Evening star., 1900-07-30
Every member Of the
Uneeda Quartet

neck of the criminal. which 1t is made to
fit, is firmly held Another cage resembles
the former in all respects but one. The
difference consists in its being longer than
its occupant, so that while his neck is held
fast by the wooden collar attached to the
top of the cage the tips of his toes barely
touch the floor. Indeed. the floor. which
Is only few inches from the ground, is
sometimes removed. that the prisoner
may be suspended by the neck. This pun
ishment almost invariably proves fatal
Horrible Tortures.
In his work, 1.-The Middle Kingdom" WI.
fiams gives Instances of the style of tor
ture In vogue there, and says: Pulling or
twisting the ears with roughened fingers
and keeping them in a bent position. while
making the prisoner kneel on chains, OF
making him knee1 for long time are
among the modes. Striking the lips with
sticks until they are nearly jellied, putting
the hands in stocks before or behind the
back. wrapping the fingers in oiled cloth
10 burn them, suspending the body by the
thumbs and fingers, tying the hands to a
bar under the knees so as to bend the body
double. and claiming by the neck close to
a stone are resorted to when the prisoner
is contumacious.
"One magistrate is accused of having
fastened up two criminals to boards by
nails driven through their palms. One of
them tore his hands loose and was nailed
up again. which caused his death. Com
pelling criminals to kneeI upon pounded
glass and salt mixed together until the
knees become eXcoriated;bor simply kneel-
ing upon chains is a lighter form of af-
Fiction Ish <
Capital Punishment
The manner of inflictinglthe death penalty
Is thus described by Gray: For capital
and other offenses of a serious nature there
are six classes of punishmentS. The first
Is called ling-chee. TheStriminal is bound
to cross and cut into either 100, or -, or
36. or "a pieces. Should there be extenuat-
Ing circumstances the body is divided into
eight pieces only. The punishment of
twenty-four cuts is inflicted as; follows: The
first and second cuts remove the eyebrows
the third and fourth, the shoulders; the
hfth and sixth. the breasts: the seventh
and eighth, the parts between each hand
and elbow; the ninth. and tenth. the parts
between each elbow and shoulder: the
eleventh and twelfth, the flesh of each
thigh; the thirteenth and fourteenth, the
calf of each leg: the fifteenth pierces the
neart, the sixteenth sewers the head from
the body, the seventeenth and eighteenth
cut off the hands: the nineteenth and tWen-
tieth, the arms: the twenty-first and twen-
ty-second. the feet: the twenty-third and
twenty fourth. the legs. That of eight cuts
Is inflicted as follows: The first and second
cuts remove the eyebrows; the third and
fourth, the shoulders: the fifth and sixth,
the breasts; the seventh pierces the heart
ths elghth sewers the head from the body.
Il once witnessed the execution of a wo-
man: who was cut into twenty-four pieces
on the common execution ground of Can
ton. for having poisoned her husband At
the time or her execution she was slightly
inebriated. When bound to the cross upon
which she was to suffer she begged the
execuuoner to dispatch her with haste.
He first very roughly blndfolded her with
a piece of rope. She received In all twenty
four cuts. the fifteenth of which pierced her
heart The ropes by which. her arms and
neck were bound to the cross were then
cut ana the upper part of the body fell
forward. the lower part remaining tightly
bound to the perpendicular beam of the
cross As the upper part fell forward an
assistant executioner pulled the head for
"ard by the hair to enable the executioner
to sever 1t from the trunk.