The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-03-24
PEK|N CRIMINAL TRIAL
TORTURE HAD no EFFECT ON
MURDERER.
Cruelty Had No Terrors for Brigand
The Judges Make Him Out a Hero
and He ConfeSses.

\ Peking dispatch states that at the
first two trials of K'ang before
special tribunal in the Board of Pun
ishments, although very cruel tortures,
such as kneeling on heated iron chains,
being pricl>ed with red-hot needles.
him confess to the formidable list of
some twenty-nine robberics with muir
der in each case. of which he had been
accused, K'ang, in spite of his collar
bone. around which a chain had been
passed, being partly bare of flesh, and
his ankles being in shattered condi-
while en- route from Newchwang to
Picking, sturdily refused to sign his
name to the list.
Being man of magnificent ply
sique, his constitution and determined
will were such as to defy all the extra
physical pains of the two trials, for
without his signature to the charges
the Court could not sentence the man,
although there was not the slightest
doubt that K'ang was really guilty.
The investigating judges were there
fore, at their WITS end. 1t had clearly
been demonstrated that cruelty and
force had no terrors for their prisoner,
and further torture would probably
send him to his last account, in which
case Punishment to distance of 5000
Ii would probably be too light a pun
ishment for the Judges. An appeal had,
therefore, to be made to K'ang at the
third trial, and the judges, changing
their tactics, became his suppliants.
1T was true" they said, that he
(K'ang) had heroically borne without
a murmur or vince the most fright
full treatment and most eXcruciating
fortunes. He was therefore hero.
No one would dare now to say, after
all he had suffered, that K'ang Lao-pa
was not the greatest hero of the pres
ent times. His deeds and exploits all
demonstrated his bravery to the world.
There was, therefore, no necessity to
prove any further to the world what a
hero he was, and that to confess now
without further application of the tor
ture was no disgrace" etc. Seeing
signs of relenting on the set features
of the prisoner, one of the judges gave
orders that rug be brought for K'ang
and couple of native pillows, stuffed
with straw, to lean against during his
trial. This evidently had some effect
upon the prisoner, and one of the
judges said aloud "K'ang, you are a
hero. All under heaven acknowledge
this. When the Emperor calls upon
the faithful minister to die, the min
lister dies unfinchingly of his own ac-
cord to show his loyalty; if the father
calls upon the filial son to die, the son
in duty bound bends his neck to the
stern decree. a man can't live for
ever, you know. With your heroic
record, what better monument to die
after you have shown your fortitude
and heroism to the word?"
Without more ado K'ang signed his
own death warrant. 1t should be stat
ed that this trial lasted three hours,
and to keep the prisoner in good hum
or he had been constantly supplied
with hot tea, cakes and pipes of to-
bacco. But no sooner had he signed
| his confession than all was changed
| and again loaded with heavy chains
k'ang was hurried back to the Heav-
emily Prison, only to expiate his crime
the next morning by the slicing pro-
cess, or lingch'i. K'ang sang songs all
the way to the execution ground, and
kept it up even when the executioner's
knife had cut into him several times,
\ stab with dagger in the region of
his heart silenced the desperado's
voice and the rest of the ''slicing" and
the final severance of the head from
the body were then done in silence.
although'some 10000 people surround
ed the spot.