Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-02-13
LAW BREAKERS In CHINA
Little Mercy Shown to Criminals in
the Fl0wery Kingdom.
Stringent Measures for Punishment
Laws That Are Strictly Enforced.

CHIcAGo.-A Arthur Mack, ex-chief of
the Shanghai detective force, is now in the
| city, and In an interview he asserts that
VIII while &c China has apopulation of over 49,
| 900 900, yet the criminal element In pro-
portion to numbers is less than l0per cent.
of what it is in the Chinese quarter of San
Francisco. He accounts for this by the
greater strlngency of the laws for the
punishment of crime in China and the
greater certainty In their administration.
In proof OF this he furnishes the following
extracts from the Chinese Penal Code. Of
which he possesses what he claims to be
the only English translation to be found
outside of China
As to the selling of female children as
slaves, Chinese law provides that any one
who detalns fugitive child or sells child
for a9slave shall receive ninety blows and
two and half years Punishment. If a
female child Is sold for MARI age the seller
gets eighty blows and two and half wears
Punishment.
A harborer of robbers or a receiver of
stolen booty, even though not participant
In the principal crime, is beheaded.
Any wlllful damage to crops is punished
as theft, and the person or persons causing
damage must make good the full amount
of the damage.
All aged or infrm persons must be cared
for, and upon complaint being made to
mandarin, hemust provide food for the
destitute, aged and those who have no
relatives. Neglect of this duty is reward
ed with sixty blows.
Whoever mortgages his wife to another
gets eighty blows, and if a parent lend his
daughter the parent gets sixty blows. If
a parent gives his daughter in marriage.
representing her as sister, he gets 100
blows, and If the mother consents she gets
eighty blows. The person receiving the
daughter knowingly, under these circum-
stances, gets sixty blows Reducing first
wife to second place is punished with 100
blows, and promoting a second wife to first
place is given ninety blows. Bigamy is
punished with ninety blows, and the mar
riage is null. If man elects his son-in-
law the punishment is 100 blows, and if
the wife consents she gets 100 blows.
Who ever marries when his father, mother,
grandfather or grandmother is in jail gets
eighty blows, unless by special command of
such parnet In which case there shall be
no feast. Marrying one OF the same name
is punished by sixty blows. Forcibiy
taking away woman and marrying her
IS punished by the captor being strangled
and If the captor gives her to another per-
son the punishment is the same. ANY
Government official mrrrying 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
to mangle the body or divide the limbs of
a person, shall suffer death by slow and
painful process. This consists in cutting
off hand, then leg, then an ear, then
taking out an eye, then scooping a piece
OF flesh from the body, and so on until
life is extinct, when the corpse is cut to
pieces and made away with. The muir
derer wives, sons and all inmates of his
house, although innocent, shall be perpet-
ually banished 1000 Ii, or about seven
hundred miles. Accessories contributing
to the crime of murder in the slightest
manner shall be beheaded Other acccs-
SORES, who neither contributed nor shared
IN the crime, but merely knew of its con-
templated executionsshall be punished as
ordinary accessories by being beheaded.
If murder Is planned but no person kill
ed or wounded, the principal shall be be-
headed and all his relatives banished.
Any person who gives information of
crime or a contemplated crime shall re-
celve rom the government twenty ounces
of silver.
Any person or persons rearing venomous
animals or preparing poisonous drugs
which are intended to be used to kill
person, although no person may have been
injured, shall be beheaded. The property
Of any person guilty of this crime or VIC
lat1On of law shall be forfeited to the gov
eminent, and all his relatives or inmates
of his house, although innocent, shall be
banished 5000 Ii, or 1000 miles.
All persons guilty of using magical
writings or imprecations, with a view to
cause the death of any person, whether
any one is killed or not shall suffer for
contriving murder and be beheaded
Any person using such writings or i'm
In precautions, with a view to
to produce disease or infrmity or to cause
extreme fright Ing any person, shall re-
ceive 100 blows, be banished 1000 Ii, or
700 miles, and have his property confscat-
ed, except in the case of a child against a
parent, grandchild against a grandpar-
ent or a slave or hired servant against a
master, in all of which cases the offender
shall be beheaded. In all cases persons
guilty of poisoning or attempted poison
ing shall be beheaded
who pretends to be a practitioner, who
cause a patients death or injure patient,
or administer drugs with puncture or
needle and thereby kill or wound patient,
shall be summoned before a magistrate,
who shall In other reputable practitioners,
and if it shall appear to be an error the
practitioner may be allowed to redeem
himself of the charge by giving up his
practice forever. If practitioner
aggravate a complaint to extort more
money, the fee so extorted shall be consid-
cred stolen and punishment inflicted In
proportion to the amount obtained or at
tempted to be obtained If patient dies
and the practitioner who attends the de-
ceased is shown to have employed i'm
proper methods, the practitioner shall be
| beheaded
Any one who occasions death from
fright or any violent treats, or alarms
another to such degree that the frighten-
ed person kills himself. shall, when reason
able grounds are shown to have existed on
| the part of the suicide, be punished with
hundred blows. Any government officer
who shall do this or attempt to do it shall |
receive the same punishment and be
obliged to pay the family of the suicide
ten ounces of silver. If any person
threaten or brighten an older relative so
that the latter commits suicide, the Junior
so offending shall be strangled.
If any prisoner resists and strikes the |
latter so as to draw blood, the offender |
shall be strangled If a criminal who |
reslsts an officer is armed. and the officer
4 l.