The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1895-01-05
pcoApIrATIoN IN oAINA.


DCCAPlTATloN IN CHINA.
Mode OF I:yccatioa OF Convict, pcscrlbed
by an American Writer
The execution Of the two Japanese
spies whom America delivered up TO
the Chinese and the dccapitation Of a
man-of-wars captain accused Of cow
ardice in the sea fight off Fing-Yang,
were recent notable instances OF the
use OF the hcadsmau's sword III China.
| There have been other bchoadings, for
offcnses growing out OF the war and
for the ordinary criminal offenscs. and
these have lent n new interest TO the
subject, even 20 Foreigners resident in
China, who frequently read OF such
punishment, but seldom witness them
or hear them described. ! have been
SO fortunate as TO fall I'm with a distin-
guished European who witnessed the
legal slaughter Of number OF crimi-
nails in Picking. The account hc has
given me of what nc saw is so unlike
the popular methods Of Justice that
have written down the substance Of il
for publication in Ilarper's Weekly.
"rhc official on duty on the morning
of which ! speak having reached the
mat shed clad in all the glory of man
darin's drcss-button, necklace breast
cloth aud all-ordercd the men brought
before him one by one. The law says
that in such cases the condemned men
shall admit their guilt and ask that
punishment be no longer deferred.
Like most all good laws and almost all
good logic in China, this regulation is
turned into mere ceremony and pre-
tense. The prisoners Mother say nor
do anything, but q man who stands be-
hind each one pushes him over. bumps
his head ON the ground, and says Vow.
This word, or one with that sound,
means, i want, and the presiding
M ndarin understands it TO have been
III rcd by the prisoner and 70 mean
Il nt TO bc punished While the
of ] ticks of the mans name upon
III 1 10 before him the man is pressed
down upon the ground and red cross
IS pas. on his neck. This is done
in order that the right head may bo
fitted upon the right body aftcrward,
IL proof Of the mans death Is required
for official entry.
"Thc prisoner thus painted IL pulled
away Co the execution ground, where
the headsman IS heating his sword in a
great caldron Of hot water Tho
swords arc rather moro like knives
than swords. Each is yard in length,
half an inch thick at the edge, and an
inch and n half or two inches thick az
the back. II You should weld together
nine or ten OF our heaviest axes, one
laid beyond the other you would make
something like one Of these knives
The victim Is laid on his belly and face
and lis legs arc tied together. A long
piece OF whipcord Is Topped under the
mans jaw and tied into his pigtail. SO
much OF It's free end Is left that two
men 20 of with IL 70 n distances and
pull on II with all their might, while
the third one sits on the condemned
mans neck Tho executloncr scizes a
knife and stands over the victim, whose
neck Is seen TO pull out-and out-an
out The knife falls, thchead is severed,
and frequently the men who are pull
ing the whipcord fan backward and
roll half over, like tumblcrs IN circus.
| The cxeeutioner picks up the hoad and
holds IL carelessly and calmly, and
makes a mark upon the tally list In
front Of him. | was less stolid than he,
especially when. happening 60 glance
at one Of the heads, | saw Il opor It's
mouth just as II was held up 10 the
mandarin's view II was then placed
beside the body, and the next fclon
was brought out aud treated tho same
way.
1.-Two or three prisoners were 10 bc
stranglcd on this occasion, aud though
/ went away twice from sheer inability
90 witness their execution was urged
back by friend who accompanied me,
and thus I saw enough 60 be able 20
describe that mode OF punishment also.
The cxecutioncr tied short biz Of
whipcord around each mans throat.
and chen put a stick OF wood IN the
slack Of the cord until IL was evident
that II could not be made tighter.
For some reason he Immediately loos-
encd the cord On each case Others said).
and frightened Il again and fastened
IL. The victims made no sound. but a
CULVER passed over their bodies, and
their fingers were seen 90 curl In as II
their fists were being clinchcd That
was all. The mandarin sent n clerk 90
check off the names of these victims.
and thus the law was indicated, or
avenged