The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1886-07-23
FEATURES OF CHINA.
A VISIT TO THE INMATES OF A
GOVERNMENT PRISON.

Prisoners Who Get y Great Deal o
Pleasure out Of Lisc-COurt Of Justice
Punishmcnt Of Perjursrs-Coinase Of
tho Umpire.
Having rainy day to spare have spent
part of It in visit to the government prison,
why the inmates remain here longer than
they wish is puzzle have yet to solve, for
getting out seems the easiest thing in the
world. A small fee to the man in charge
took us all about the place. I saw but one
guard, and he was sound asleep, with all out
fit for smoking opium beside him. There was
one locked door, and that hard push would
have demolished. The prisoners had chains
about their feet, and were permitted to
roam about. They were playing cards and
smoking and seemed to be getting as much
pleasure out of life as did the world outside
They all wanted "cumshaw," and as one
can get 1850 "cash" for Mexican dollar,
one can feel like prince throwing handsfui
of money for as little actual expense as in
any place on earth, A solid pocketful Of
coin for an American twenty-five cent piece
will 60 long way in China. A few of the
worst prisoners were Gagged by themselves,
WlUn a COlltiT VI SiuuIc pldiihluk cA-
tending three feet either way about their
necks; these were the only ones who could not
have departed when they were tired Of con-
finement. The wosnen's department was in
the same style as that of the men, and they
too looked as if they had found a comfortable
place and wanted to keep it. Every day or
two few prisoners are decapitated, and thus
the prison is kept from being overcrowded.
IN COURT OF JUSTICE.
The court was in session not far away, and
we walked in to see how justice is admins
tered here. One man was being examined by
the mandarin and four or five more were
being tortured The guide told us that "they
no speak TRUTH" we found that they were
witnesses with the truth of whose testimony
the judge was not satisfied. A little torture
he thought would extract the truth. This
torture was simple. A plank is placed on end,
and at the top and bottom two other pieces Of
wood are fastened at right angles, making
frame something like a carpenters "horse."
The knees of the unhappy perjurer are first
beaten to make them tender; he is then placed
in a kneeling position with the arms drawn
straight behind him and kept there by
string which is tied about each thumb and
then drawn up taut, the string being sus-
pended frcr: the sticks at the top of the
plank. Other cords hold up his feet, being
fastened tightly to the great toe and then
drawn up so that the leg is bent behind him
and held in the air-the weight of the body
of course coming partly on the tender knee
and partly on the great toes. A hole is made
in the plank just behind his head, and through
this the cue is drawn and fastened to little
windlass; this being slowly revolved not
too pleasant result of pulled hair is obtained.
Fearful were the yells of one of those men;
if half hour of that would not bring the
truth nothing would. Two of the men were
softly groaning and two others had faces like
Stoics, and not-a murmer came from them
They evidently believed that a lie well stuck
to was as good as the truth The sight was
not pleasant, and we came away with great
for the law as administered in China
This method of preventing perjury recon-
mend to the notice of our law makers, for it
is said to bring about the required result if
kept up long enough. The only flaw seems to
be that the mandarin alone has to be satisfied,
and it is just possible that he might be mis-
taken at tincS.
THE COINAGE OF THE EMPIRE.
The collecting Of coins has temporary
fascination for the visiting foreigner. No
coin in China is ever called in, and the coinage
remains the same as when first issued about
six centuries before Christ. The Chinese word
for current money" and the name Of the
emperor in whose reign It was coined arc on
each piece. The coin is cast, not stamped,
and has square hole for facility in handling,
any number being strung on bit Of bamboo.
Our consul lately took about hundred, not
picked coins-but ones with which his servants
were buying articles from day to day-and
had them classified by man versed in the
history Of the Chinese dynasties. These coins
dated from 800 B. G. to the present reign.
have one issued about the time Of tho Ro-
age The characters arc worn away on one
side, bat the reverse is as plain as If it had
been only few years out Of the mint.
have lately seen something Of tho boat
fife Of Canton, and very queer 1t is That
such mass of humanity can be packed into
the space the boats occupy is hard to under
stand They get along much better with one
another than one would suppose waiting
their turn to get out Of jam without the
that a jam is apt to bring forth
elsewhere. saw one or two cases whore a
sweet temper seemed to be ruined .
little, but it was soon over. A large family
will occupy few feet Of space, living, eat
ing, sleeping in spot too small to fairly
breathe in. They tie float to the boy
babies, and if they fall overheard they are
,afe. The girls are saved if convenient, for
girls do not count for much in China; they
need civilization to learn their power. The
boy is bread-winner, and its life is valu-
able. The smaller portion Of the family they
put along the keel under the floor at night;
lift up board and there you'll find them,
packed in like sardines in box. For all
their crowding, and what must be life Of
hardship and discomfort, the babies looked as
chubby, and the older members Of the family
are as healthy and in as good spirits, as if |
they lived with a few acres Of green meadow
about each family.-Canton Correspondence
New York Tribune.
Took Advantage of the Decline.
A newsboy who was eating away at a yell
low banana, while he had two red ones stuffed
in his pockets, was approached by another