The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1878-03-28

A correspondent Of the New York
Evangelist thus describes his visit
to court Ia Canton, China: The
court-roonn was very plain. A cou-
pie OF judges sat behind tables, be-
fore whom q number Of prisoners were
brought in. The mode of proceeding
was very foreign 10 American or Euro
pean ideas. There was neither Jury nor
witnesses. This simpIitied matters ex-
ceedingly. There is no trial by jury in
China. While we haggle and bogsle
about impaneling iuries and getting tes-
timony, and thus trials drag on for
weeks, in China no such obstacle is al.
lowed to impede the rapid course nf JUS
tice, and, what is more, there are no
lawyers 10 perplex the court with their
arguments, bat the Judge has il all his
own way. He Is simply confronted with
the accused, and they have il all between
them.
While we stood here number of
prisoners were brought in; some were
carried in baskets las they are borne
10 executiOnl aud dumped on the stone
pavement like SO many bushels Of pota-
toes; others were led in with chains
around their necks. As each ones name
was called he came forward aud fell ON
his kneea before the Judge and lifted up
his hands 10 beg for mercy. He Was
then told of the crime Of which he was
accused, and given opportunity il he
had anything to say in his own defense.
There was no apparent harshneSS or
cruelty toward him, except that he was
presumed 10 be guilty, unless he could
prove his innocence; contrary % the
English maxim Of law. that man is 10
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 81 enhght-
ened a country as France.
In one case two men were accused of
robbery with Violence capital nffenss
but by the Chinese law no man can
be punished with death unless he CON
fesSes his crime hence every means is
employed IL lead criminal To acknowl-
edge his guilt. OF course in case Of
hte and death he will deny il as long as
he can. But If he will not confess, the
co0rt proceeds to take stringent meas
ures to make him confess, for which pur-
pose these two men were now put 10 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
soald not stir. He was then placed with
his back 90 one Of these columns, and
caris were fAsteEed around his thumbs
and great toes. end drawn back tightly
20 the pillow behind. This soon pro
duces intense suffering. Their breasts
beaved, the veins ON their foreheais
stool ont like whipcnris, and every
feature betrayed the most excruciating
agony. Every few minutes an officer Of
the court asked il You were ready 20 con-
fess, and as often they answered, "No;
never would they confess that they had
committed such crime" They were
told if they did not confess, they would
lie subjected to stin greater torture.
But stil they held out, though every
moment seemed an hour Of pain.
While these poor wretches were thus
writhing IN agony. turned TO the Judge
20 see how he bore the spectacle of such
suffering. he sat at his table quite IN
moved; vet he did not seem like a bru-
tal man, but Ike a man OF education.
sReh as one might see on the bench in
England and America. He seemed to
look upon il as the ordinary course Of
proceedings. and necessary step in the
conviction OF criminal BE used no
hravsdo, and offered no taunt or insult.
But the cries Of the sufferers did not
move him, nor prevent his taking his
accustomed ease. de sat tanning him
self and smoking his pipe. Us if he said
he could stand It as long as they could.
The sight was too painful to witness
more than few moments, and | rushed
away, leay lg the men still hanging to
the pillars 1 tnrture. confess felt
q relief when I went back the next day,
to hear that they had not yielded, but
held ont unhinchingly TO the last.