The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1895-04-27
CHINESE CRUELTY.
Az Terrible Dntehsry Of Criminals Re-
ssrdsd BY tho People - an Occasion
for Joking and ReJoicing--
Work OF tho uendsnan.

Some four years ago I spent four
days In Canton, the metropolis OF
southern China, on a special missionEo
investigate Chinese justice, and the re-
suits surpassed my most CHASTITY an
ticipation, says writer IN Harper's
Weekly.
What ] Witnessed was nothing I'M
usual. and Is the daily practice OF the
fmptry, but ! am compelled TO tone
NHyn the details TO make them pre-
sentable for publication. Nothing but
the strongest spirit Of inquiry. sup
ported by an iron resolution. carried
me through the horrors OF those days,
and for weeks afterward | suffered
from perpetual nightmare.
The place Of execution, or "Matou."
as II is called by the Chinese. is a filthy
yard. long and narrow, like blind
alley, and, singularly enough, II Is
used as a potter's field when not re-
quired for execution
On cold January afternoon pro-
ceedcd thither to witness the final re-
lease OF u batch of poor wretches who
course Of torture.
On this occasion the death squad
consists Of thirteen, who are tightly
bound hand and foot and carried In,
huddlcd up In baskets slung on bain-
between two coolies. On arriving
Wkhe center of the ground these living
loads arc pitched out unceremoniously,
and Immediately scized by the execu-
toner and his assistants. who arrange
them In two lines In kneeling posi-
ton.
At nod from the presiding manda-
rim, and with incredible swiftness, tho
butchury commences. The assistant
scizes the first victim by the shoulders
from behind. while the executioner
steps up TO his left side. armed with an
enormously heavy short sword with
broad blade and a razorlilxe edge. With
out any compulsion, the victim, still
kneeling, bends his head forward, and
almost instantaneously IL leaps from
his body, severed by one swift stroke.
The assistant pushes the trunk over
forward, and a shrill burst of approving
"IIi-yahs" goes up from the crowd.
After the uncertain and clumsy opcr-
ations of the medieval headsman, one
had been led TO suppose that a human
head required great deal of sever
ance; but SO adept are tho Chinese ex-
ecutioncrs that they seem To display no
more effort or emotion in cutting off a
head than they would in looping a
poppy from Its stalk.
With fearful rapidity the slaughter
proceeds, and not five seconds elapse
between the fall OF each head. One
unerring stroke ends each life, and the
victims arc SO arranged that each can
witness the fate OF all those In front OF
him before his turn comes
The crowd Is now in the most jovial
hor, and signifies its light-hearted
Wjoyment by ribald chaff at the ca
pense OF the remaining victims, who
frequently retort dcfiantly, and exhibit
the most stolid indifference To their
fate.
Suddenly burst OF merrimcnt arises
in one corner. A portly merchant has
approached too near, and his long
white coat is splashed with blood. How
the bystanders Taught Was there ever
such good jolxe
The last few heads are falling now.
when my hand Is pluclSed by an ex-
cited youngster Of ten. dancing with
delight, who cries, eagerly: "Ho-tai?"
Usn't II beautifully reprcss a fierce
desire to throttle him, and In few sec
onds all Is over. Justice Is indicated,
and the crowd quickly dispersos, all but
the city gamins, who remain behind to
rehearse the whole proceedings and TO
slSylarls with the bodies.
Horrible though the sight has been,
death has, at any rate, being swift and
merciful, but another day the supreme
horror Of Chinese Justice Is revealed 10
us
For certain offenders, notably parri-
cidcs and women who kill their hus-
bands, the penalty II the "Ling-chec,"
or thousand cuts This Is too CHASTITY
for detailed description, but suffice II TO
say that the victim Is FIRST crucified 10 a
low cross, and then slowly sliced to
pieces with knife.
So skillful "a the cxccutioner that al
though his victim soon becomes un-
sognizable nB n human being, yet no
III wound Is inflicted till perhaps half
an hour Of this torture has elapsed,
when the agony Is ended by decapita-
ton.
So superior an entertainment as this
is naturally rewarded by full house,
and even greater merriment prevails
than at mere head-chopping displays,
which SAVIOR somewhat OF monotony to