The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-02
BARBAROUS CHINESE LAW.
The One Against PARTICLES and Mat
ricides Cannot BE Evaded.
Philadelphia Telegraph

Philadelphia Telegraph.
In China, when a parent has met with
death at the hands of a son or daughter
no circumstances of intention or age are
permitted to interfere with the infiiction OF
the penalty, which is that of the lingchi,
followed by decapitation. Any mitigation
of this cruel sentence would be considered
by the Chinese as aiming blow at the
fundamental principle of hlial duty winch
is supposed to be the groundwork or their
code. Time and again has the penalty or
lingch'i been recorded against PARTICLES Or
matricides, even when they happened to be
idiots or lunatics. and, therefore, not ac-
countable for their actions.
The corruption and venality of the great
mass of o1ilcials in this empire has, says
the North China Herald, become a by
word, and 1t is not strange, therefore, that
Justice can easily be evaded through brib-
guilty of killing fellow-creature whether
by generalization or accident can escape all
serious consequences and receive SEN
tence of three years Punishment to spot
a thousand miles distant instead of the
death penalty. Or on the other hand, when
the relatives of the murdered men are pow
erful enough to make themselves heard by
the officials. and to demand the strict OBJ
servance of the lex talionis the rich GRIM
inal may purchase substitute from among
the beggar class, or perhaps an Ole ana
faithful servant of the family may be per-
mitted to forfeit his life in his master
stead. But never has it happened since
China had a history that one who occa-
stoned the death of his parent or parents
has contrived to buy himself off and escape
the lingchi, or ox-eared knife, and the ex-
ecutioner's heavy two-handed sword. SO
deeply has the doctrine of the ancient Sages
on the observance of tilial piety become
rooted in the. hearts of the people OF emma
that no magistrate would dare to exercise
leniency by taking into consideration the
circumstances that led to a case or parrl-
eide or matrlcide with the view of mltlgat,
ing the doom fixed by law. Not only would
the magistrate incur thereby the danger Oh
violence from the mob, but he would SUD-
vert the obedience due from his own family.
a no ~ Mn nnl
on himself, but disgrace on the district IN
which he resides. In the case where botn
parents are victims Chinese law ordalns
that a corner of the district city walls shall
be pulled down as lasting chronicle or
the shame and disgrace of the district IN
having sheltered such a monster. The
magistrate and local officials are cashiered
and debarred forever from public employ
ment, as q punishment for not having
taught more effectively the doctrine of tllial
piety, while the governor of the province
with his colleag CUES, the treasurer and the
judge, together with the taotai ana prefect
of the district, are all degraded several
steps in rank. In the case of the murder
of both parents the murderer Is not only
sentenced to undergo lingch'i and decapi.
tation but his body is nailed on the top OF
the coffin of one of his victims.
So far-reaching and immutable is this law
that it is plainly laid down that even the
infant in arms who accidentally causes the
death of it's mother must suffer the ex-
IRENE penalty, provided the infant mas
grown its teeth. For instance an infant
borne in the arms of it's nurse and carrying
in it's tiny hand some sharp instrument
may let the same fall and thereby accident
ally cause the death of it's mother; and if 1t
should happen that the infant has one tooth
in it's head at the time it will be doomed
to the extreme penalty of ingch1 and de-
capitation; but if it has no teeth it will es-
cape all consequences. Such is the bar
barous law of China. 1t is the only law
that offers no loophole for the escape of
the perpetrator whether the death was pre-
meditated or the result of accident. All
be evaded-for the usual consideration