, 1898-11-12
CHINESE JUSTICE.


u Is Melted out with II NiGor That
Shuri>s Europeans.
One night we halted ut Il place called
Hunpay, which in the stern, stiff Ian
guago OF 1.-The Universal Gazetteer
may ne said to be Il small town III tho
Yumnun province of China; population
about 1000; products, fleas II other
snail deer. We were making "a hurried
escape from The w1etchod place when
Lowe suddenly missed his camera. Five
minutes before starting it was strapped
on the machine, bnt nov it was gone.
\ swift run was made to the inn. Had
the landlord seen it? No, he had not,
and besides he didn't want to be dis
turhcd, for he was eating rice. Had
anybody seen the camera! Not Il soul.
There was nothing for il but Il visit
to the mandarin a: the yamen. He was
n kindly young fellow of about our own
age. He listened quietly while the loss
was explained, and whcn he understood
there had beer thieving he turned the
color Of paper with rage. a troop Of
soldiery was dispatched to the inn with
orders to arrest everybody.
There is a Chinese proven, about the
ACCESSIBILITY Of the dead keeping ont Of
hell and the living out of yamens.
Landlord. cook, sweeper, stable cleaner
and all the hangers on were. however,
marched to the yamcn in chains, and
every one was trembling with fright.
There wa much confused jabbering.
In the end one of the men was marched
away, but in ten minutes he was brought
hprl with tho rlytnru His rnDnfpnpprn
proclaimed him an arrant rogue, and
when the mandarin saw that the leather
case had been cut open with a knife
and was informed that three photo
graphic appliances were still missing
his rage was %unbounded. Putting Oh his
magistcrial robes, he sentenced the thief
to he thrushcd. He held up one hand as
AN inquiry if so strokes would be suf1t-
Gent punishment. Plenty, intimated
the foreigner. Down was the MAJ pitch.
ed on his face, the legs tied, the flesh
barred and heavy fell the blows.
We'll" said Lowe, "as I've been
put to considerable Inconvenience over
this rascal, | think III take a snap shot
of his thrashing.' And one was taken.
The beating went on and Oh, the rutiian
sNl'tiIl'h III was IulIlIlS
the wounds on his limbs.
"Husn't he had the so yet:' was
asked.
FIFTY! Why his punishment is 800
strokes, and he has not had 400 yet"
a plea was put forward for mercy,
but the mandarin, with his lips tight.
would not listen. 1t was no good telling
him that the quality of mercy was not
strained, or that it droppeth like the
dew from heaven or that it became the
monarch better than his crown. He was
paid to punish offenders. and he was
going to punish them. However, it was
soon all over, and the wretch lay on
the ground groaning, writing and
bleeding.
Then in marched the soldiery with
five other men heavily manacled. The
prisoners fell on their knees and put
their forchcads on the ground. The
mandarin heckled the lot like Partisan
judge. He fixed on one as the ringleadcr
Of the robbery. If 500 stripes was rho
punishment of an accomplicc, what
must lie the Chastisement of the thief in
chief: Torture was reserved for him.
lis was matte to sit III his launches.
His wrists were tied tightly i'll front of
his knees, and IA pole was stuck between
his arms md his legs and then rested
on twO tables, so that the culprit
swuug head downward. Strong twino
WAS slip knOttcd about each big tee,
and two Of the soldiers pulled apart.
This necessarily brought "a tremendous
strain un the roped wrists. They black
entd Immediately.
Tn" agony must have been eXcruciat-
in-. for the man screamed. He began
curling and twisting, but II soldier went
forward and put his foot On the thief's
dragging pigtail and so kept his head
down. The victim loaned at the mouth,
and whenever he was on the point Of
losing Consciousness he was raised up
by the cue to give him breathing
space, swung head downward again,
and the Irvine about his toes tugged. 1t
was i'll vain for the foreigner to appeal
that the barbarOus torture should cease.
There was nothing for it but to forsake
the sickening and revolving spectacle
Travel.