Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-01-06
EXECUTIONS AT CANTON.
Criminals Beheaded or Dying Upon tn
Cross AT the Rate Of One Day.

Criminals Beheaded or Dying Upon the
Cross at the Rate OF One Day.
Letter in the Loadon telegraph.
Crime does not 20 unpublished in this
part Of China. The professional guide of
the city, indeed, shows the execution
ground Of Canton with an honest pride.
10 is not pleasant place to look at on q
wet morning, and to a criminal must have
very depressing appearance. let. with
the exception of three or four wooden
crosses leaning up against the wall, there
was nothing TO indicate that the scene
had ever been one of wholesale butchery.
Still here il was that. i'm 1850, nearly 30
600 sO-called rebels were beheaded. a
short lane, seventy-fiye feet long by about
twenty-five feet wide. narrower at one end
than the other. was nearly filled with
earthenware pots put out TO dry. Very
muddy and sloppy, there was no place
marked of for executions; and | stepped
down to little hut at the end Of the lane
to make the acquaintance of the eXecu-
tioner, who, l learned, lived there, before
/ found out that the beheadng was per-
formed wherever there was Il vacant
space.
The funetiOnary was not at home, and
his wife was showing me the heavy two
handled, bTOad-bladed knife with which
he operated, offering, in fact, to sell it for
- when little crowd appeared in the
lane, and man bound at the arms was
led to an open space among the pots. MY
IDEA that an execution was about TO take
place was now confirmed by the owner Of
the hut coming for his knife. The culprit
was evidently also informed Of the nature
oil the ceremony about to take place. for
he looked very melancholy. though | af-
forwards learned that some opium had
baen given him. As the eXecuti0nef came
up couple OF policemen pushed tn vic
tim down upon his knees in the mud. and
bound his legs to his arms as he knelt,
then pulling back the collar Of his shirt
forced bis head forward. while the execu-
TONER with much care selected an earthen
pot IN which to catch the prisoners skull
Ihese preiiminarics having been set
tied, the headsman stood over the prs-
oner, and with two cuts completely sew
cred the nec6-Onc, indeed. had nut the
criminal beyond all pain. The head.
Nhlch had fallen into the pot, was COW
ereu up, the bleeding trunk was picked
up by the relatives of the convict. the
crowd separated. and after some financial
transactions between the officer who SUI
peflntended the execution and the execu-
TONER the latter walked off to his hut. for
All was over; the whole affair not having
occupied ten minutes. I was told that
Just then executions took place at about
the rate OF one a day. Generally they
took form Of bcheadin@s, but occasionally
people were submitted to the slow death
upon the crosses against the wall. when.
oil course, the spectacle was more barba-
Tous: \ woman was executed the next
'''V tor Killing her husband, and received
- the oxecu-
eight wounds from the Eurle
toner before she was finally put oQt Vi
her agony; but l could not hnq that rs
a
one in China who had seen more cruelty
practiced than that. The ''cUtting into a
thousand pieces" now generally resolves
itseIf into s0me such mode of desnatch.