Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1886-08-27
JUSTICE IN CHINA.
How il is Administered in
the Land OF the Pigtails.
Cruel Torture of a Prisoner BY the
Order Of a Mandarin in Canton.

A Canton letter to the San Francisco
Examiner describes a horrifying court
scene. The writer says:
As l entered the court room two stall
wart jailcrs were roughly bringing in
prisoner accused Of the crime Of piracy.
Around the neck of the prisoner was an
iron collar, to which an iron chain was at
tached. One Of the jaiIers was dragging
the prisoner along by the cham, and the
other was aiding him by pushing and
kicking. The accused was taken before
the mandarin's desk, made to PROSTATE
himself on the floor, and the trial com
mcnced The accusation charging the
prisoner with piracy was read, and then
the mandarin asked him through the in
terpreters to confess the charge. This
the prisoner refused to do, claiming that
he was innocent This seemed to anger
the mandarin, and he instructed the
lictors to strike the prisoner with their
leather thongs This they did, striking
/ him a number of times on the face with a
leather strap two inches wide and foot
in length This falling to bring the de-
sired answer, the mandarin then ordered
the jailers to prepare torture. An in
strument of torture, resembling a com
mon bench was then brought in and
placed in position on end. From the
upper legs Of the bench donglcd four
stout cords, and near the top of the
plank, forming the seat, was a cloth
band about two inches in width, and
attached to a winch at the back Of the
board. The prisoner viewed these pre-
parations with dogged and sullen look.
The lictors then seized the prisoner aud
forced him to kneel with his back against
this frame, and quickly fastened a cord
to each of the large toes Of the foot, and,
bending back the arms, fastened the
other two cords to his thumbs The
cords were now frightened until the pris
oner's knees were raised clear Of the
door The band was then placed around
the forehead and frightened with few
.urns Of the winch The position Of The
body naturally threw the weight forward
and made the pressure on the forehead
fearful.
As the cords aud bands frightened and
the weight of the body was thrown on
them, the victim began to show evidence
Of extremo pain. wi. bre..tls .sv.ss.., ,,ao~s,
! and laborcd, and a deep groan occasion
ally escaped his lips. In this position be
hang for a couple Of minutes, and was
then again asked BY the mandarin if he
was guilty of the charge of piracy. He
refused to confess. The pcrspiration wa.
starting out all over his body, the cord,
were beginning to cut into the flesh and
the muscles were becoming knotted. The
mandarin gave an impatient order to the
, lictols, and the winch was given couple
OF turns tightening the bands around tho
forehead until the prisoners eyes seemed
, to start from their sockets and the flesh
, on each side of the band was pulled and
, discolored. Again he was asked to con-
fess and again refused. Another turn Of
the winch was ordered. The eyes of the
, suffering man had now rolled back until
only the whites were visible; the mus
cles of his face began to twitch and Knot,
and froth was collecting around his lips.
, His groans and writings were horrible.
. 1t seemed as if human senses could
, stand no more A few more turns
of the winch and the band would
crush in the skull. The muscles Of
, the arms and legs stood out rigid
and knotted from the weight of the
body. Once more he was asked to con-
fess. This time he hesitated and then
shriekcd out that he would confess any
thing they desired if they would but
g take him from this horrible rack. The
mandarin, therefore, ordered the lictors
to release him from the rack. This they
did much in the same manner as a steve
dore handles sacks Of grain. They un-
tied the cords and loosencd the band,
allowing the prisoner to fall in a heap
on the floor The tortured mans face
had lost the scmbance of human be-
, ing. Distorted by the pain and agony
endured with set, gIaring eyes and
, open mouth, it presented a grnnlng,
unnatural, hideous aspect The arms
and limbs were rigid and cramped, al.
muscular power seeming to have lett
them, and the perspiration was rolling
from his body in streams. The hctor'
; now hastily throwinga cloth on his lace
to hide its hideous erinnings, roughly
straightened his limbs and set HIM up
against the rack from which he had lust
been released. His toes and thumbs
: were bleeding flom the cuts made by the
cords, and the band had left deep, req
mark around his forehead. The suffer
ing of the man was horrible aud his
groans sent a thrill through my blood.
A Maori joke.
On the Walato river, below Lake
Taupo, are large falls, says newZea'anu
letter to the Salt Lake IrlJqae IN a
place where there are precipitous banks
the broad stream is crowded into chan
! L.. G. -. Tbrunth