Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-16
CHINESE CRIMINALS.
Are Allowed to Furnish Substitutes
Even in Capital Cases.


Washington Dispatch to Chicago Times-Herald.
Private letters received by the last mail
from China give an account of the eXecu-
ton of nine men who were convicted of
completely of the missionary massacres at
Kucheng last summer. Eight of the vic
tins were identified beyond doubt as those
who actually murdered the women and
children of DR.. Stewards family. The
ninth. whose name was Wang Tsih was
not connected with the massacre in any
way so far as the evidence shows, but he
volunteered to die in the place of Lilo
Kuang, his cousin, who is the only son
and support of a widow with a number of
small children. This is not an uncommon
thing in Chinese criminal history. Men
often consent to accept vicarious punish
mentS for crimes committed by other per-
sons.
Sons have been known to offer them
selves for execution and Imprisonment in
place of their fathers and brothers, and it
Is common for rich men who are convicted
of crime to hire poor men to suffer the
penalty for them. This can be done with
the consent of the officials. who usually de-
mand heavy fees, however, before they
will give their sanction.
Last summer a wealthy merchant who
was convicted of maltreating one of his
employees in a most brutal manner. so that
he afterward died. was sentenced to be
beheaded, but he succeeded in hiring
begSar to take his place. The beggar was
paid 80 taels, which is about $42 or SAB in
our money, but the judge who approved
the transaction got several thousand taels
as his BRIDE After the beggar received his
fee he gave himself up to few days of
riotous living. and then surrendered him.
self at the Jail to relieve his patron The
latter was at once released and went about
his business.
When influential men have been con-
victed of completely in missionary massa-
ores they usually arrange with the officials
to offer substitutes to receive their punish
ment, and innocent persons have been eX
ecuted instead of the real culprits. In the
present case 1t is believed that all of the
men VINO were beheaded were actually
guilty except the one named, but at the
same time they were merely the deluded
and fanatical followers of more intelligent
leaders, who planned and directed the mas
sacre, and have entirely escaped through
the connivance of the viceroy and his sub
ordinate officials.
The victims decorated themselves with
red cloth and gay-colored paper and
marched to the execution ground singing
war songs. They seemed to be entirely
satisfied with the result of their trial. and
rather gloried in the notoriety it gave
them. No regrets were expressed by any
one except Manchu from northern China,
named Tung Ian WI. who was popularity
known as 1.-The Hungry Tiger He made
speech on the execution ground, in which
he exclaimed: I'VE are here to die today,
we deserve for trying to drive foreign dew
Ills out of the country? Ought not our
friends and our leaders to come and bid us
farewell? 1t makes me indignant TO think
of their contemplate conduct"
The executions took place upon plot of
ground just outside the city of kucheng,
and were witnessed by several thousand
people The prisoners hands We're tied be-
hind their backs and their ankles were fet-
tered. They were made to kneel in row
upon the ground about eight feet apart.
AS the headsman approached each one his
assistant seized the prisoners queue,
pulled it over the top of his head and held
his face down so that his nose almost
touched his knees. The executioner then
struck single blow with a heavy two
handed sword, aiming at the middle of the
neck Only one head was entirely severed
by the first blow. The rest We're hacked
two or three times, and the last two Strug-
gled in death agony for several minutes.
Three of the nine accepted the penalty
with silence, but the others died with the
most profane and obscene vituperations
upon their lips. all directed at the foreign
devils.'