Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1890-09-18
NUMBER 5.
CHINESE EXECUTIONS.
HOW THE CONDEMNED ARE KILLED
WHERE THERE ARE NO LAWYERS.
Nine Crimes Invite Capital Punishment.
The Headsman Il Kept Busy - Hs
Must BE a Trained Artist, without
Nerves

Ihe Headsman Il Kept Busy - Flo
Must Re Trained Artist. without
Nerves
There are in the Chinese criminal cal
endar nine crimes which are punishable
with death, and the executioners of the
several provinces are in consequence
Kept busy with the sword The crimes
are murder in any degree, rape, conspir-
acy, robbery, counterfeiting, kidnapping,
forgery, assaulting parents and swim
ding The manner Of execution is in
teresting, and the capital prisoners, like
those in France, never know until the
hour has almost arrived when they are
to be taken out to meet death.
Chinese trials are never very long nor
are the proceedings elaborate, and ar-
quittals are infrequent. Immediately
after the conviction OF criminal the
death sentence is pronounced, and then
the governor Of the province il officially
notified He sets the day for the execu-
ton. All the condemned men are placed
in one cell under strong guard. The
night previous to the day upon which
they are to suffer all the men occupying
the condemned cell are feasted and
wined- A genuine banquet Is served at
the expense of the governor. The con
demned men know that some of their
number have been picked out to die the
following day. but it is impossible to tell
how many or who viii be called out. %
they all make the most Of their feast and
drink up all the wine, and generally
wind up the affair by tumbling over on
their strips Of mating in state of COM
plete intoxication. II has been said that
the wine and dinner were designed as a
sort Of "bracerv preparatory to the Grim
inals' taking off. As a rule the banquet
lasts until daybreak, and lively farces,
Introductory to the tragedy, are enacted
during the night in the cell, where the
keepers and guards act as walters.
AT daybreak Oh the morning of the
execution ''poyer or marshal, accom-
panied by half dozen soldiers, appears
at the cell door with list Of names.
which he solemnly reads Off TO the half
drunken wretches. When he has finished
he says.
Coon hi Ia koo" q greet You On your
ascension)
The cell door is then opened by the
guards, and the soldiers, each picking
out-or up, as the case may be-a man,
begins to disrobe him. When the naked
men have been stood up in row, short
red cape is placed over the shoulders on
each, and their hands are bound behind
their backs with ropes, their feet are
chained together, and ropes are tied
around their heads at the line Of the
mouth. This latter answers double
purpose, as it makes a very handy and
effective gag, and can be used with effect
in lifting the head up. These prelirnina-
ries finished, the men are bundled into
bamboo baskets like so many sacks OK
rice The baskets are provided with
ropes and pair Of poles each. and the
soldiers carry them as they would carry
sedan chairs
A procession is formed outside of the
Jail. The soldiers, carrying the baskets,
lead, escorted by the executioners with
drawn swords. Immediately behind them
il man with an enormous gong, upon
which he produces, with the aid of pad
ded drumstick. a series Of toIling notes.
Then follow the presiding magistrate
and the attaches Of the court to the
number usually Of 100.
The beating Of the great gong upon
such occasions arouses the populace, and
long before the parade OF death moves
the narrow streets Of the town are lined
with sleepy eyed citizens, anxious to see
the baskets with their condemned freight.
In order to make as deep an impression
as possible upon the people, these occa-
sions are made as dreadful as may BE-
The march i at the slowest pace, the
dismal tolling Of the gong, sounding the
death knell Of the basketed criminals, is
the only sound, save the shuffiing OF
sandaled feet, which breaks the early
morning stiffness.
Upon the arrival Of the procession ak
the place OF execution, which Is usually
on the outskirts OF the town, the cortege
is surrounded by am imposing number on
guards in waiting. in order to avert all
possible risk OF a rescue The presiding
magistrate ascends a platform and seats
himself at a desk, facing the south On
the ground in front of him are series
Of holes dug in the earth, each three feet
distant from the other. The criminals
are taken from their baskets and made
to kneel before these holes, facing south.
The people form a deep, solidly packed
half circle at respectful distanCe IN
front Of the kneeling men, and the chief
executioner steps forward with his sword
poised in the air. Behind him are the
other executioners ready to relieve him
in case Of an accident or If he should be
come tired before his work i completed.
1t not unfrequently happens that there
are as many as six men kneelinE in q
row before him. He stands mt the left
end of the line, and, with his eyre fixed
On the magistrate, waits for the signal
to begin his work TT il given. The
crowd know il because they see the stall
wart form Of the swordsman move
slightly and plant his feet more firmly
on the ground The sword il raised q
trihe higher, the double grip On tire Rg
handle tightens, there is a seconds
pause, and then the great shining blade
sweeps through the air in downward,
forward stroke When il meets the
neck Of the victim it seems to halt for
an instant, but the space Of time IL 50
brief that it is barely percepHble. and
with the impetus OF its weight and swing
it shears its way through. The head on
the victim topples forward, ana ~ Ia
falls into the hole prepared for IL fOun-
tain OF blood spoutS into the air impelled
by the final spasmodic pulsations OF The
heart. Before its force Is half spent the
trunk Of the criminal falls forward over
the hole.
Before the convulsive tw1tchinE ZOE the
muscles has ceased the killer steps for
ward until he reaches the next poor,
trembling wretch and the performance
il repeated. III he becomes tired while
welding that heavy instrument of death
he gives way to one of his assistants
Neighbors' IandmarkK.
In the wording OF an old deed Ger
tain boundary line was described hs ter
minating al ia stump where Daniel
Harrington licked William Jones' This
reminds us that I'm the early days or the
township of North Hatfield, Mass. a
road was laid out which was described
a. running from Pochang meadow TO
the stream where old MIR. Doolittle's ~
horse died. American Law Review.
Specf0us Plea.