The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-12

:
followed by his attendants, vino carried his
sword. The friends followed the condemned
man, urging him TO shout on his way to the
place OF execution, and to 'die like man" He
yielded TO their entreRtes and gave hideous
yell whenever urged, which was repeated by his
irlends. The execution was public. The hands
ana feet of the condemned man were bound.
he was required to kassl beside bench
ana let ms body lay across II.
Being securely tied to the bench,
net was placed over his head and tied. To this
net rope was attached. and four men took
mold OF the rope, pulled with all their might,
stretching the neck nearly twice its natural
length, and while the men were pulling the
head was severed from the body at one blow by
the headsman
This is only one execution. Such things are
common. There is a story that Peng Yu-lin,
the great admiral Of the YanRtse, made his
Doast that he would cut of 10000 heads. he
lost no time in getting to work, and got in due
season, to the 1875 when 1t came to his ears
that ne would die as soon as he had decapi-
tated bis 10000. he STAYED his hand and exc
cuted few after that, and died before he reached
the goal set before himself
Every criminal is required TO confess his sins
In order to compel criminals TO do this several
fortunes have been invented. One Of the most
common is to make the criminal lie down upon
a table on his back. He is bound, the knees
are securely tied down to the table, then brick
IS placed under each heel. This bends the limb
the wrong way, and is very painful. If this
does not make the criminal confess a second
DFlck Is put under each heel. The torture 10
LAACu lDue6CElD&DlS ana tine criminal eLleF con-
fesses or faints Another method is 10 bare the
culprit's back and tie bunch OF incense to 1t
Just over the spine. The incense looks much
ike rope and burns slowly. This is ignited
and slowly burns streaR down the back, the
-sh being cooked TO the bone. These are some
OF the methods used. AS a result every sup
posed criminal, whether guilty or not, is made
to confess guilt
There are many methods Of furnishing Grim
inals. Decspitation and torUurlng by cutting
on the various parts of the body until tae vic
tim Is dead are common. 1t is said that the his
tory or the late Monaghan rebellion if written
would be one OF bloody, wantOn murder. The
Chinese soldiers slew men, women and children
without cause or provocation 7 cir pathway
was strewn with dead bodies. The slaughter
was so great that the wolves from the noun
tains far to the north were attracted to the hills
and plains devastated by sword and by fire. and
fed upon the bodies of the slain men, women
and children for months after. The number of
wolves attracted to the hills near this place be-
came alarming, and after they had devoured the
slain they attacked the living. Over 100 persons
were killed by wolves near here during last
summer.
The Chinese soldiers are a terror Of the land
and are regarded by those who know them best
as robbers. Speaking of robbers reminds me
that the robbers of the land are banded together
and form powerful compact. If bank in the
city wishes TO send large amount of money to
Peking. the banker sends gift to the chief of
the bauditti infestinR the territory through
which the money is about to pass. telling him
the time the silver will be sent and requesting
that it be not disturbed. When such a request
is made, accompanied by handsome present,
it is usually honored. These banditt are not
the only robbers. The government is engaged
in the same business. Taxes are very high, aud
every time one comes in contact with the rulers
it costs something.
A woman recently came to the ladies' dis
pensary in this place for treatment She had
walked nearly two miles on her knees. This is
her history; She was a slave, belonging to one
Of the city officials. Some years ago she saw
her masters son commit some vile deed The
son, seeing she had witnessed the deed, took a
meat AK and cut her feet of. She was then
carried out of the city and thrown into the moat
that surrounds the city wall and left there to
die. she was found, taken TO a house, cared for
and finally recovered. This is only one instance
OF the many that could be cited of equally as
vile a nature.
Be it said to the credit of the people, however,
the official was removed, but the son was not
punished.
The uppermost thought in the Chinaman's
mind seems to be to cheat some one. It is a
very sharp man, indeed that they cannot beat
in a trade.
A few days ago friend of mine and climbed
10 the top OF hill which is about 600 feet high
1t was a beautiful day, and from the top of the
hill we had fine view of a valley twenty miles
long and ten wide. The level and almost treeless
plain spread out before US like map The
land though poor from centuries of cultivation
was cared for like garden. In this plain we
counted 1903 cities and towns, one of them con
tanning over 30, goo people. Imagine, il Won can
a densely populated district like that living
almost solely on the products of the soil, and al.
most all the labor being done by man, living
under a cruel and oppressive government en-
shaved by social customs that will not permit
husband or wife to see each other previous to
their marriage, that requires the woman to
bind her feet, thus becoming a cripple all the
days of her life, enduring untold fortunes and
finally to be a mere slave to her husband whom
he can sell to whom he pleases and when he
pleases. Add to this the fact that the houses
are poor, the food and clothing scant,
and that thousands do not know
what 1t is to be warm from the time the cold
days of autumn come until the warm DAYS Of
springtime, and to this add all the diseases re-
sultant from vice, ignorance and superstition
that flesh is heir to. When you have done this
you have a glimpse of China Such a state of
affairs would make us Americans madmen
They take everything as cooly as if everything
was just as it ought to be. In fact, they think
it is.
Visitors sometimes say the converts to Chris
tianity are few and unfaithful, and that their
experience with them has been unsatisfactory
IL IS true. as a rule, that the average Chinese
covert has not attained to very high standard
of piety, but when he is compared with what ne
was the wonder is that he is as good as he is.
Even the most skeDtical must confess that
wherever Christian influences have exerted
themselves the people have been benefited far
beyond comparison. Surely the only thing that
seems to be doing China any good is the Chris.
tiaD mission.