The age-herald., 1900-08-19
UNoHANGEABLE CHINESE LAW
The Slayer of Father or Mother Must
 Suffer Death

From the North China Herald.
 In China, when a parent has met with death at the hands of a son or daughter no circumstances of intention or age are permitted to interfere with the infliction of the penalty, which is that of the '1ingchi," followed by decapitation. Any mitigation of this cruel sentence would be considered by the Chinese as aiming q blow at the fundamental principal of filial duty, which is supposed to be the ground work of their code. Time and again has the penalty of the ''lingchi'' been recorded against parricides or matricides even when they happened to be idiots lunatics, and, therefore not accountable for their &C., tions.
 The corruption and venality of the great mass of officials in this empire has become a by-word, and it is not strange therefore, that justice can easily be evaded through bribery. Thus a wealthy man who has been guilty of killing a fellow-creature, whether by reconciliation or accident, can escape all serious consequences and receive a sentence of three years punishment to spot 100 miles distant instead of the death penalty.
 Or, on the other hand when the relatives of the murdered men are powerful enough to make themselves heard by the officials and to demand the strict observance of the lex talionis, the rich criminal may purchase
  or perhaps an old and faithful servant Of the family may be permitted to forfeit his life in his masters stead.
 But never has it happened since China had a history that one who occasioned the death of his parent or parents has con- trived to buy himself off and escape the "hngch'i," or ox-eared knife and the sX- ecutioner's heavy two-handed sword. So deeply has the doctrine Of filial piety be- come rooted in ttie hearts of the people of China that no magistrate would dare to exercise leniency by taking into considera- tion the circumstances that lead to a case of patricide or matricide with view of mitigating thedoom fixed by law. Not only would the magistrate incur thereby the danger of violence from the mob, but he would subvert the obedience due from his own family.
 A parricide not only brings certain death on himself, but disgrace on the district in which he resides In the case where both parents are victims Chinese law ordains that a corner of the district city walls shall be pulled down a lasting chronicle of the shame and disgrace of the district in having sheltered such a monster. The magistrate and local officials are cashier ed and debarred forever from public em- ployment as a punishment for not having taught more effectively the doctrine of filial piety, while the Governor of the pro- vince, with his colleagues, the treasurer lOBelHST Wlln the CdOtdl ana prefect of the district, are all degraded several steps in rank
 In the case of the murder of both parents the murderer Is not only sentenced to un- dergo "lingch'P' and decapita ton, but his body is nailed on the top of the coffin of one of his victims. So far-reaching and im- mutable is the law that 1t is plainly laid down that even the infant in arms who &C., cidentally causes the death of its mother must suffer the extreme penalty, provided the infant has grown its teeth. For in- stance, an infant borne in the arms of its nurse and carrying in its tiny hand some sharp instrument, may let the instrument fall and thereby accidentally cause the death of its mother and if it should hap pen that the infant has one tooth In its head at the time it will be doomed to the extreme penalty of "linch'r' and decapita- ton but If 1t has no teeth 1t will escape all consequences.
 Such is the barbarous law of China. It is the only law that offers no loophole for the escape of the perpetrator whether the death was premediated or the result of &C., cident. All other laws and penalties have been and can be avoided-for the usual consideration