime" They were
told that if they did not confess, they would
be subjected to still greater torture. Blu,
still they held out. though every momen,
seemed an honr of pain.
While these poor wretches were thus
writhing in agony, I turned to the Judge
to sec how he bore the spectacle of such
suffering. He sat at his table quite un-
moved; yet he did not seem like brutal
man, but like man of education, such as
one might see on the bench in England or
America He seemed to look upon it as
in the ordinary course of proceedings, and
a necessary step in the conviction Of
criminal. He used no braVado, and Offer
ed no taunt or insult. But the cries of
the sufferers did not move him, nor pre-
vent his taking his accustomed ease. he
sat tanning himself and smoking bis pipe,
as if he said he could stand it as long as
they could. The sight was to painful to
witness more than a few moments, and l
rushed away, leaving the men still hang
ing to the pillars Of torture. l confess 1
felt relief when went back the next
day, to hear that they had not yielded,
but held out unflinchingly to the last.