Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-26
CHINESE INJUSTICE.
How Innocent Men Are Tortured I'm
til They Are Glad to Die.
From the London Standard.

From the London Standard
Other events have obscured the news
from Picking that torture in China is to be
abolished. With reference to this CORE
spondent writes:
Not many months ago l went TO call up
on Chinese judge at the palace OF JUS
tee IL was summer weather, and one side
OF the building was entirely open to the
| courtyard through which one entered The
building. In this courtyard there were
about twenty criminals, in various stages OF
dirt AMI dilapidation Some were in stocks.
some had each thumb suspended by A
string TO beam, so that they knclt with
outstretched arms like ScarecroNs. aiI h,d
their hair unshaven and matted. and their
faces so Cdked with dust As to have i1st
the look of humanity. Inside the court
house judges Of various degrees were
seated on benches behind Ions desks ;ust
as they do in England; the Only difference
was that they wore gorgeous silks and
Growsily drank tea from little china basins
to while away the afternoon.
After some conversation, it occurred 20
the chief judge that his visitors might Ike
to see a trial. So he called for No. ~
pitiful figure came in. dragging its
shackles heavily over the floor. and kncft
on the far Side of the desk. The visitors
were accommodated on the bench Itself.
Then the judge leaned over the desk and.
glaring angrily through his specta les at
the covering creature in front of him. told
MN the StbIS OF MS crime. HDlfn the p"ls-
oner must have heard ad nauscam. since
he had been in the court Tor two years.
The trial proceeded somewhat In this man.
ner:
Judye-''On such and such a day .wo carts
were going 20 the village of Ying-pan. The
soldiers who were escorting the carts rode
some distance ahead of them. YOU wait
ing by the roadside. saw your opportunity
and fell upon the carts, intending 20 ROB
them Is ii not sou
Prisoner-"Most excellent. [ did nothing
OF the sort. | am good man and no
brgand: Ia you inquire of my relatives or
the head man of my village you viii Learn
that have good character and do no.
steal from carts"
Judge-"Have l not just said that you oil
steal from two carts? How dare yCu con-
tradict me? That is to say that [ am a
liar. Attendant. bring the bamboo
At this point negotiations were broken
OF, SO to speak, while the attendant went
for the implements OF torture. A little stool
was brought to which the prisoners hand
was tied palm upward. and then the ban-
boo was brought down with vigor upon the
poor wretch'S wrist He howled lugubri-
ously. but made no signs of confession. and
thanks to our presence the Performance
cut shor..
This man had been In prison for two
years, and still had not confessed SCORER
or later, howc'ef. he would give n. and
then his great DAY would come Prccede
by trumpeterS and flags, he would ride
through the city on his tumbril. the OBJ
served of all observers: he would be taken
to the potter's field outside the walls. and
there. before a crowd of spectators. he
would suffer death for a crime which in
all probability, lac had never committed.
That last day is a blessed relief and for
the most part, ;he prisoners go to ;hci- On
laughing and chattering with the crowd. 1t
is better. of course, to confess quickly and
be done with it. Yet the instinct OF solf-pres-
ervation is strong. and | heard of one con
tumaciouS old LADY who had deiied thc
thumb screw ana the lash for twenty years.
Occasionally there are lucky ascaDes.
Once, before The war began in Mancnuril,
| came down thc Lao river with a RUS
sian expedition We fought the Hun -tscs
every afternoon about tea time. but rarely
inflicted any damage on them, because they
hid in the crops One evening we goo q, g.
perate and pursued them through the cow
lang fields, With complete lack of sue
cess, only to lind on our return that tho
Chinese magistrate who ACCOMPANIED us
had collared Twelve Cinnamon. supposed 10
be Hun-hu-tSes. and had them all tied to
a pole by their pigtails. II was the business
of the Chinese authorities to deal with all
captures, SO these twelve men were praC:i-
cally condemned to die. In company with
the missionary who was doing Interpreter
for the expedition. / pressed for an inquiry
The result was that six of the victims were
proved to baloag to a theatrical company
| which was stranded In the neighbor.ng Y l.
| lage- They We're instantly released One
| of the others WAS subjected TO 4 more rigid
| examination. Sind died under lash; and
owing to this ;2intoward incident, the r"st
| were set Free ,But it was pure luck that
| the whole twfiYe were not beheaded.