The Irish standard., 1895-02-02

SATURDAY., FEBRl
IN A CHINESE PRISON.
Convicts dly Waiting
to Be Beheaded.
There Were No Soldiers or Wardsrs on
Duty and Little Children Were. Play
ing About the Place-Repulsivo
Looking Criminals
Since visiting this prison, writes Hon.
Florence O'Driscoll, in Century, have
never ceased wondering at two things
whenever Ihave thoughto of the subject:
fist, why the prisoners stay there at
all; second, if determined to remain in
prison when captured, how anyone can
dare to be q criminal in China.
The buildings were none of them
above twelve or thirteen feet high at
the Hottest part of the roofs, and many
we're much lower. The outer door, I'M
guarded, stood open, leading to some
narrow passages with rectangular
turns. Seated drowsily in the shades
were two or three men in ordinary,
Chinese outdoor Dress. Some children
were playing about the alley, while a
woman or two looked on. There was
nowhere to be seen an oftici al uniform
Indicating the presence of a soldier or
warder.
Inside were fifteen or twenty fero-
,cious looking creatures. They were
human beings and tame, but they
looked wild; the little clothing they
wore was in rags and tatters. A chain
about foot long fastened the legs of
each together, pieces of iron being bent
round the ankles and Topped into each
end of the links. They were apparent
ly half starved; their eyes were like
those of wild beasts; their heads and
faces were unshaven, and showed
some inches of black growth standing
straight on end. Though their queues
were plated, the hair was SO ruftled as
to make the plating almost indistin-
guishable.
The place was small courtyard
about twenty or twenty five feet square.
One great stall, like cowshed, ran
round it, barred up in front with the
usual fimsy round saplings, except
here and there an opening was left for
convenience of passing in and out.
did noe feel particularly anxious to
go in among the occupants, but as they
all walked out to have a look at me,
10o lo p>1o 7
They then came back again, and stared
at me. Possibly was as strange a
sight to them as they were to me.
The heat was intense, and beat fierce
ly upon the granite paving stones; the
heat in the stall was still greater.
Nothing that in the remotest degree re
sembled a bed was anywhere to be seen;
not bit of straw or even any rags.
There were only dirty granite slabs to
lie upon. The place s1nelt ill, and was
very dirty; so indeed were the prisoners.
The guide said they were all sem
fenced to be beheaded, and that at any
time the mandate might arrive fixing
an immediate date for their execution.
But nobody seemed to trouble himself
in the least about the matter.
now returned to the court only to
find the magistrate had not arrived.
After some timeiI proposed to go, but
the guide suggested waiting for an
other ten minutes, saying that five or
six prisoners had been sent for.
l mo1nentarily expected them to file
in under the charge of an armed guard.
Just as l was about to give up all hope
of seeing the court sit, heard the
clank of chains. Here were the prison
ers at last.
came in, and sat on a long low bench in
one corner of the court. He wore
hobble-chains of the usual pattern.
Presently another walked in, apparent
ly of his own volition, fer no one was
guarding or directing him. He also sat
down. noticed that the hobble-irons
had made sores on his ankles, and he had
tied string round the calves of his
legs which held the pieces of bent iron
midway between his ankles and his
calves. Then another prisoner, also
unattended, clanked in, wearing one of
the square wooden collars. He sat down,
twisted the collar diamond fashion, and
supported it's weight by holding it's
lower apex between his knees.
HE is pirate" said the guide.
The information was hardly neces-
sary; he looked more like what my i'm
agination had figured pirate to be
than ever any picture had shown me.
All that could be seen, when he sat
down, was large diamond-shaped
piece of wood, with terrible head
glaring in. it's center, bare knees and
legs with ankles chained together, and
fingers clasping the lower side of the
diamond, where they helped to sup
port it.
Those hands were like birds claws,
with long, dirty, curved talons on them;
his queue was large and fuzzy, like the
tail of a maddened cat; the front half
of his head, once shaver, wore a growth
Of black fiber standing straight on end,
about two inches long-a sort of halo one
might imagine devil would wear. His
chin and upper lip were covered with
black hair standing straight out stifly,
like the bristles of clothes brush