The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-08-07
SUICIDE BY WHOLESALE
Thousands of Cinnamon Will
Have to Kill Themselves,
SELF-SLAUGHTER AFTER DEFEAT
To Escape the Isnomiuy of the Conquered
When the Allies Enter Pekin-A Common
Custom In Their Cousiry, and Is Often
ordered-Hsw Haudarins aud Women
Teek Their Own Lives by Scores i'm $50.

Suicide on such a scale as has never
been seen in the history of the world viii
probably follow the entrance Of the allied
forces into Pekin- II is the customary
Oriental way Of escaping the dishonor OF
defeat. and in this case the leaders Of the
Tebel Chinese will know that terrible pun
ishment awaits them if they survive the
loss Of their cause In 1860 when the
Iaku ports were taken. many mandarins
took their own lives. a. did the wives
Of numerous officials, and when the Brit
lsh captured Annoy. Niag-po. and Chm
kiang, scores of ladies, imagining that
they would be subjected to brutality and
outrage by the foreign soldiers, slew
themselves in the presence of their hus-
bands, who followed their example. The
victors found dozens OF bodies in wells
and ponds belonging to private residences.
The Chinese are more addicted to suicide
than any other people. ana under certain
! circumstances the act of self-destruction
Is considered the most virtuous and he
roic ina indble. This is particularly true
! OF CIVIL or military officers. who refuse 10
survive defeat in battle or an insult of
Tered to the sovereign of the country
| OPIUM hanging, and drowning are The
| faVorite methods adopted. and the unfor-
Inmates, believing that beyond the grave
the shades of the departed are clad in
garments like those the defunct wore at
the time of death, usually put on their
pest clothes in preparation for the deed
Oh a previous occasion the Emperor
summer palace was destroyed. for a les
son TO the government but this time, If
II Is found that the present rulers are re-
/ sponsible for the recent mischief. the
whole Of the Forbidden City will doubtless
be RACED to the ground. and the injury n
| the sensitive feelings of the official class
will be frightful, indeed.
| Horrors Of an Execution.
! On the other hand. if the powers that
be are able to clear their skirts of ac-
/ countability, they will be required to in
/ Met punishments on a wholesale scale.
/ ana this Will be accomplished in ways De
/ cuharly chinese. The leaders of the reb-
els or the principal Scapegoats, will be
| Snced 90 death-a mode of execution
/ Whlch, while extremely barbaroIs and
cruel IS the most scientific known. Ac-
! cordlng 10 the rules governing the pro
| cess the victim is cut into a specified
NUMBER OF pieces. which may be 10 or u
{ or 90, or "A. If there are eXtenuating cir
! cumStances in his case, the number of
| pieces may be reduced even to s which
brings death relatively soon. But in av
cry instance the succession of cuts is reg
uiated as exactly as those used nv a
butcher in dividing up an OK.
The feeling of horror with which ana
regards such dOings is mitigated 10 some
extent by recollection of the abomtnabJa
crimes OF which the offenders have nrovad
themselves capable In June 1S70 a rou,-
erfui magistrate at Tientsin was nresert-
ed by the local lterati with red sin
umbrella as reward for his deeds which
directly caused the frightful massacre
mat occurred three days later. This ma
sacre cost the lives of tWentv-threa for
elgners' most of them nuns. who were n,,t
10 uedth In manner too fearful 10 he
ueSCI iped. Inc magistrate paid for his
ullioIeiia Dy hard labor for life as pris
oh CONVICT twenty natives We're beheaded
ana large number were punished in 9TH,
er ways IA o'H-
ollehders OF the second grade in the
Pe'i' instance viii be put 10 death by
1P'sa'iOu- Ihey Will be placed in
tU"9' Huhuteds OF them at a time proba
Diy, and the eXecutioner will strike orf
a lANU Of
hedVy twO-hdnded sword While await
Ing the coup de grace they vyiu -
upon the ground, pin;Oned Those who
nave influential friends Willing 70 au
money for the privilege will have their
heads sewn upon their bodies afterword
though the authorities in such casaS al.
ways require that the head shall ha ra-
Versed-that is, sewn on back part fora-
most. The third method of canitaI mn
lshment IS by strangling. a rome being
tied loosely around the neck and q stfck
thrust through it and twisted
sui eide Great Far.
In some instances doubtless. persons
convicted of completely in the rebellion
II Oh hlSh rank or official standing. will be |
requested 10 commit suicide. This species |
VI FAVOR Is one OF the highest that can be |
bestowed, suicide being considered less
dIssrace1ul than any form Of death a. The |
hdhds oI the pubic eXecutiOner. The vic
tim receives d handsome lacuuered hoy
wrapped IN SILK Of the citron yellow color |
sacred 10 the Emperor On opening the |
receptacle white silken cord is found |
lying within. neatly cOiIed. This i
silent, though stern, suggestion 10 the |
recipient 10 take mis- own life by means
act upon the hint within twentv-four
hours. the execuuoner claims him.
Twenty thousand revolutionists wara
decapitated after the great Tanning re-
bellion. The only way in which the i'm
perial authorities can make their own
good faith manifest on the present oc-
casiOn is by wholesale executions. and "a
in any event there is sure 10 be q series
of huge massacres under form or pre-
tense Of law soon after the allies have en-
tered Pekin. The bodies of the offenders
save in a few cases where reclaimed by
relatives, will be thrown into huge pits.
An Awful Retriburion.
Very horrible all thisl But Just think
what the Chinese hends are doing TO
Americans at the present time. outraging
and tOrIuring even the women and chill
dren. one may not desire retributiOn in
kind. but there is consolation in thinking
that the punishment can hardly do more
than nj the crime Many minor offenders
viii lose one or both ears, and others
viii have their names and crimes tartooed
on their cheeks-certainly most efficient
penalty so far az il goes. Slow strangu-
latiOn on the cross Will BE- reserved for
special cases. the rule governing this
method requiring that the sheriff shall AT
tach his seal 10 the knot OF the rope.
while at the top Of the cross. Just above
the head Of the maIefactor. j. pasted 2 |
strip Of paper with the name and Offense
written upon IL
The frenzy for marryrdom is sun active
in the world To-day hundreds Of good
men and women in this country are eager
10 90 70 China and take the places Of |
he missionary people who have died and
are perishing al the Boxers hands II is | ,
A glorious but not wholly Unsefsn de-
votion, inasmuch as they feel perfectly
sure that death thus met viii insure han
.lmass heraatIar- In n-ncLseIH N. .arr.