The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1900-08-12
N AMERICAN ON CHINA.
observations Of Ore Who Re-
GENTLY Returned From There.
nrrrIoULTIEs OF CAMPAIGNING

c.rlous to Suffering and Los. al
r,ee-Horrible Scenes at Chinese
Ezecution.
An observing American who has just
...,urned to San Francisco from China
I'D who was in the midst of the dis
,urbances just preceding the final out
h,eak takes very gloomy view OF the
.stustion, says the Cincinnati Enquir-
He is William Gorham. president
!, the Gorham Rubber company. and
hon interviewed the other day he
sid:
" do not believe that it iS possible
q, all the allied powers. no matter
uhat may be the plan OF attack or
how mighty the facilit' to conquer
!, subdue China. Myo on Is based
anon facts as l have o-,erved them
Fsrst of all, it is impossible to main
ta;n even small army anywhere
sear the Chinese empire. There is no
vatpr to drink. no food to eat, and the
,earest source of supply is in Japan.
three days Journey "a source that
uould soon become exhausted. What
water there is in China is impure and
ua6t to drink. requiring to be boiled
and filtered. In China there is no such
ching as sanitation, and at such times
!. This man and beast alike are left un-
buried. Supposing n coast attack
ehould result in the killing of few
thousand Chinese, ,eas 1t must TO he i'm
cav measure successful. The dead
\ chinese would be left unhuried upon
the field, and the army wonld be una
ble to advance because of the conSe-
auent impurfication of all drinking
water and the stencil. If any advance
were possible. the continued killing
necessary to progress would continue
the conditions. and advance to any ex-
tent would leave open chances for side
attack.
sThe interior is peoplcd to the density
Of swarming feas. and every foot of
advance would have to be made over
decaying dead bodies. rendering neces-
sary the impossible water supply from
tbe rear. As to food, the enemy can
subsist comfortably upon small
bunch of rice for a wek. and the SOL
diers of civilization would have to
draw substantial supplies from the
rear also. Again. in ordinary warfare
the spreading of panic and the strik-
Ing of terror are powerful elements
with which to subdue. That is an
other impossibility in China. The Chi
nese are absolutely Indifferent to the
fate of their fellow men and fearless as
to their own.
Admitting the possibility of food
supply by oceanic transport service.
there is the difficulty of carrying the
supplies to the interior. In China
there are no beasts of burden except
the cody, who could not we'll be
pressed into service. China'S railroads
and all the railroads leading into China
are in bad repair, if not entirely broken
up and useless. The only method OF
creating anything like a submissive
spirit in the Chinese, it SENS to me
would be to promptly seize and put
to death all high Chinese officials anG
dignitaries. Such an act would break
the faith of the Chinese in the in
fallibility of the exalted rulers and the
unimpeachable joss. All things being
considered. without undue pessimism
It is my opinion that it will be a grea
deal nearer to the judgment day be
fore China is conquered"
During his last stay in Canton Mr.
Gorham witnessed an execution ant
thus describes the scene:
"My friend. Harry Williams. and my
self were desirous of witnessing Chi
nese pirate execution, and one day. b!
/ tipping an underofficial at Il Chimes
jail, we managed to arrive on tn
scene in time to see II prospective vic
tins lined up for punishment. 1t wa
IN what is known as the execution
grounds merely an unusually wild
street. with no ropes. railings or wall
OF any kind surrounding it
"On the ground, kneeling in q row
were II pirates brought to justice
Their hands were loosely tied togethe
with pieces of rope and their cues al
hanging down their backs. They seem
cd not in the least sorrowful or pei
turbed. even almost bored. AS the eS
ecutioner advanced to his duty an rs
sstant preceded him. carrying a stak
snarpened at both ends to q point. On
END Of this stick was driven into til
earth just in front of the criminal
lnen the executioner's assistant caugh
nold of the Chinaman's cue and slowl
ureW him forward and downward. tai
ing care not to use undue considerable
IN shortening the process. When b
nae drawn the body sufficiently 10y
over the sharpened stick, he gave tn
cue quick tug, driving the stake int
tne criminals abdomen and impalin
MIN firmly. Then he held the cue III
cohcernedly while the executioner raj
ed his weapon and drought it dow
swiftly on the criminals neck, seVe
ing the head from the body. Assured
" the man would sail pirate seas
more
While the process of execution we
gong on a host of Indifferent and III
interested Celestials were standir
n