Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1901-05-01
A CHINESE EXECUTION. v
Maine Boy Describes the Beheading of
Two Officials.

Bernard Monaghan, son OF t. #. Nom
| Afghan, of Gardiner, and grandson of
Stephen Monaghan, of this city, writes
home from China here he is serving In
the 9th U. s. infantry, a description OF an
official execution which he witnessed.
The letter was printed in the Gardiner
Reporter Journal As it will be OF in
terest to friends of the young man in
Ellsworth, THE AMERICAN reprints it in
full.
PICKING, CHINA, March IL, 1901.
DEAR FATHER:
We win probably leave here the first of April
for Manila, p. l. Everything is quiet at pres
ent. Two high officials were beheaded here the
other day. 1t was rare occurrence for China.
People who are In position to know told me
that this was the first time In the history Of the
Chinese nation when a person of nobility has
been sentenced to pc beheaded Their death,
with that of six others, was demanded. They
were notorious Boxer leaders.
The execution took place near here. 1t was
public affair as all executions are. The exc.
cution was supposed to take place between IL
and IL O'Clock In the morning, and at that time
the streets were crowded with soldiers and civil
ians of all natonaties anxious to see the sport.
But 1t was O'Clock before the Japanese guard
appeared In sight around nearby corner.
When they arrived In front of the judges
stand, the sentence of death was again read to
them and then they were brought to the execu-
tion ground near by, where the old executioner
| had been waiting for them.
The execution took place in the middle of the
road. A piece of mating was laid down and a
piece of red flannel laid over it, The other was
a cart cushion. The first man brought forward
was very large man with big brawny shout.
ders and neck, on which the veins stood out like
whipcords. lie walked forward bravely after
| being assisted out of the cart He knelt down
| on the cushion cord was placed in his mouth
and carried behind his head and brought over,
and his head was pulled to the ground by three
men, they Strengthening his back out in this
manner.
All of a sudden the executioner let a yell out
of him and raising his knife in the air brought
it down with one mighty blow, and the head
rolled from the shoulders. The blade of the
knife never touched the ground When he hal
looed, the man standing in front holding his
queue out of the way, stepped one side, and the
blood from the headless trunk spurted about
ten feet. The body never moved, but the head
rolled around a second or two, and the face
contracted, and 1t was poor Cbeno.
The other one was doped, and so scared his
knees knocked together, but he got the same
dose and all the fxings as the other fellow
And we went home to dream of headless bodies,
| etc. Each man gave five hundred taels (s25O)
| to have his head sewed on again. A Chinaman
| believes If he goes to the other world without
his head, his spirit remains on earth.
| There Is temple in the city called the temple
| of the headless ghost Years ago during the
| reign of the Sing dynasty, there was a man
whom the government thought was menace to
| IL. they cut his head off and buried his
| body in one place and his head in another. But
| 1t was found out that they had beheaded the
| wrong man, and that it was a good man they
| had killed 1t worried the emperor. and the
| spirit of the dead haunted him until he
| built temple and put an image in there and
| called 1t the temple of the headless ghost.
And he made this vow to the spirit he had
wronged: Before l worship my ancestors, or
| the New Year any devotion whatsoever.
will worship you," and he has kept 1t to this
day.
You can buy 100 eggs for n Mexican dollar
| (.50). 1 must close now, as drill call is sound
| ing (4.lO p. ny Give my love to all.
| From your affectionate son, BERNARD.
| P. S.-Ten months now and my enlistment is
| fnished-Feb. 5, l902-:hen home.