The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-08-12
A sLoopLEss EXECUTION.

to death or by tempting him to dis
sipation, One claimed that death
| could not be brought about except by
some overt act to produce bodily in
| jury.
"A man can be killed." the, other
contended, simply by going through
tho form of an execution"
"That would be by shock"
mot at all. He shall know before
hand that he is not to suffer the
slightest bodily harm"
To illustrate, the last speaker told
the following true story:
Lang Ting Fung OF San Francisco,
washee-washee man called Charlie
Fung by his Mclean" acquaintances
was accused of revealing the secrets
of the TT Whang society, of which he
was member. Summoned before
the society 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 presence of
tho assembled members of the So
ciety.
Call the executioner," said the
presiding officer in solemn tones that
reverberated through the silent hall
as II some one had struck gong.
A big Chinaman entered from an
other room, carrying one OF those
large sharp double edged swords with
which culprits' heads are stricken
OF in China. Over his face he wore
a wooden mask representing distort-
ed features. The culprit was led in
to the middle of the room and forced
on to his knees before him, caught
him by his pigtail and drew his head
down so that the neck was laid bare
to the ak. Then the smock was
pulled over his shoulders. The exc
cutioner, taking the handle OF his
sword in both hands. threw himself
into position, raised the weapon,
swung 1t high over his head and
brought It down. When within more
than a hairs breadth from the neck
II suddenly stopped From that point
II was slowly and carefully lowered
till the edge rested on the culprit's
neck. Then he held 1t that It might
not cut the skin.
Now in China. whether from the
great power of these societies, from
ineffective law, or what not, the cul-
prit's head would have been sepa-
rated from the body. In America diff
ferent conditions exist. There are
not only judges and juries who do
not respect the ecrees of Chinese Sc.
cret societies, but John Cinnamon
has not pull with them. A headless
murder would not only lead to the
punishment of those instrumental in
1t, but would be pretudicial to the
continued efforts OF thousands OF the
copper colored brethren in America
who are washing hard night and aay
for a living.
The executioner. after holding the
sword upon the culprit's neck for a
few moments, removed II and, rest
ing it's point on the floor beside him,
turned to the judges and said
THE traitor is dead
The executed man arose to his feet
and looked about him. No one in
terfered with him for he was dead.
No one saw him, for he was dead He
said something to man near him.
The man made no reply. Why
should he reply to a dead man The
members 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 without avail Death separates
the quick and the dead, be they
friends or enemies.
Charlie Fung followed the others
out into the street There he saw
poster proclaiming TO Chinatown
that he had been executed that
evening. A policeman, seeing the
notice, to him unintelligible, with
Cinnamon standing about 1t, won
dered what the yellow devils were up
to now. Could he have read It he
would doubtless have carried
dreadful story TO police headquar-
ters. The dead man wandered about
like a ghost from the spirit world. (
No one saw him; no one spoke to
him; no one gave him a smile or a
frown
II he had had money he might
have returned to China, but would
he have Jared any better there?
Would not an agent Of the society he
had betrayed follow him and do real
ly the work that had been done
figuratively. No Charley was dead,
and nothing could bring him to life.
II Charlie was not really dead he
was really dying-that is, he was
getting into condition where death |
would be preferable to life. The
posters announcing his execution re-
mained on the walls, and, go where |
he would in Chinatown, he saw them. !
At last Charlie could endure the |