Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1881-04-22
Chinese Courts.

couple OF Judges sat Dehlnd tables,
before whom u number of prisoners
were brought in. Tue mode of pro.
ceedings was veYy foreign to American
or European ideas. There was neither
Jury nor witnesses. This simplifsd
matters exceedingly. There is no trial
by Jury in China. Waile we Maggie
about impaDeiling jlries and getting
testimony. and thus trials drag on for
weeks, in China no such obstacle is al
lowed to impede the rapid course of
Justice; aid what is more. there are no
lawyers to perplex the case with their
arguments, bnt the judge has it all his
own way. He is simply confronted
with the accused. and they have it all
between them.
While We stood here, q number of
prisoners we're brought in; some were
carried in baskets (as they are borne to
cxecntion) and Dumped on the stone
pavements 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 GA 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 any thing to say in his own
defense. There was no apparent harsh
ness or cruelty towards him, except
that be was presumed to be gailty I'M
less he could prove his innocence; con
trary to the English maxim of law, that
d man il to BIZ presumed innocent until
he is proved guilty.
For example, two men we're accused
of being concerned together in bur.
glary. As they were from another
prefecture. where there is another
dialect. they had to be examined
through an interpreter. The Judge
wished to find out who leagued with
them, and therefore questioned them
separately. Each was brought in in q
basket, chained and denbled up. SO that
he sat helplessly. No witness was
examined, but the mas himself was
simply INTERCEPTED by the judge.
In another case, two men were &C
cused of robbery with violence q
capital offense, but by the Chinese law
no man Can be punished with death
unless he confesses his crime; hence
every means is employed to lead y
criminal to acknowledge his guilt. OF
course in case of life and death h.
will deny it rs long as he can. But If he
will not confess, the court proceeds t.
take stringent measures to make him
confess, for which purpose these two
men we're now put to the torture. Tue
mode of torture was this: There were
two round pillars in the hall. Each
man was on his knees. with his feel
chained behind him, SO that he could
not stir. He was then placed with hit
back to one of these columns, and small
cords we're fastened around his thumbs
and great toes, aud drawn back lightly
to the pillar behind. This soon pro
duced intense suffering. Their breasts
hesved, the veins on their foreheads
stood out like whipcords, and every
tature betrayed the most excruciating
agony. Every few minutes an Office,
Of the court asked if they were ready
TO confess, and as often they answered,
mo; never would they confess thai
they had com mitted such crime.
They we're told if they did OF confess.
they would be subjected to still greater
torture. But they still held out, though
ever, moment seemed An hour of pain.
While these poor wretches we're thus
writhing in Ggony, I turned to the judge
to zee how he bore the spectacle of sui
feripg He sat at his table quite an
moved; yet he did not seem like brutal
nan, but like man Of education,
such as one might see in the bench
in Eogland or America. He seemed
to look upon it as in the ordinary
course of proceedings, and q necessary
step in the conviction of q criminal.
He used 70 bravado, 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. OF course he
knew that, as their heads wore at stake,
they would deny their guilt until COM
PEELED to ield; but he seemed to look
upon it as simply question of endur.
ance, in which, if he kept on losg
enough, there could be but one issue.
But still the men did not give in, snd
looked at them with amazement min
sled with horror, to see what human
nature could endure. The sight was
too painful to witness more than few
minutes, and rushed away. leaving
the men still hanging to the pillars of
torture. I confess l felt relief when
went back the next day, to hear that
they had not yielded, but held out I'M
hinchingly to the last.
Horrible as this seems, I have heard
good msn-men of humanity-argue in
favor of torture, at least when applied
in mild way" They affirm that in
China there can be no administration
of justice without it. In . coantry
where testimony is absolutely worthless
where as many men can be hired to
swear falsely for ten cents apiece as you
have money to buy-there is no possibl
way of arriving at the truth but by
ertorting it. No doubt it is a rough
process, but it secures the result.-lDr
Henry NJ. Field.
The CHEAPEST MEDIoINE.--Alla advice