Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-06-16
CHINESE RIGID LAWS.
Severe Measures for the Punishment
of Criminals Which are
Speedily Executed.
There Is no OppOI tunity .fOr Appeal.
The Decision liz al. Cases is
Final.
a Person Guilty of Murder Suffers
Death by Slow, Painfu,
Process.

Arthur Mack, ex chief of the Shanoho;
detective force, asserts that while Civ
mas population of over 450,000,0OO vet
the criminal element in proportion to
numbers Is less than 10 per cent. of what
Il Is IN the Chinese quarter Of San Fran
CISCO. lie 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
Fhlnese penal code, Of which he possesses
what he claims to be the only English
translation to DE 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 a
child for a slave, shall receive ninety
blows and two and half years Danish
ment. IT female child is sold for marri
age, the seller gets eighty blows and two
and bait years punishment.
A harborer of robbers or a receiver of
stolen booty, even though not a partici-
pant In the principal crime, is beheaded
Any wilful damage to crops is punished
as theft, and the person or persons caus-
ing the damage must make good the full
amount of the damage.
All aged or lndrm persons must be cared
for, and upon complaint bt ing made to a
mandarin he must provide food for the
destitute aged and those who have no
relatives. Neglect of his duty is rewarded
with fifty blows.
Blgamy is punished with ninety blows,
and the marriage is null
IT man eJects his son.in. law the pun
lShment is one hundred blows. and if the
vie consents she also gets enc hundred
blows. Whoever marries 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
Ioe same name is punished by sixty blows.
For2lbiy taking away a woman and marry
ing her is punished by the captor being
strangied, and If the captor gives her to
another person the punishment is the same.
Any government official marrying a must
clan, comedian, 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
attempted murder, with subs ouent de-
~lga to mangle the BODY or divide the
limbs of a person, shall suffer death bv
slow and painful process. This consists
in cutting off a hand, then leg, then an
ear, then taking out an eye, then scoooing
a piece. of fl Ssh from the body, and so on
until life is extinct, when the corpse is cut
to pieces and made way with. The muir
derer S wives, sons and all inmates of MS
mouse, although innocent, shall he perpet-
ualiy banished 1000 Ii, or about 700 miles.
Acc-~- cries contributing to the crime of
mui d in the slightest manner shall be
t"ded.
Other accessories, who neither contrib
uted nor shared in the crime, but merely
knew OF It's contemplated execution. shall
be punished as ordinary accessories by
being bsheadeG If murder is planned.
out 40 person is killed or wounded. the
prime pal shall he beheaded and all his re.
latlves hanished. Any person who gives
information OF Il crime or a contemplated
rim: shall receive from the government
twenty ounces OF silver.
Any person Or persons rearing venom
ols animals, or preparing poisonous drugs
which are to be used to kill person. al
though nc person may have been injured.
shall be beheaded. The property of auy
person guilty Of this crime or violation of
aw shall be forfeited to the government.
and all his relatives or inn tes of his
house, although innocent, shall be bar sbed
coo Ii, or 1000 mics.
Practitioners of medicine, or any person
who pretends to be a practitioner, whs
causes patients death, or Injuries a pa
lent, or administers drugs with pune
ure or needle, and thereby kills or wounds
patient, he shall be summoned before a
magistrate, who shall call in other reputa-
'le practitioners, and if it shall appear TO
'e an error, the practitioner shall be al
owed to redeem himself of the charge by
.lvlng up his practice forever. If prac-
ltloner aggravate complaint for the
purpose OF extorting more money, the fee
0 extorted shall be considered stolen. and
inflicted in proportion to the
mount so obtained, or attempted to be
btalned. If a patient dies and the prac-
ltloner who attended the deceased is
hown to have employed improper meth
DIS, he shall be b headed,
ANY one who occasions death from fright
violent threats, or alarms another to.
UGH degree that the frightened person
Ills himself, shall, when reasonable cause
J shown TO have existed on the part of tine
llclde, be punished with 100 blows. Anv.
overnment officer who shall do this. or
tempt to do it. shall receive the same
and be obliged to pay the
unity OF the suicide ten ounces OF silver.
any person threaten or brighten an older
elatlye so that the latter commits suicide
ie Junior 80 offending shall be stranpIed.
II any prisoner resists an officer and
rlkes the latter so as to draw blood the
Tender shall be strangled. If criminal
no reslsts an officer is armed, and the
hcer Kills him to secure his person, or if
criminal escapes from prison or is killed
bile being pursued, or if a runaway
lmlnal destroys himself, The officer shall
no wise be answerable for the prison
s death. In any case where a criminal
killed, where the offense charged
,ainst him was punishable with capital
and the officer had no legal
ght to assault or wound him, the
lnishment of the police officer shall not
any case exceed 100 blows.
If prisoner releases any other prison
5, or if he attempts, it, he makes him
f liable to the punishment of the most
lily of those who escape or try to escape,
divided the punishment shall not exceed
blows and Punishment for 5,OOOi, or
100 miles. If one or more prisoners in
lson rise against their keepers, and thus
ect On escape, they shall be beheaded,
matter what their previous offense m.y
We been.
These are few samples of the Chinese
vs., the whole code of China being brief
i to the point. The trials there are be.
e magistrates, and decision is final, no
o7rtunity for appeal being provided for.