The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1889-02-06
ORIENTAL THIEFTAKERS.
HOW CRIME IS DETECTED IN THE
CHINESE EMPIRE.
Modern Solomons Whose Wisdom
is Shown by Results Curious
ConvfctfOna

is Shown by Results - Curious
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
ing inquiries, aud police spies are often
locked up with remanded prisoners to
try to worm out their secrets.
The lower classes being intensely
superstitious, the judicial investigation
of crime usually takes place at night,
says Chdnbers's JourRdi. The judgment
hall is lofty building of wood, un-
ceiled, and bare OF furniture save for the
raised dais at the north end, where is
seated the presiding magistrate, attended
by his secretaries, clerks and lictors.
The only light comes from paper Ian
terms or cotton wicks iu 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 specta-
tors watching the proceedings standing
like statues.
The accused, dragged from the dark
ness and filth of q Chinese prison, is
forced to kneel before the udgment-scat
throughout the trial Weakened by ILL
treatment and appalled, by his own su-
perstitious imaginings, he often only re-
quires little judicious terrorizing to
elicit o full confession of his guilt.
II he prove obdurate, witnesses are
called. From these no cath or atiirma
ton is demanded; the breaking OF
saucer and other forms for administering
an oath to a Chicaman 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 defence IS
allowed-is punished by slaps on the
cheek or the application of the bamboo
to the limbs, and similar penalties more
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 are
resorted to, such as forcing him to kneel
on chains, hanging him up by the thumbs
or suspendipg him by the neck in a
wooden frame so that his toes just touch
the ground.
ALI such tortures are illegal, but q
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 xtra-iudicial meth
DDS for ascertaining the culprit among
many equally under suspicion deserve to
| be recorded for their cleverness. Some
balls of opium taken from piratical
junk by revenue cruiser mys;eriously
disappeared while being transferred to
the latter vessel.
Opium is very precious in China, and
the wide sleeves or the voluminous
waistband of a Chinese sailor.
The commander of the vessel was
loath to institute search of the ship
and crew, knowing well the craftiness
of his men, and that, even If found, the
opium would most probably be in the
bundle of some innocent man. He
therefore resorted to plan as simple as
it proved effective.
In his cabin was, as is usual, q shrine
of the Goddess of Mercy and of the
Chinese Neptune. Before these deities
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 di-
whites would make his face appear
streaked with black.
When the thief's turn camet he tried
to outwit the gods by rubbing mis- 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
a lamp before commencing the expert
ment.
In another case, where several servants
were suspected of theft, each man was
given bamboo of the same length,
marked with his name, which had to be
deposited in an urn before a small shrine
in the outer prison where they were con-
fined.
The officer announced that the cul.
prit's rod would grow, by interpositiJn
of Providence, one inch during the
night. The prisoners were then locked
up, no watch being kept on the urn.
On the reassembling of the court one
rod was found to be an inch shorter than
the rest, as the thief had, under cover Of
darknesY endeavored to circumvent the
supposed divine power by biting bit of
his rod.
When any article disappears from a
private house and one of the inmates is
suspected of purloining it, it is usual,
before having recourse to the magistrate,
whose underlings exact huge fees for
doing anything, or nothing, TO call in
priest and hold commination service.
This consists in invoking the evil
spirits and bFibing them by offerings and
music TO hound the culprit TO 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,
as the gongings and other discordant
sounds which constitute the 'music1 so
etfectually drive away sleep that the
nelghboring foreigners insist on its being
intermitted during the night and so,
say the Chinese, spoil the charm.
A Bluff skipper Stops the COurtlng.
An Old Bucksport Me sea captain
thus describes the way in which he dis
missed an undesirable suitor for the hand