The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-09-03

bDe II 1SglnS ne nau TecolNeu ou ihe luOuJu
to make him confess as criminal or to
testify as a witness. A witness whom the
mandarin thinks stubborn and unwilling 10
testify is treated as barbarng,sly i'll CHINA
as "a criminal In an adjoining Coll TO this
one was another wretched object lying on
his stomach and mourning p:teouSiy; his
back was mass of bruises and decorations.
Outside were several men wearing about
their necks heavy wooden cangueS or
yokes; others wore shackles and were
fastened to blocks Of stone, which they
had to drag with them whenever they
moved.
LIKE SCENE FROM COMIC OPERA.
Crossing this outer yard, we passed
through another gateway and found our
selves within All inner court In the center
of this stood a broad, low wooden structure,
half house, half shed. Here at a table sat
the mandarin, smoking u silver water-piIe
and listening to the representation of a
man VINO was gesticulating and taking in
very nigh key. Standing about in atteA-
tive attitudes were yamuni-ru ners, police
men, lictors and the various functionaries
of Chinese court of justice. had arrived
at the yemun just in time to See something
of Chinese criminal tri l.
The policen, ., wore short, stacy looking
jackets, OH which were sewn discs Of white
oil cloth u foot in diameter before and be
hind. On the discs were big red charac-
tiers. These odd appandages gave the
wearers peculiarly grotesque appearance.
Thew looked like comedians on the min
stage rather than government officials seri-
ously employed Over the strange gather
ing suspended, from the rafters of the build
ing, Eung hundred gay-coloced lanterns,
boards with big gilt inscriptions, and ban
ners To me tho whole scene, from the
perkish-looking mandarin, in big, rounl
spectacles and the long peacock-feather in
his hat, to the gilt sign and red paper Ian
terms, was the life I'll paraphernaia of the
stage. The mandarin was the star, the
policemen and yanuni runners, with their
ludicrous bulls eyes, were the clowns, and
the Others the cast and the "supes.H Even
the wretched prisoner clad in scanty rags,
and PROSTATE on his face before the court
was clever actor, TO me-9uitea star, ma
be, drawing salary second only to that of
the leading man himself-the mandarin at
the table.
To pass through the middle gate seemed
complete change from the realm OF tragedy
to comedy. To those Immediately inter
ested, however, it is perhaps needless to say
that it was anything but a farce. A Fank-
wac was q rare visitor in Nam-ugan, and
for moment my entrance arrested the at
teDtion of the whole court. Even The pris-
oner twisted his neck to see what was the
cause OF the interrup ion. The mandarin
rose from his chair, and, "chin-chinning"
pleasa ntly with his clasped hands, motioned
me to a seat.
1T WAS AWFUL TRAGEDY, HOWEVER.
This momentary diversion ended, the
trial went on as before. The 'cute-looking
gentleman with the high-keyed voice, it
seems was presenting the prisoners case TO
the mandarin. As he finished witch an i'm
pressive wave of his hand from the man
DARN to the prisoner the latter rose to his
feet. The mandarin beamed at him with
judicial severity through his glasses and i'd
dressed him curtly. The culprit. If cuiprit
be was, hung his head and muttered re-
Spouse. Perhaps it was merely meek as
sertion of innocence, perhaps an appeal for
mercy. Whatever it was, 1t seemed to tire
the train of the mandarin's wrath, and with
an explosive order, which was almost a
shrek, scathing and condemnatcry, even
to me, who couldn't understand a word,
he glared like an owl through his specta-
cles.
The prisoner Frustrated himself in token
of submission; two policemen selected fiat
bamb % rods, and advanced. The c n
demued man ineekly barred his own Thu his,
with trembling hands; folded his arms
across his breast, and lay fiat on his stom-
ach His thighs were already mass Of
bruises from the last fioggIng, administered,
probably, about four days fore. A brutal
looking turnkey held his mead, another his
feet. With sharp. quick strokes the two
policemen logged the PROSTATE man by
turns, twenty strokes at u time, until each
had delivered 100 strokes. Each compile.
ment of twenty strokes was delivered with
the accuracy of long experience, in the same
place, which made q straight furrow OF
battered flesh and blood across the thighs
The next twenty made another furrow Just
below. Ten times this psocess was re-
peated, the last furrow beng almost in the
bend of the knees leaving the whole length
of the thighs a sickening mass OF mangl d
flesh.
When the wretched man was released his
whole frame was quivering with agony; he
was soldering beiplessly at the mouth, and
his eyes rolled wildly in their sockets. As
sisted by the turnkeys he knelt again before
the mandarin, VINO again questioned him.
This time he maintained logged silence;
the mandarin waved his head, and the turn
keys led him away to mis- cell. A. the poor
mangled wretch sautiied painfully on |
wonder cd whether be was really a Grim
inal unwilling 10 confess his crime, or only
an unfortunate witness, unwilling, perhaps
honestly unable, TO testify as the nand irln
wished him TO-
Chinese criminal law requires murderer
to confess his guilt before he can he CON
deuined to capital punish mont IL C rcum-
stantial evide co Is against him the unhappy
prisoner is usually logged and Ioroured
every few days until lie becomes such a
burden that he is at leugtb glad TO COMO q
in order TO have the executioner end his
misery.
Jewish New Year