The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-01-10
CHINESE JUSTICE.
Sometimes Melted Out With a
Vigor That Shocks.

One night we halted at place called
Hungay, which in the stern, stiff Ian
guage Of THE Universal Gazetteer"
may be said to be a small town in the
Yunnan Province of China; population
about five thousand; products, fleas and
other small deer. We were making a
hurried escape from the wretched place
when Lowe suddenly missed his cam
era. Five minutes before starting it
was strapped on the machine, but now
it was gone. A swift run was made
to the inn. Had the landlord seen it?
No he had not; and besides he didn't
want to be disturbed, for he was eating
rice. Had anybody seen the camera?
Not a SOUL There was nothing for it
but visit to the mandarin at the
Yamen. He was a kindly young fell
low of about our own age He listened
quietly while the loss was explained,
and when he understood there had been
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 proverb about the
advisability of the dead keeping out
of hell and living out of yamens Land
all the hangers on were however,
marched to the yamen in chains, and
every one was trembling with fright.
In the end one of the men was marched
away, but in ten minutes he was
brought back with the camera. His
countenance 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 Photographic appliances were
still missing, his rage was unbounded.
Putting on his magisterial robes he
sentenced the thief to be thrashed. He
held up one hand as an inquiry if fifty
strokes would be sufficient punishment
Plenty, intimated the foreigner. Down
was the man pitched on his face the
legs tied, the flesh barred, and heavy
fell the blows. We'll" said Lowe, s'as
I've been put to considerable inconven-
fence over this rascal, think I'll take
a snap shot of his thrashing." And one
was taken. The beating went on and
on, the rufffan screamed and blood was
running from the wounds on his limbs
Hasn't he had the fifty yet?'' was
asked. Fifty! Why his punishment
is five hundred strokes, and he has not
had four hundred yet" A plea was
put forward for mercy. But the man
DARN. with his lips tight, would not
listen. 1t was no good telling him
that the quality of mercy was not
strained, or that 1t 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 grooming, writhing and
bleeding
Then in marched the soldiery with
five other men heavily manacled The
prisoners fell on their knees and put
their foreheads on the ground. The
mandarin heckled the lot like a Paris
ian Judge. He fixed on one as a ring
leader of the robbery. If five hundred
stripes was the punishment Of an
accomplice. what must be the chastise-
ment Of the chief thief? Torture was
reserved for him. He was made to
sit on his launches His wrists were
tied tightly in front of his knees, and
a pole was stuck between his arms and
his legs and then rested on two tables,
SO that the culprit swung head down
about each big toe, and two Of the
soldiers pulled apart This neces-
sarily brought tremendous strain on
the ropes at the wrists. They black
ened Immediately. The agony must
have been excruciating. for the man
screamed He began curling and
twisting, but a soldier went forward
and put his foot on the thief's dragging
.1<r<, md 81 Ion y &c, Inn
victim foamed at the mouth, and.
whenever he was on the point of losing
consciousness he was raised up by the
queue to give him breathing space.
, swung head downward again. and the
Irvine about his toes tugged 1t was
in vain for the foreigner to appeal that
the barbarous torture should cease.
There was nothing for it but to for
sake the sickening and revolving spec
tacle.-Travel.