Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-09-01

witness. And the effect Of that uni
versal and deadly system of bribery Is
only too apparent, system that saps
the strength and ability of China to
become great country, for from one
end Of the kingdom to the other there
is no disinterested desire for ad-
yancement; only case OF the big tsh
eating up the little ones-and no man
SO great that he cannot be bought.
II prisoner condemned to be be-
headed will pay the executioneT fat
bribe he may expect to be sent out OF
existence with neatness and dispatch
after being heavily drugged with
opium. But II he refuses, he must suf-
fer clumsy execution that will be at
tended by torture and pain before the
end finally comes. Even in the simple
and less painful bambooing, bride
will induce the whipper to hold the
bamboo stir, causing much less pain
than il allowed to bend and spring.
1t appeared that only those of the
criminals who could not purchase ran
som were executed. Those who had
9CV, Ut lIlSuOb IAdl COuld supply Sosss
sum, were liberated on payment of the
same to the mandarin of the district.
The luckless 20 had apparently Meth.
or friends nor money. So they were
marshaled out of prison under q
strong guard of soldiers; and, like the
prisoners in our Sing Sing who are al
lowed for their last meal the best that
the prison cuisine affords, these male
factors were furnished any mode OF
conveyance at the disposal Of the au.
thorities to convey them to the place
Of execution.
The condemned were marshaled in
line, and required to kneel on AL
fours" before the mandarin and his
suite All knew the procedure, and
| there was no confusion. The heads
man, armed with keen, broad-bladed
sword, stepped out. II this gentleman
| should fail to sever the head OF his
| victim in three blows, his own would
w forfeit. But In this instance he did
| his work with both certainty and ce
lerity. Approaching the first in line
he gave swift, swinging blow on the
back of the neck and decapitated
head rolled onto the sword.
This dreadful system Of bribery and
squeezing" is the canker at the heart
of China. Everyone expects 1t from
| everyone else; even the children are
not to be trusted. A Chinese woman
sends her child to chow shop, and
weighs the food when 1t is brought
home to see that her own child Is moi
Squeezing" her.
In making change, the smallest boy. a.
salesman. will keep back two or three
cash" Should you say: How fash
ion you steal my cash? You b'lonl
alice same as 't'ief," he will indignant
ly answer: my no b,long tief; my
ketchie you watch. then b'long tief
but my just make little squeeze
It would seem as II all the horrible
punishments 80 publicly administered
would effsctually prevent even thu
most reckless and hardened from
committing crime, but it doesn't seen
TO do 80, and the courts go on flourish
ing on the brides extorted and the
money paid by innocent people Il
keep out of court, for 1t is openl.
ayerred that Chinese court of JUS
tice, among other deiinquencies, is no
even above blackmail
1t is not surprising that among tn,
people are such sayings as Tigers ant
snakes are kinder than judges or run
ners," or in life, beware of courts: IL
death. beware of hell"