The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-01-05
CHINESE CRUELTY.
HORRORS OF THE PLACE OF EYE
CUTION.
The Terrible Butehery of Criminals
Regarded by the People as an Oe-
casiOn for Joking and Rejoicing
Work Of the Headsman-

Some four years ago I spent four
days in Canton, the metropolis of
southern China. on a special mission
to investigate Chinese justice and the
results surpassed my most CHASTITY an
t:cipation, says a writer in Harper's
Weekly
! What I witnessed was nothing un-
usual and is the daily practice OF. the
country, but 1 am compelled to tone
down the details to make them pre-
sentable for publication Nothing but
the strongest spirit of inquiry. sup
I ported by an iron resolution. carried
me through the horrors of those days.
/ ana for weeks aIterWard l suffered
/ from perpetual nightmare.
The place of execution, or 'Matou."
as it is called by the Chinese. is a
hlthy yard, long and narrow, like a
oIInd alley. ana, Singularly enough 1t
I is used as pOtterS field when not
required for execution.
On cold January afternoon 1 pro
ceeded thither to witness the final re-
lease OF batch of poor Wretehes who
mad already undergone a prolonged
course of torture
on this occasion the death squad
CONSISTS OF thirteen, who are tightly
pound hand and foot and carried In.
huddled up in baskets Slung on a bam-
/ BOO between two coolies. On arriving
at the centre of the ground these ltv-
ing loads are pitched out unceremon-
lously, and Immediately seized by the
eXecutioner and his assistants. who
I arrange them in two lines in a kneel-
ing position.
At nod from the presiding manda-
U aNFeaW IL l. Il
outchery commences. The assistant
selzes 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 razorlike
edge Without any compuls:on. the
victim. still kneeling, bends his head
forward, and almost instantaneOusly it
leaps from his body, severed by one
swift stroke. The assistant pushes the
trunk over forward, and a shriI burst
OF approving "Hi-yahS'' goes I'D from
the crowd
After the uncertain and clumsy oper-
atoms OF the medieval headsman. one
I mad been led to suppose that a human
| mead required great deal Of sever
! ance; but so adept are the Chinese ex-
eCutioners that they seem to display
no more effort or emotion in cutting
OH head than they would in looping
a poppy from its stalk.
With fearful rapidity the slaughter
proceeds, and not five seconds eIapse
between the fall of each head. one
unerrlng stroke ends each life, and the
victims are so arranged that each can
witness the fate of all those in front of
him before his turn comes.
Inc crowd is now in the most iovial
hunor. and signifies it's Hght-hearted
enjoyment by r1bald chaff al the ex-
pense OF the remaining victims, who
frequently retOrt def1antly, and exhibit
the most stolid indifference to their
fate.
Suddenly a burst Of merriment arises
IN one corner A portly merchant has
approached too near, and his long
white coat is splashed with blood.
How the bystanders laugh! Was there
ever such a good joke!
Inc last few heads are falling now.
when my hand IS plucked by an ex
cited youngSter of ten dancing with
deHght. who cries eagerly: "Ho-taf?"
(lSn 1t beautifully L repress a fierce
/ desire to throttle him, and in few
seconds all is over. Justice is Vindi
Gated, and the crowd quickly disperses.
all but the city gamins. who remain
Dehlnd to rehearse the whole proceed
ing and to skylark with the bodies.
Horrible though the sight has been.
I --t'A'f ~ e@i4J AcAtC5 DClIlR swirl and
merciful. but another day the supreme
horror Of Chinese justice is revealed to
US
For certain offenders. notably parrt-
cldes and women who kill their hus-
Oands, the penalty is the "Ling-chee."
or thousand cuts" This is too ghast-
ly for detailed description but suffice
1t to say that the victim is first cruel
ned to low cross, and then SLOWLY
sliced to pieces with a knife.
! SO skillful is the executf0ner that al
though his victim soon becomes nm
! recognizable as a human being. vet no
vital wound is inflicted till perhapz
haI an hour of this torture has
elapsed. when the agony is ended bv
decapitation
So superior an entertainment as this
Is naturally rewarded by a full house.
and even greater merriment prevails
tHan at mere head-chODptng displays.
which SAVIOR somewhat of monofonI- ~
the blase Cantonese.