Los Angeles herald., 1892-04-18
THE CHINESE IN THE COURTS,
The Correct Method Of Swear
ing the Celestial.
John Has an Utter Disregard for
the Ordinary Oath.
Their Testimony as Rule Is Cut and
Dried-Cutting OFF a Chickens
Head and Burning Punk
Impresses Them.

The general unreliabllity of Cinnamon
when placed on the witness stand is a
thorn in the flesh Of every attorney who
has anything to do with Celestial litiga-
ton. In numerous cases that have been
on trial lately where Cinnamon have
figured as witnesses the most startling
discrepancies in the testimony of China
men, who were known to have been
present at some scene described, has
given the most palpable indication that
perjury has no terrors to the son of
Cathay.
AS rule the testimony of China
man is cut and dried for him before he
goes into the court room. This is done
by the head man of his society, and
there are few residents of Chinatown
that are not perfectly willing to brave
the terror of the law of the land rather
than incur the hostility of the head man
of his company and the consequent ven
geance of the highbinders in their en-
ploy. 1t is the general consensus of
opinion among the attorneys of the Los
Angeles county bar that a China
mans oath is worthless; that their
testimony is worthless where the inter-
est of their society is concerned, or
where that testimony is in opposition to
the wishes of the leader of his company.
In view of the fact that the Chinese of
this county. although numerically small,
furnish sufficient ligitation to keep one
department of the superior court with
constant employment all the year
round, this question OF the sacredness
of an oath is steadily becoming one of
the most pressing Importance.
There seems to be only one form of
oath that is invested with any sacred
ness or binding character among China
men, and that is the regulation oath as
administered to witnesses in China.
This oath has been frequently admins
tered in the courts of San Francisco and
on one occasion in recent years in this
county by Judge Mckinley. This oath
is administered by Chinese priest who,
after repeating a long formula in which
all the tenors of Joss and the powers of
evil are invocated to infict the most
awful forms of punishment on the
witness, cuts off a chickens head in open
court, numerous punk sticks and papers
bearing invocations of dire and dread
full character are burned in the court
room, and the intending witness binds
himself by the most solemn obligations,
in his native tongue, to tell the truth,
the whole truth and nothing but the
truth. As rule, the administering of
this oath has the effect in San Francisco
of forcing the truth from Chinese wit
nesses.
Quite number OF local attorneys fa-
vor the employment OF this oath in the
courts OF Los Angeles county. Others
are of the opinion that good results
could be obtained with the regulation
oath, provided the attaches of the dis
trict attorneys Office would keep an eye
on all proceedings where Chinese are
intended as witnesses, and where per-
jury has been committed move for their
conviction on that charge. They think
that several long sentences for perjury
would have a salutary effect upon the
Chinese denizens of the county who may
be called upon to give testimony before
the courts.