Wichita eagle., 1889-02-12
CHINESE DETECTIVES.
Confessions Elected by Torture
and Other Cruel Means
Shrewd Methods Sometimes Employed by
Monaghan Magistrates for EntrappinS
Guilty Party-Supcrstition Pow
erful Ally in Many Cases.

The Chinese possess no organized detect
I've force, though the officials sometimes
visit in disguise the scene of a notable
crime for the purpose of making inquiries,
and police spies are often locked up with re-
manded prisoners to try to worm out their
secrets. The lower classes being intensely
superstitious, the judicial investigation of
crime usually takes place at night. The
judgment hall.sas described by writer in
Chambers Journal, Is 3 lofty building of
wood, unceiled and bare of furniture save
for the raised dals at the north end, where is
seated the presiding magistrate, attended
by his secretaries, clerks and lctors. The
only light comes from paper lanterns or cot
ton wicks in oil cups, which but serve to
bring into prominence the weird shadows
fitting about the corners and lurking
among the woodwork of the roof. Silence
prevails, the few spectators watching the
proceedings standing like statues. The ac-
FUSED, dragged from the darkness and filth
Of a Chinese prison, is forced to kneel be-
fore the Judgment seat throughout the
trial Weakened by ill-treatment and ap-
palled by his own superstitious imaginings,
he often requires only little judicious ter
rorizing to elicit full confession of his
guilt. If he prove obdurate, witnesses are
called. From these no oath or affirmation Is
demanded, the breaking of saucer
and other forms for administering an
oath to a Chlnaman laid down in English
law-books being quite unknown in Chinese
courts. ANY hesitation or refusal to
answer the magistrates questions-for he
Is judge, jury and crown prosecutor all in
one, and no counsel for the defense is al
lowed-is punished by slaps on the cheek or
the application of the bamboo to the thighs,
and similar penalties more severely admin
istered check the giving OF false testimony.
Should the prisoner, in face of strong evil
dence, persist in denying his guilt, various
persuasive measures are resorted TO, such
as forcing him TO kneel on chains, hang
ing him up by the thumbs or suspend
ing him by the neck IN a wooden frame so
that his toes just touch the ground. All
such tortures are illegal, but q confession
has to be obtained somehow before sentence
can be passed, and cases are many and the
time for settling them short. Seldom can
the stoutest rogue, or, alas innocent man,
hold out against such treatment continued
throughout the night, and renewed, If necee-
sary, egain and again.
When two or more persons are equally
suspected Of theft or the like, the magis-
trates often show great ingenuity in de-
tecting the guilty. In cross-examination
they are peculiarly skillful in obtaining dam
aging admissions, their suave manner de-
ceiving the accused as TO the Importance
of the point they inquire about 50 careless
" Two instances of extra-judicisl methods
for ascertaining the culprit among many
equally under suspicion deserve TO be re
corded for their cleverness. Some balls OF
opium taken from pratical junk by a rev
enue cruiser myteriously disappeared while
being transferred TO the latter vessel.
Opium is very precious in China, and ball
is easily split up and secreted in the
wide sleeves or the voluminous waistband
Of a Chinese sailor. The commander
Of the vessel was 10th to inst-
tute search of the ship and crew, know
ing well the craftiness of his men, and that
even if found the opium would most prob
ably be IL the bundle of some innocent
man. He therefore resorted TO a plan as
simple as il proved effective In his cabin
was. as is usual, a shrine of the Goddess
OF Mercy and of the Chinese Neptune Be
fore these deitIes he instituted a solemn
service, which was prolonged till evening.
When night fen he mustered the crew and
called them one by one into the dlmly- .
lighted cabin. Here each man had to make
solemn declaration OF his innocence. kneel-
ing before the images, and, dipping bus
finger in SANGER of water, TO smear his .
face all over. being warned that, il he were
guilty the dvini1ies would make his face
appear strea!1ed with black When the
thiefs turn came. he tried 10 outwit the gods
by rubbing his finger on the bottom Of the
saucer; but. to his horror. when he reached
the hight, his face was all over black
marks, the willy commander having held
the saucer over a lamp before commencing
the experiment.
In another case, where several servants
were suspected Of theft, each man was
given bamboo of the same length. marked .
with his me- which had 20 bs deposited /
In an urn before small shrine in the outer /
PRISON where they were confined. The
othcer announced that the culprIt's rod
vacuId grow, by interpositon of providence,
one inch during the night. The prisoners
were then locked up. no watch being kept
on the urn On the reassemoling of the
court one rod was found to be an inch
shorter than the rest, as the thief had
under cover OF the darkness eudeavored TO
circumvent the supposed divine power by
biting bit of ms rod.
WhHn any sxncle aisaopears irom q