Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-02-15
ORIENTAL TnIEFYAKERS.
HOW CRIME rs DETEoTRD IN THE
CHINESE EMPIRE
Modern solomons Whose wisdo
Is Shown by Results = Curious
Convictions.

CONVICTIONS
The Chinese possess no organized
detective force, though the officials
sometimes visit in disguise the scene of
notable crime for the purpose Of max
lug inquiries, and police spies are often
locked up with remanded prisoners to
try to worm out their secrets.
The lower classes being intensely
superstitioas, the judicial investigation
of crime usually takes place OF night,
s hsi I. 1osy y SnSav a II Judgment
celled, and bare of furniture save for the
RAISED gais ct the north end, where is
seated the presiding magistrate, attended
by his seere'9ries, clerks and ictors.
The only light comes from paper Ian
terms or cotton wicks in oil.cups, which
but serve to bring into prominence the
weird shadows fitting about tho corners
and lurking among the woodwork of the
roof. Silence prevails, the few specta-
tors watching tho proceedings standing
like statues.
The accused, dragged from the dark
ness aud filth OF Chinese prison, is
forced to kueel before the Judgment seat
throughout the trial. Weakened by ill
treatment and appalled, by his own SUI
persti,ious imaginings, he often only re-
Quires II little iudicious torrorizing to
elicit n full confession of his guilt
Ii he prove obdurntc, witnesses arc
called. From these no cath or a,hrma.
ton is demanded; tho breaking Of q
saucer and other forms for administering
an oath 10 Chicaman laid down in
English law books being quito unknown
i'll Chinese courts.
Any hesitation or, rcfua TO answer
the magistrates questions--for he is
Judge, jury and crown prosecutor all in
one, and no counsel for the defence IS
allowed-is punished by slaps on the
cheek or the application of the bamboo
to the limbs, and similar penalties moro
severely administered check the giving
Of false testimony.
Should the prisoner, in the face of
strong evidence, persist in denying his
guilt, various persuasive measures arc
resorted to, such rs forcing him to kncel
on chains, hanging him up by the thumbs
or suspending him by the neck in n
wo odcn frame so that his toes Just touch
the ground.
All such fortunes arc illegal, but n
confession has to be obtained somehow
before sentence can be passed, and the
cases are many and the time allowed for
settling them short.
Two instances of tra-judicial meth
DDS for ascertaining the culprt among
many equally under suspicion deserve to
bc recorded Tor their cleverness. Some
balls OF opium taken from a piratical
junk by revenue cruiser myslcriously
disappeared while being transferred to
the latter vessel.
Opium is very precious in China, and
ball is easily split up aud sccrctcd in
the wide sleeves or the voluminous
waistMnd of Chinese sailor.
The commander of the vessel was
loath to institute search of the shin
and crew, knowing we'll tho craftincss
of his men, and that, even if found, tho
opium would most probably be in the
bundle of some innocent man. He
therefore resoricd TO plan us simple rs
1t proved effective.
In his cabin was, as ia usual, n shrine
of the Goddess OF Mercy and of the
Chinese Neptune. Before these doitics
he instituted solemn service, which
was prolonged till evening.
When night fell he mustered the crew
and called them one by one into the
dimly-lighted cabin. Here each man
had to make solemn declaration of his
innocence, kneeling before the images,
and, dipping his finger in saucer of wa
ter, to smear his face all over, being
warned that if he were guilty, the ui-
whites wonld make his face appear
strcakcd with black.
When the thicf's turn came, he tried
to outwit the gods by rubbing his finger
on the bottom of the saucer; but to his
horror, when he reached the light, his
face was all over black marks, the willy
commander having held the saucer over
lamp before commencing the expert
ment.
In another case, where several servants
were suspected of theft, each man was
given bamboo of the same leneth.
marked with his name, which had to be
deposited in an urn before small shrine
IN the outer prison where they were con.
fined.
The officer announced that the cul.
prit's rod would grow, by interpositiun
OF Providence, one inch durinr tho
night. The prisoners were then locked
up, no watch being kept OH the urn.
On the Resembling of the conrt one
rod was found to be an inch shorter than
the rest, as the thief had, under cover OF
darkness, endeeyered to circumvcnt tho
,.Pl'N, Ni'iho power ny DltlnH e ii. ~
his rod. :
When any article disappears from q
private house and one of ihe inmates Is
suspected of purloining it, it is usual,
before having recourse 10 the magistrate
whose underlings exact huge fees fol-
doing anything, or nothing, to call in a
priest and hold combination service
This consists in invoking the evil
spirits and bribing them by offerings and
music 10 hound the culprit 10 death
within the year. 1t continues for three
days and nights-if the terrified thief
does not confess and make restitution
before that time. result very frequently
achieved
Europeans living in China have tried
this method, but not with much success
MS The gongings and other discordant
sounds which constitute the "musicp so
cifcctnally drive away sleep that the
neighboring foreigners insist on its being
intermitted during the night, and So =
Say the Chinese spoil Ike charm.
4 Blum skipper Stops the Conriing.
An Old Bucksport (STe.) sen capita n
thus describes the way In which he dis
missed an undesirable sutton for the hand