The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1878-01-10
Chinese Lana Court Scene In the
w City VI Canton. sF

=
Evangelist, in very interesting letter
recently published, thus describes a
visit to court in Canton, China:
The courtroom was very plain. A
couple of Judges sat behind tables, be-
fore whom q number of prisoners were
brought in. The mode of proceeding
was very foreign to American or Euro
pean ideas. There was neither Jury
nor witnesses. This simplified matters
exceedingly. There is no trial by jury
in China. While we haggle and boggle
about impaneling juries and getting
testimony, and thus trials drag on foI
weeks, in China no such obstacle is al
lowed to impede the rapid course oi
justice, and, what is more, there are no
lawyers to perplex the Court with their
arguments, but the Judge has it all his
own way. He is simply confronted
with the accused, and they have it all
between them. Ila rlis
While we stood here number of
prisoners were brought in; some were
carried in baskets Gas they are borne to
execution), and 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 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 apparent harsh
ness or cruelty toward him, except
that he was presumed to be guilty, un-
less he could prove his innocence; con-
trary to the English maxim of law, that
a man is to be presumed innocent until
he is proved guilty. In this, however,
the Chinese practice is not very differ
ent from that which exists at this day
in SO enlightened country as France.
In one case two men were accused Of
robbery with violence--a capital Of
fense-but by the Chinese law no man
can be, punished with death unless he
confesses his crime; hence every means
is employed to lead a criminal to ac-
knowledge his guilt. OF course in a
case of life and death he will deny it as
long as he can. But if he win not con-
fess, the Court proceeds to take strin-
gent 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
fastened around his thumbs and great
toes, and drawn back tightly to the
pillar behind. This soon produced in
tense suffering. Their breasts heaved,
the veins on their foreheads stood out
like whipcords, and every feature be-
trayed the most excruciating agony.
Every few minutes an officer, of the
court asked if they were ready to con-
fess, and as often they answered "No;
never would they confess that they had
committed such a crime" They were
told if they did not confess, they would
be subjected to still greater torture.
But still they held out, though every
moment seemed an hour of pain.
While these poor wretches were thus
writhing in agony, l turned to the
Judge to see how he bore the spectacle
of such suffering. He sat at his table
quite unmoved; yet he did not seem
like brutal man, but like a man Of
education, such as one might see on
the bench in England or America He
seemed to look upon it as in the ordi-.l
nary course of proceedings, and neces-
sary step in the conviction of q crimi-
nal. He used no brayado, and offered
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
his pipe, as if he said he could stand it
us long as they could. The sight was
too painful to witness more than few
moments, and rushed away, leaving
the men still hanging to the pillars Of
torture. I confess I felt relief when
Invent back the next day, toAhear that
they had not yielded, but held out un-
fiinchingly to the last. .5'l''Fg'f +
Mysteries Of the Dead.Letter Onlce.