Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1897-05-05
"A CHINESE EXECUTIONS!
How Murca,rers Are Killed In the Land
of the Celestial

/
of the Celestial
A correspondent of the Seattl
| Post Intelligencer thus describes
Chinese execution:
The victim, Lai Nit, had murder
| ed a Chinese detective, Ind his pun
ishment, with all it's ,barbaric repul
siveness, was made as conspicuouslJ
public as possible as an example t.
evildoers. Extensive arrangements
were made for the carrying out o.
the execution. Flags were hying
from the battlements Of the old for
and from three war junks lying
near the pier, and large numbers Of
Chinese were on the beach.
About 3:15p. m. a war junk was
sighted around the point, and a sa
lutte was fired from the fort. This
was the signal for the final arrange
ments for the reception of the Chi.
nese officials. A salute of three guns
from the fort was replied to by the
Namtau junk, and then the junks
alongside the pier opened fire. 9th
er salutes from the fort were follow
ed by loud beating of gongs and sa-
lutes from the junks.
The soldiers now cleared square
on the beach close to a table at
which were placed three chairs. The
first to arrive from the junk were
the Namtau court officials, who ar
ranged the table for the reception
of the mandarin. The wooden cage
containing the, prisoner was taken
up out Of the hold of the junk and
carried along the pier by coolies and
set down IN front of the mandarin s
table. The prisoners was rather
roughly pulled out of the cage and
Touchdown upon his launches. He
scowled fieFcely on all around him,
muttering imprecations upon his
guards, Che of the officials stuck a
long bamboo, to which was attach
ed a long envelope bearing Chinese
characters, down the back of his
chair.
& All this time the crowd had been
jostling and pushing round the pris-
oner, and the miserable specimens
of cody soldiers were ordered to
clear the way to the execution
ground After several unsuccessful
attempts lad been made to clear a
passage the soldiers, brandishing
their rattans. eventually cleared
sufficient space to allow Of the pas
sage Of the prisoner and his guard.
The executipner, a tall, muscular
Chinese, followed behind, carrying
his sheathed knife.
At the execution ground the pris-
oner was ordered to kneel down on
his knees. He was shackled with
old rusty irons, his hands being tied
behind his back. His cue was
wound around his head, and his
jacket was pulled down from his
neck, which was quite bare. The ex-
ecutioner withdrew the knife, a
weapon about five feet long, from
the sheath and set the prisoner in
position, signifying to him to bend
his head forward, and emphasizing
his instructions by kicking the pris-
oner lightly in the CHEST. The ex-
ecut9oner then pulled away the en-
velope from the prisoner S neck.
Principally at 4:40 O'Clock the ex-
ecutioner swung down his blade
and in one stroke the head was sew
cred from the body, just as Lai Nit
was cursing the delay The head
was thrown face upward, and the
eyes were staring wide open The
soldiery, Immediately on the fall
of the knife, fired off running vol
ley. The executioner lifted the head
and placed it at the top of the life
less trunk and then cut the strings
which secured the shackles around
the arms and legs. Among the large
crowd of Europeans who witnessed
the execution was one woman. The
head Of the deceased was hung up
in a cage which was lying on the
beach. The body will probably be
allowed to remain on the beach for
some time.
The Chicago board of trade has de-
cided to begin crusade against NO.
lators of the Interstate commerce law.
superintendent Passmore of the