Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1908-07-24
A bood|ess Execution
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Iortginal.l
Two friends were discussing the pos
sibility Of killing perfectly we'll man
without doing him the slightest bodily
harm. without frightening him to death
or by tempting him to dissipation. One
claimed that death could not be brought
duce bodily injury.
"A man can be killed." the other
contended, simply by going through
the form OF an execution"
THAT would be by shock"
"Not at all. He shall know before
hand that he is not to suffer the slight
est bodily HARM"
10 illustrate the last speaker told the
following true story:
Lang Ting Fung Of San Francisco,
washee-washee man, called Charlie
Flung by his Mclean" acquaintances.
was accused Of revealing the secrets of
the II Whang society, Of which he was
q member. Summoned before the So
ciety to answer to the charge, he was
assigned counsel and duly tried. Though
ably defended, he was convicted of
having revealed certain methods Of the
San Francisco Chinese underground
railroad for smuggling Cinnamon into
the United States. The punishment
was death, and the sentence was to
be carried out Immediately in the pres
ence Of the assembled members Of the
society.
Call the executioner." said the pre-
siding onicer In solemn tones that re-
verberated through the silent hall as II
some one had struck q gong.
A big Chinaman entered from anoth-
er room, carrying one Of those large
sharp double edged swords with which
culprtts' heads are stricken of In Chi
IA. Over his face he wore a wooden
mask representing distorted features
The culprtt was led into the middle Of
the room and forced on to his knees.
Another Chinaman, also on his knees
before him, caught him by his pigtail
and drew his head down SO that the
neck was laid bare to the az. Then
the smock was pulled over his shout
ders. The executioner, taking the
handle OF his sword In both hands,
threw himself into position, raised tho
weapon, swung it high over his head
and brought it down. When within
more than hairs breadth from the
neck it suddenly stopped. From that
point it was slowly and carefully low
cred till the edge rested on the cul-
prit's neck. Then he held 1t that It
might not cut the skin.
Now, III China. whether from the
great power Of these societies. from In.
effective law, or what not, the cul-
prtt's head would have been separated
from the body. But in America DIFF.
ferent conditions exist. There are not
only judges and juries who do not
respect the DEGREES Of Chinese secret
societies, but John Chinaman has no
pull with them. A headless murder
would not only lead to the punishment
OF those instrumental In 1t, but would
be prejudicial to the continued efforts
OF thousands Of the copper colored
brethren in America who are washing
hard night and day for a Lying.
The executioner after holding the
sword upon the culprit's neck for a
few moments removed 1t and, resting
tts point on the door beside him. turn
ed to the judges and said:
1.-THE traitor IL dead"
The executed man arose to his feet
and looked about him. No one inter
Tered with him. for he was dead. No
one saw him, for he was dead. He
said something to a man near him.
The man made no reply. Why should
he reply to dead man? The mem
bers Of the society were arising from
their seats and leaving the hall. The
decapitated man called to one who
had been his bosom friend, but with.
out avail. Death separates the quick
and the dead. be they friends or enc.
mics.
Charlie Fung followed the others out
into the street. There he saw a poster
proclaimtng to Chinatown that he had
been executed that evening. A police
man, seeing the notice, to him unintel.
ligible, with Cinnamon standing about
1t. wondered what the yellow devils
were up to now. Could he have read
1t he would doubtless have carried a
dreadful story to police headquarters.
The dead man wandered about like a
ghost from the spirit world. No one