Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-10-10
A Graphic Description by an American
Missionary of an Execution in
Mongolia.
The Victim, a Miserable-LoOking
Being, Drawn to the Scene in an
Ordinary Farm Cart.

the 1amen there seemed to be a stream of
people pouring into it, and friendly Chi
nese asked me if l. TO, had come to see
the hustle What bustle?" The execu-
ton, of course. | had never heard of it,
but joined the stream and found myself in
! the outer court Of the 1amen. A small
crowd stood about the low, narrow door
way of the great prison, near which were
placed a table and two chairs. A large
crowd was gathered in an open building.
where there was a more imposing table and
more chairs, with some drappery. signif-
can't of authority. The open court was
partly filled with a crowd of townspeople,
mostly young, among whom petty trad
ers were selling -four, tea. and sweet
meats.
Many of the crowd. soon got tired of
waiting. It was bitterly cold, and the fact
that only one was to be led forth seemed to
disappoint them Mt few soon left the
place. The utter frivolity of the people
was distressing. Solemnity seemed abso-
lutely wanting. [ seemed to be the only
one there who had any sympathy for the
forthcoming victim, and at last, i'll able to
bear the frivolous talk, left the Yamen,
ton was in the river-bed outside the south
| L
cavalry who were to form the escort coming
up the street in double line looking brave
with red banners.
| The south gate looks out upon a square
mile or so of waste land. desolated by a
river whose stream formost of the year is
a mere rivulet, but which, when flooded by
| the summer rains, roars over the whole
place from the city gate to the solid walls
opposite, leaving when 1t ret1res dreary
expanse of stones and sand. To one stand
ing at the gate there was visible less than
quarter of a mile away a rude shed
standing on a plat of sand just beyond a
struggling plantation of willows. No one
was near it, The northwest wind was
sweeping the sand across the plain. Close
by the gate small crowd of boys, with
their hands up their sleever, crouched in
the shelter of a house Not far off from
the crowd of boys table and two or three
chairs were lying on the ground. Country
men came struggling across the plain on
their way to the market to sell their loads
of brush-wood fuel | walked on to the
shed, and coming back saw some move
ment beginning. The table and chairs
were being carried through the willow
plantation toward the she'd catching on
the bushes as they passed. / had been
looking at the crowd among the willows
when voice close at hand invited me not
to go away, but to come and see the fun. >
| Looking toward the sound | was startled
to find | was in the presence of the execu-
toner, carrying great two-handed sword
or knife, the handle appropriately ending
up in carved human head. A couple of
minutes later the cavalry with their red
bravery wound in sight and close behind
them was an ordinary farm cart drawn by
two small, lean horses and an OK.
A number of men were seated on the
cart, three or four of whom were holding
in position at the tail Of the cart a pale,
| haggard man about 4S years of age. His
hands were tied behind his back, and ris-
ing some three feet above his head per-
! pendicular superscription written on white
| paper in Chinese characters, and affixed to
| stick thrust down his back, waved in the
wind The crowd, which had somewhat
increased by this time, left its shelter for
| close look at the prisoner, then scampered
| away by short cut through the willow
| plantation to take up good position and
get good view There was no need to
hurry The cart, slow at BEST had to pass
through bed of sand drifted on the road
and there the lean animals came nearl y to
a stand-still Arrived at the place the
prisoner and his guards dismounted and
| stood in little group just in front of the
| shed. | found myself just opposite the
prisoner. He was a tall, pale, starved
Chinaman He was in letters. His trou-
sers were in rags to such an extent that
| they in no way concealed his person. For
upper garments he had ragged wadded
jacket. His bare arms were bound with
rope behind his back. Moisture trickling
from his nose had formed an icicle, which
| hung from his thin, black mustache on his
upper lip. The hair on his unshaven head
| had grown long He stood erect, but
whether of his own strength or held in po-
sition it was impossible to tell Numerous
hands gripped him so tightly that it was
| doubtful if he could have made voluntary
movement, and part of his erect bearing
was doubtless due to the strength OF the
grasp with which one man held the root of
the pigtail. There he stood. No one
spoke to him. He spoke to no one. The
only sign of concern in the proceedings he
betrayed was that twice he cast sharp eyes
toward the she'd He was a miserable pic
ture. Apart from everything else the bit
ter cold alone must have to a great extent
benumbed him. In little while the crowd
began to say: mo appearance of the
1CAie3
to wait.
A smart, swift cart soon drew up behind
the she'd the mandarin entered through the
doorway left in the mating at the beak. the
guards shufded the prisoner forward tow
ard the front of the shed, made him duck
his head to the mandarin, and then, with
some noise and shouting, hurrledly hustled
him off at greater distance. The crowd
surged about and could see nothing,
moment or two later caught glimpse OF
group of men crouching round kneel-
ing figure, holding him at arm s length
and averting their faces and keeping their
heads as far away as possible. The crowd
surged again; there was sound such as
| have heard from butcher cleaYer when
splitting open a carcass. The crowd was
still for a moment, then began rapidly to
disperse, and there was the mans head
lying on the sand, the features unchanged,
except only the eyes closed. The trunk ltwas
! impossible to see through a crowd OF youths
and boys who pressed close around 1t. The
mandarin climbed into his cart and drove
off The crowd scattered quick young
and oldremarking, with glee and approval,
/ Wasn't that knife SHARPE? Two men
after fixing the end of the pig-tale to the
| long hair near the brow, slipped a ten-foot
pole through the loop, and carrying the
head thus started for the Yamen. Find
ing the blood still dripped they, by move
ment of the pole, wiped it on the sand and
slowly went off.
Meantime the carcass was being freed
from the letters and stripped of rags.
The cord which had bound the arms was
tied to the ankles and the two. men, asking