The Black range. (Robinson, Socorro County, N.M.) 1882-1897, 1896-07-17
CHINESE CRUELTY.
Horrors Of the Place of Public
Execution.
The Terrible Dutchery OF Criminals Re
garded by tho People as an Occasion
for Joking and Reducing
Work o. the UeadsmaR.

Some four years ago spent four
days in Canton, tho metropolis of
southern China, ON a special mission to
investigate Chinese justice, and the re-
suits surpassed my most ghastly an
ticipation, says writer IN Harpers
Weekly.
What 1 witnessed was nothing un-
usual, and is the daily practice of the
country, but I am compelled to tone
down 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 l suffered
from perpetual nightmare,
The place Of execution, or "Matou,"
as it is called by the Chinese, is filthy
yard, long and narrow, like blind
alley, and, singularly enough, it is
used as a potter's field when not re-
quired for execution.
On a cold January afternoon pro-
ceeded thither to witness the final re-
! lease of a batch of poor wretches who
had already undergone prolonged
course of torture.
On this occasion the death SQUAD
consists of thirteen, who are tightly
| bound hand and foot and carried in,
huddIed up in baskets slung on a bam-
| boo between two coolies. On arriving
at the center Of the ground these living
loads are pitched cut unceremoniously,
and Immediately seized by the exesu-
toner and his assistants, who arrange
them in two lines in a kneeling posi-.
ton.
At nod from the presiding manda
rim, and with incredible swiftness, the
butchery commences. The assistant
seizes the first victim by the shoulders
from behind, while the executionel
steps up to his left side, armed with al
enormously heavy short sword with {
broad blade and ara2orlike edge. With
out any compulsion, the victim, still
kneeling, bends his head forward, anC
almost instantaneously it leaps from
his body, severed by one swift stroke
The assistant pushes the trunk owe
forward, and shrill burst Of approving
'Hi-yahs" goes up from the crowd
After the uncertain and clumsy oper
atoms Of the medieval headsman, on,
had been led to suppose that human
head required a great deal of sever
ance; but so adept are the Chinese ex
ecutioners that they seem to display n
more effort or emotion in cutting off
head than they would in looping
poppy from its stalk.
With fearful rapidity the slaughte
proceeds, and not five seconds elaps
between the fall of each head. On
unerring stroke ends each life, and tn
s victims are so arranged that each cal
. witness the fate of all those in front O
him before his turn comes.
The crowd is now in the most jovia
humor, and signifies its light-hearte
enjoyment by ribald chaff at the e1
8 pense of the remaining victims, VIII
II frequently retort defantly, and exhib
y UIlc luOSG oGOlld llOllLSISnCC W VIC
e fate.
Suddenly burst Of merriment arise
IS in one corner. A portly merchant ha
approached too near, and his Ion
Al white coat is splashed with blood. Ho
" the bystanders laugh! Was there eve
y such good joke!
al The last few heads are falling nov
II when my hand is plucked by an e
'f cited youngster of ten, dancing wi
g delight, who cries, eagerly: "Ho-tai
% Qsn't it beautifully l repress a fer
- desire to throttle him, and in few sc
~ onds all is over. Justice is vindicate
20 and the crowd quickly disperses, all b
"a the city galnins, who remain behind
40 rehearse tie whole proceedings and
skylark witl the bodies.
HORRIBLE ;aoQgla Ghe sight has bee
death has, at any rate, being swift al
mercifUl, but anotaer day the suprel
al horror Of Chinese justice is revealed
~ US.
For certain Offenders, notably par
cides and woraen who ksl their hi
bands, the penalty IS the "Llng-che'
m or "thousand cuts" This is too ghas
1T for detailed descriptions but suffice it
ry say that tie victim is stcrucifed t,
IA low cross aad theA slowly sliced
en- pieces with q kaife.
OF So slliIlful IS tae executioner that
Oh though his viptiaa soon becomes
or recognizable as human being, yet
vital wound is inflicted till perhaps
an hour OF this torture has elaps
when the agony is ended by decapi
ton.
50 superior an entertainment as t
is naturally rewarded by full hou
and even greater merriment prev,
than at mere head-chopping displa
which SAVIOR somewhat of monotony
Q. the blase Cantonese