News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-08-30
A DESPERATE CRIMINAL.
Confined in a Cage and Lashed a
Thousand Times.

We mentioned some days ago that an
old prisoner had levied blackmail on a
new prisoner in the Che-h hsien's jail and
had fogged the new prisoner for refus-
ing to pay, and also man who was sup
I posed to have informed the Che hsien
of these proceedings, says the China
Daily Neaos. The Hupao now says that
! the Che -hsien, or magistrate, on taking
| his seat in court, first had the building
well guarded by braves and runners,
and then sent for the prisoners in his
jail there were twenty-three confined
| therein patches of four at time. The
| first four said they had nothing to do
with the trouble which had occurred,
but that the jailer in charge of the
prison had induced the old prisoner and
leader to demand money of the new
conner, and on his refusal had fogged
, him.
Two more patches of four each and
one of seven gave the same reply, when
the remaining four, among whom was
the leader, was sent for. The leader
said he knew his crime had been great,
and he left himself in the hands of the
Che-hsien, who might do what he
pleased with him, and the other three
| men said the same. The new prisoner
who had been fogged was then brought
in and interrogated, when he stated that
the iaier had on two occasions, asked
him to pay money, saying that he kn ew
that his family were well-off, and that on
refusing, he was fiogged by one of the
prisoners, and that friend who called
on him was dragged into the prison and
fogged, and he identified the prisoner
who had fiogged him, who was not the
leader.
The Che-hsien thereupon ordered the
leader to receive 1000 blows with the
rattan, and 1000 with the bamboo; q
second man l 900 with the bamboo and
1000 with the rattan; third 900 with
the bamboo, and the fourth 1000 with
the rattan. These punishments were in
ficted in the courtyard, and in addition
the foot of the chief was placed on
stone and he received thirty three blows
with an iron hammer on the ankle, and
the second, who had fogged the new
prisoner and his friend, got fifty blows
with the same hammer on the ankle.
Both mems ankles were broken, and the
men tainted under the punishment. The
other two men kept kneeling during
this time. This took place between 5
ana o o CLOCK III the aIIornOOn, ana 1t is
said men whose ankles had been thus
were insensible until 9
o clock. Three of the men were placed
in cages and the next morning the
leader, who could not walk, was carried
before the magistrate, who is preparing i
special cell for his detention.
The leader Is, we arc informed, tie |
same man who was put in cage in the !
city to he starved 10 death q few months |
ago.
The above punishments were, the
Chinese say, inflicted by orders OF the
superior officials at Soochow. No doubt
all the men were thorough paced rascals
and their chief or leader had not only
broken every law that it suited him to
break, but had made the authorities
ridiculous by setting them at defiance.
the sentences on them were
barbarous in the extreme. 1t does not
matter that the men were probably able
to obtain some mitigation of the severity
of their punishment by bribing the exc
cutioners to lay the blows on lightly,
and that, therefore, they did not suffer
much from the bamboo and rattan. 1t
is the iniquity of the punishment which
foreign nations Will bear in mind when
China's claims to be on an
equality with them.