The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-08-18
A CHINESE EXECUTION.
Brutal Atrocities of the Celestial System OF
Punishment.
Norman. in Philadelphia Times,

Pun1Shnent.
Henry Norman. in Philadelphia Times.
i am inclined to think that nobody can
claim to have an adequate and accurate
appreciation of Chinese character who has
not witnessed q Chinese execution.
The execution ground 70 a bare piece of
open, fifty yards long by a dozen wide, be-
tween two houses whose blank walls hem
it in on three sides. To-day it is the exc
cution ground, yesterday and tomorrow
the drying ground of a potter, who lives
there.
Suddenly the gates are thrown open, and.
welcomed by a howl of delight from the
crowd. a strange and CHASTITY procession
comes tumbling in. First, a few ragamuffin
soldiers, making a fine pretense of clearing
the the victims Tay1 i in small hs she al SUG hasse ear TInngg
to bamboo poles. As soon as each pair reach
the middle of the space they stoop and pitch
their living burden out and run of. The
prisoners are chained hand and foot, and
are perfectly helpless. The executioner
stands by and points out where each loads
to be dumped. He is dressed exactly like
any other coolie present, without any badge
of office whatever. The condemned men
have each a long folded piece of paper in a
split bamboo stuck into their pIgtail, upon
which is written their crime and the war
rant of execution. One after anothey they
arrive and are slung out. Will the process
sion never endi How many can there bef
This is more than we bargained for. At
eaO 80 IA VIZ w " tho
hats of W petty mandarins. and behind
them the gates are shut. The tale of men
Is fifteen, and the executioner has arranged
them in two rows. about two yards apart.
all facing one way.
All except one seemed perfectly ~callous,
and he had probably been dragged with
opium, a last privilege which the prisoners
friends can always obtain by bribery. They
exchange remarks, some of them evidently
chaff with the spectators, and one was car
rled in singing and kept up his strain almost
to the last. The executioners-there are
two of them-step forward. The younger
tucke up his trousers and sleeves and DELHI
erately selects a sword from several lying
by. while the other, an older man. collects
the strips of paper into a sheaf and
lays them on one side. Then he places him
self behind the front nah of the row and
takes him by the shoulders. The younger
man walks forward and stands at the
left of the kneelingman. The fatal moment
has come. There is an instant hush, and
every one of the two rows of condemned
men behind twists his head around and
cranes his neck to see. / will not attempt
to describe the emotions of such a moment
the horror. the awful repulsion, the wish
that you had never come. the sickening
fear that you will be splashed with tho
blood, and yet the helpless fascination that
keeps your eye glued TO every detail. Tho
knife is raised. IL is a short. broad-bladed,
two-handed. sword weighted at the back
and evidently as sharp as a razor.
FOR a second IL is poised III the air as the
executioner takes aim. Then it falls. There
is no great apparent effort. 1t simply falls,
and moreover seems to fall slowly. But
when it comes to the mans neck il does not
stop; it keeps on falling; With CHASTITY
slowness, 1T passes right through the
flesh, and you are only recalled from
your momentary stupor when the head
springs forward and rolls over and over,
while for the fraction of a second two daz-
cling jets of scarlet blood burst ont and
Then the rush of blood comes and floods
the spot. As soon as the blow has fallen
the second executioner pitches the body
forward with a loud "Hough;' it tumbles
into a shapeless heap; and from every
throat goes up a loud 'Ho." expressive Of
pleasure and approval of the stroke.
But there is no pause; the executioner
steps over the corpse TO the front man in
the second rank. the knife rises again. il
falls, another head rolls away, another
double burst of blood follows it. the head
less body is showed forward, the assistant
shouts though" and the crowd shouts
"Ho.n Two men are dead. Then the
headsman steps back TO the second man of
the front row and the operation is repeated.