The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-07


was put aboard the lighter which was to
| carry MIN 70 his long rest. As soon as the
! cage had been put aboard the lighter she
was taken IN tow by small steamboat
and started across the bay.
We We're informed by servant later
! IN the DAY that the reason the executioner
| wished TO accompany the prisoner in the
| iIshter was for the purpose OF shaking
| him down for what few coins he might
| nave left after his debauch. Had he been
/ a man OF any Standing with his country
! met ne certainly would have been pro-
| Vded with few dollars for the occasion,
| LOT the eNecutoner has it in his power
! 10 make the last moments OF his victim
about as rapid or lingering as he may
| see it,
! consequently when a man is about TO
! De executed. If he is fortunate enough to
have a friend in the place. II is almost
| certainty that he VIII be supplied with
| few silver coins with which to grease The
! sword Of the eXecutiouer q am using this
polite term for this form of bribery.
| From all accounts this fellow did not pan
| out very Wen, for no money was found in
his pockets when he was taken to the jail.
! But what could one expect from COM
mon Hah KAN man. Now mad he been
| an up river man or Cantonese he would
surely have been looked after in his last
| hour, for they are as claunish as The
Scotch, those mld-manrered Chinese.
! The lighter was finally towed over to
| The other side of the bay. where the crate
! with lis human occupant was landed on
| the beach. The prisoner was carried
short distance from the water, where ne
was emoniously dumped OUT OF his
cage, He landed on his face, and the
coarse sand and gravel cut quite a cash
on his cheek. which added greatly to the
poor fellows suffeTnss for IN that hot
climate the flies were soon attracted by
/ bo nd and nc no - 1AAs -
hands were sim tied down 10 his ankles
il was impossible for him to drive away
the pests that were torturing him,
"Our party was about the first 20 land
on the Kowloon side and | can tell you
that it was an awful thing to be obliged
TO witness that creatures agony feeling
our own weakness unCOmfortahly marked.
| would have given considerable for the
| privilege of cutting away the thongs that
bound the mans hands and feet. But we
were only a lot of plain civilians, who had
no right to interfere with the majesty of
the law. so we were oblised 10 content our
selves with the poor consolatio that the
mans sufferings would soon be over, at
L o'clock was the hour set for the eXecu-
ton, and as rule they are pretty prompt
in such matters over there.
81 had a fan in my pocket, and IL struck
me that / might in some way lessen the
prisoners agony by brushing away the
/
defenseless body. As I stopped over 10
fan them away from his hands and feet /
found that the lashings had not only cut
deep into the flesh, but that the wounds
had begun to tester. | stepped back hor-
Tor-stricken by the awfu.ncss of this bar
barous treatment of human being, The
wretched man looked at me without one
particle of gratitude IN his sullen stare,
for he did not seem capable of understand
ing that / was trying to relieve him as
far as it were in my power. Poor devil,
he little knew what human sympathy
meant from a white mans point of view.
THE hands of our tlmepieces crept
around slowly and we ell began TO show
some signs OF Impotence, with possibly
a little nervousness, for II is no easy mat
, ter to witness the death of a human being,
even though he be Chinese and a low
down Hah Kah man. At last the time
came and we started back to see the fin
, ish.
1t seems almost incredible, but It is a
fact that the unfeeling mandarin did keel
, that poor fellow kneelng on the sand un-
, til o'clock that afternoon. At last we
, saw him approaching astride his .ittlt
white pony. He was followed by a SINAI
retinue of servants, whose principal duty
seemed to be to keep the flies from light
ing on their masters devoted head,
THE crowd cleared the way for the
: great man, who rode within foot or tive
, Of the prisoner. He was then assisted &c
r slide off mis- horsc-I can think of no other
way to describe his manner of dismount-
, ing-then ne gave US a very digufed bow
and stepped up to the eXecutioner. / hac
4 no idea what he asked that official but he
, seemed very much dspeased with the
answer. turned on his heel looked at the
prisoner and told him 10 bow his head.
" Oh that won't do he shouted in mis-
own language Here, guard. stretch the
I skin on this fellows neckn
+ "The man addressed being a little slow
, grabbed the culprit by the queue ant
brought his head down with jerk til
1t almost touched the ground, then he
placed his foot on the fellows neck and
told him TO keep his head in that posi-
, ton.
, Next he made a signal to the execu-
toner, who stepped to the side of his
! master Both his hands grasped the huge
sword and it's sharp point rested on the
ground within an inch of the condemned
. mans throat.
, THE mandarin stepped back a pace OF
, two and gave the order. There was
, swish, a chug, then a sound very much
, like champagne escaping from a half
, opened bottle. The head rolled to the
ground and stopped at the great man.
! feet Not at all disturbed by this inciden
, the mandarin gave the awful thing kicl
as he remarked, His blood may improve
, the thirsty soul of Kowloon. and IL viii
be the first time this fellow has ever beer
Of any use to mankind.