Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1890-02-12

SEVERE MEASURES FOR THE PUNISH
MENT or CRIMINALS.


isiln,ent and Whipping.
Arthur Mack, ex-chief Of the Shanghai de-
teetiYe force. asserts that while China has
population Of over 100000, 600, yet the crimi- /
nal element IN proportion TO numbers is less
than 10 per cent. Of what it is in the Chinese
quarter Of San Francisco. He accounts for |
this by the greater stringency Of the laws for |
the punishment Of crime in China and the |
greater certainty OF their administration. In |
proof Of this he has furnished The Alta with |
the following extracts from the Chinese penal
code. Of which he possesses what he claims to
be tho only English translation to be found
outside Of China
SEVERE BUT JUST PUNISHMENT.
As to the selling Of female children as slaves,
Chinese law provides that any one who de-
tains fugitive child, or sells a child for a
slave, shall receive ninety blows and two and
q half years Punishment If a female child
is sold for marriage, the seller gets eighty
blows and two and a half years Punishment.
"A harborer OF robbers or receiver Of stolen
booty. even though not participant in the
principal crime, IS beheaded.
Any wilful damage to crops Is punished as
theft, and tho person or persons causing the
damage must make good the full amount Of
the damage.
An aged or infrm persons must be cared
for, and upon complaint being made to
mandarin he must provide food for the dosti-
tute aged and those who have no relatives.
Neglect Of his duty is rewarded with fifty
| blows.
Bigamy IS punished with ninety blows and
the marriage is null
If man elects his son-in-law the punish
| ment is one hundred blows, and IL the wife
| consents she also gets one hundred blows
| Whoever rnarries when his father, mother
| grandfather or grandmother is in Jail gets
| eighty blows, unless by special command Of
/ such parent, in which case there shall be no
| feast Marrying one Of the same name is
| punished by sixty blows Forcibly taking
| away woman and marrying her is punished
by the captor being strangled, and II the cap
tor gives her to another person the punish
ment is tho same. Any government official
marrying a musician, comedian or one below
his station gets sixty blows and the marriage
is void. A priest marrying gets eighty blows
and is expelled.
A principal IN the crime Of murder or at
tempted murder, with a subsequent design 70
uiangle the body or divide the limbs of a per
son, shall suffer death by slow and painful
| process This consists in cutting Off a hand
then q leg, then an ear, then taking out an
eve, then scooping piece of flesh from thu
i body. and SO on until life Is extinct, when ths
corpse IS cut to pieces and made away with
The murderer's wives sons and all inmates
of his house, although innocent, shall be per
petually banished 2, 900 II, or about 200 miles
| Accessories contributing to the crime OF muir
der in the slightest manner shall be beheaded
Other accessories, who neither contributed
nor shared in tho crime, but merely knew O
cha has
as ordinary accessories by being beheaded
II a murder is planned, but no person hlles
or wounded, the principal shall be beheadee
and all his relatives banished. Any persol
who gives information Of a crime or con
! teinplated crime shall receive from the gov
eminent twenty ounces Of silver.
Any person or persons rearing venomou
animals or preparing poisonous drugs whic
! are to be used to kill a person, although n
person may have been injured, shall be b.
headed. The property Of any person guilt
Of this crime or violation OF law shall be fol
feited to the government and all his relative
or inmates of his house, although innocen
shall be banished 5000 II, or 1000 miles
Practitioners of medicine, or any perso
who pretends to be o practitioner, who caui
a patients death, or injure patient, or q
@ minister drugs with puncture or needl
| HAffA-
summoned before a magistrate, who shall ca
II in other reputable practitioners, and II
u shall appear to be IN error the practition'
. NAV be allowed to redeem himself Of q
!, charge by giving up his practice forever.
n a practitioner aggrnvate a complaint to e
4, tort more money, the fec so extorted shall
AZ considered stolen and punishment inflicted
4 proportion to the amount obtained or I
~ tempted to be obtained. If a patient dies al
the practitioner who attended the deceas
~ Is shown to have employed improper methoc
- the practitioner shall be beheaded
- ANY one who occasions death from frig
4 or violent threats, or alarms another to su
~ a degree that the frightened person kills hii
4, self shall, when reasonable grounds are sho'
Z, to have existed on the part Of the suicide,
4, punished with 100 blows. Any governme
~ officer who shall do this or attempt to do
4. shall receive the Same punishment and
y. Obliged to pay the family Of the suicide
: ounces Of silver. If any person threaten
brighten an older relative so that the lati
i" commits suicide, the Junior so offending SD
III be strangled.
If any prisoner resists an officer and stri
Z the latter so as to draw blood the offend
~ ~. shall be strangled. II a criminal who resi-
" an officer is armed, and the officer kills !
to secure his person, or if criminal esca
II from prison or is killed while being pursu
~ or il a runaway criminal destroys hims
the officer shall in no wise DO answerable
~ the prisoners death. In any case wher
I, ~ criminal is killed, where the offense char
w against him was punishable with capital p
ier ishnent, and the officer had no right 70
N saugt or wound him, the punishment Of
ny police officer shall not in any case exceed
blows.
If a prisoner releases any other prison
or il he attempts il, he makes himself ne
10 the punishment Of the most guilty Of Il
er. who escape or try to escape, provided
M ts:.nishnent shall not exceed 100 blows
sad Punishment for 5000 Ii, or 1000 miles
re- one or more prisoners in prison rise aga
to their keepers, and thus effect an escape I
for shall be heheaded, no matter what
his previous offeuse may have been.
He These are but a few samples OF the Chm
r a laws. the whole code Of China being b
nbt and to the point The trials there are be
art. magistrates, and decision is final, no op
lam tunity for appeal being provided for.
Mr.. rule punishment follows conviction with
ket very few days San Francisco Alta.
an