Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-10-15

which is set in the wall of the court room
and On which in heavily chiseled characters
are inscribed the words which give him
the power of life ana death. The act is
equivalent to passing the sentence Of death
When the magistrate arose from his knees
the burly pirate, who had never moved
muscle during the ceremony, said in tones
that could be heard through the court
room: Judge, your justice is injustice
Under the gulse of law you Kill the same
as we pirates Kill. This trial has been a
farca. was not in the Namca matter.
but | am pirate. | glory In it ard an
ready to die. There are three otter pirates
whom you have condemned, and condemned
justly; but yonder five creatures, who stand
there with chatterlng teeth and hands pal
sled with fear, are not and never were pi
rates. You can see for yourself that they
have not the courage of d small child and
they are not the stuff of which pirate are
made. Of course you will kill them, but
their killing will be none the less MUIR
der"
THE EXECUTIONS.
The executions went off in the regula-
ton oriental way. A company of soldiers
appeared at the appointed hour before
the prison; the pirates were brought out
with their arms pinioned behind them and
their feet manacled Their queues were
tied up in curious, high, hard knot. into
which was stuck bamboo skewer holding
paper card, on which was written the
name of the prisoner and the crime for
which he was doomed to die. They were
escorted by the guard to the place of ex
ecutlon on the beach. This at Kowlocn
Is within cabletow's length of the ship
| ping, and at Annoy directly opposite the
| windows of this consulate.
The ceremony, though public, appears
to have little attraction for the Chinese
OF those who witnessed it the majority in
every case were Europeans. The troops
formed in Line and the prisoners kneIt
| down upon the sandy shore. The warrant
was read by an official and the executioner,
who seemed ID slender strippling Of Is.
began his work. The sword was of
medium size, heavy, two edged and sharp
| as a razor.
The headsrnen knew his profession well
| ibe moment the order was given by a
| bugle blast from the herald at the signal
of the commanding officer, the executioner
advanced toward the first pirates and
stepped two feet away. Then raising the
glttering sword he struck blow so quick
| y that 1t was scarcely visible. The head
| fell vertically to the ground, a column
red blood shot dozen feet into the air
and the body swayed and fell forward
over and conceaiing the head beneath it.
! The next moment second head fell,
| then third and a fourth; only once was
there Il slip In the entire nineteen behead-
ed on this paticuEar occasion. Then the
prisoner swer7ed, and the sword striking
I5o Io,, l.,,+ l,.Dl !
| assistants sprang forward and seized the
body, then in the Lhroes of death, while
a si.w-like cut of the weapon, severed the
neck completely.
A minute after the last head had fallen
the command was given and the troops
marched away, and the headless bodies
were left with the gazing crowd.
HOW THEY MET DEATH.
In one execution a prisoner lost his cour-
age and began to cry like a child. The
next moment his risht hand neighbor
turned and said to him: Don't 6e a
baby, be man--die like pirate.'' In
| another powerful fellow whom the ex-
cutioner was approaching grinned at the
Europeans who stood in front and said:
"All right, foreign devils; you can say
good-by to tie boss pirate of the gang"
But the strangest OF all was the dying
remark of the ugliest and cruelest of the
entire band. He enjoyed the singular
reputation of being fearless cut-throat
and very pious Buddhist. Just before
his head fell he called out in the most
solemn way: ''It is your turn now, bu .
ours is to come. Ny soul will be back here
In eighteen years, and Tor every head you
take to day | shall take one hundred of
yours then"
The bodies are allowed to lie a day or
more upon the beach and are then thrown
into the sea as food for the fishes.
Their heads are gathered the same day
and put into what looks for all the world
like cigar boxes and exposed to public
view until decomposition renders them
unrecognzable.
There are a number of trails yet to be
beheaded. It's to be hoped that these
systems Of wholesale determination will
lntimidate the criminal classes and re-
store the peace and quiet that prevailed in
1880. If it does n5t we are bound to have
very lively times and deathiy one. too, at
every port on the coast Of China. and
especially at this ancient and venerable
city of Amoy.-EdwaId Bedleo, in Phila-
delphia Times.