The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1893-03-18
HORRORS OF HEATHEN LITE.
A Graphic Account of Atrocities
Practiced in China.
Deplorable Condition Revealed When
the Veil of Exclusiveness is Lifted
Revolving Crimes Committed and
BarbarOus Punishment Inflicted in
the Name of Justice.

BarbarOus Punishment Inflicted in
the Name of Justice.
There is said to be in a museum in
Dresden, among other gems and treas
ures, silver egg, which, when you
touch aspiring, opens and reveals golden
yolk, says the Tsun, Hua China CORE
spondent of the Louisville Coaaieg-Jo1,,-
nat. Within this is hid chicken, whose
wing being pressed, it also flies open, dis
closing splendid golden crown studded
with jewels. Another spring being
touched. hidden in the center is found
magnificent diamond ring. One in
China will find, from day to-day, equally
as great surprises, but of far less agreea-
BILE nature. The first sight one usually
gets is the most favorable. One is aston
ished at seeing men do the work of beasts
OF burden; at the filth in the cities, and
the abject poverty of the masses of the
people. This is only the surface of
things. Day by day the secret springs
are touched and the true inwardness of
paganism, with its unspeakable crimes
hidden under the disguise of a system of
| philosophy, is seen. Under the cloak of
/ Contucianism and in the name OF civili-
|. cation one at last finds Chna's millions
a seething mass, revolving to behold, and
IS ready to cry out with a distinguished
divine, Not to save China from hell but
to get it out 1t is in hell now"
y few days ago a criminal was executed
| at a city a few miles from here. He was
marched through the streets to the place
OF execution. The headsman, dressed in
] rod Cd = ~ 1 :
attendants, who 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 entreates
and gave hideOus yell whenever urged,
which was repeated by his friends. The
execution was public. The hands and
feet of the condemned man were bound.
lie was required to kneel beside bench
and let his body lay across it. Being Sc
curely tied to the bench a net was placed
over his head and tied. To this net
rope was attached, and four men took
hold OF the rope, pulled with all their
might, stretching the neck nearly twice
its natural length, and while the men
We're 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
| lllS dIBlSO, llaCle MS BOAST tlat he
would cut off ten thousand heads He
lost no time in getting to work, and got,
/ III due season, to the nine thousand, nine
hundred and seventy-eighth when it
| came to his ears that he would die as soon
as he had decapttated his ten thousand
! He stayed his hand and executed 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 tortures have been in
vented. 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 a
brick is placed under each heel. This
bends the limb -he wrong way. and is
very painful. Ii this does not make the
criminal confess a second brick is put
under the heel. The torture is then in
| descrlbable, and the criminal either con-
] tesses or taints. Another method is to
bare the culprit's back and tie a bunch of
! incense to 1t just over the spine. The in
cenSe looks much like q rope and burns
| slowly. This is ignited and slowly burns
a streak down the back, the flesh being
cooked to the bone. These are some OF
the methods used. AS a result every
supposed criminal, whether guilty or not,
is made to confess guilt.
There are many methods of furnishing
criminals. Decapitation and torUuring by
cutting Off the various parts Of the BODY
until the victim is dead are common. 1t
is said that the history of the late Mon
golian rebellion il written would be one
of bloody, wanton murder. The Chinese
soldiers slew men, women and children
without cause or provocation. Their
pathway was strewn with dead bodies.
| The slaughter was SO great that the wolves
| from the mountains far to the north were
attracted to the hills and plains devas-
tated 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 became alarming, and, after they
had devoured the slain they attacked the
living. Over one hundred 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 a bank in the CITY
wishes to send large amount of money
to Picking, the banker sends a gift to the
chief of the banditti iniesting the terri
toryI 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 request is made,
accompanied by handsome present, it is
usually honored. These bauditti are not
the only robbers. The Government is
engaged in the same business. Taxes
are very high, and every time one comes
in contact with the rulers it costs some
thing.
\ woman recently came to the ladies'
dispensary 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 olli-
Gals. Some years ago she saw her mas
ter's son commit some vile deed, the SON
seeing she had witnessed the deed took a
meat ak and cut her feet oil. 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 house, cared for, and finally
recovered. This Is only one instance of
the many that could be excited 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 China
mans mind seems TO be to cheat some
one. 1t is very sharp man, indeed, that
| they cannot beat III trade.
4 few days ago friend of mine and
climbed to the top OF hill which is about
600 feet high. 1t was a beautiful day, and
from the top of the hill we had a fine view
OF a valley twenty miles long and ten
wide. The level and almost treeless
plain spread out before US like a map.
The land, though poor from centuries of
en- tiVatiOn was cared for like q erarca,,