The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1910-01-15
CRUELT|ES III CHINA.
Torture of Prisoners Carried to
Point of Refinement.
HOME OF THE WATER DEATH.
A Worse inf!iction Than That Of Being
Tied to a Beam by tho Thumbs and
Big Toes-The Bastinado and Fog-
ging With Spit Bamboo.


/ mysteries 1t bristIes with surprises
/ The phlcgmatic nature Of its natives
Is In marked contrast to their inheren,
! cruelty.
What n poor, weak looking baby"
you might say to Chluaman about
/ his offspring. and he Will merely shrug
his shoulders In reply, Meet him in a
/ months time and ask him how the
/ younGstcr is getting on.
"Thc disease was Il fatal one" he
| viii answer with another significant
! shrug. II the child were n girl you
/ could safely draw your own concu-
| slnis as TO It's fate. John Chinaman
has no use for deformcd or very sick
! ~ children, particularly girls.
Torture Of prisoners has been car
RED to n point Of refinement One Of
! the most terrible was surely the cage
In whch-a man WAS placed so that his
head just protruded ut the top. while
his toes only touched the ground suf-
hcicntly to prevent diSlocation OF the
neck.
His hands were bound behind him
so that he could not relieve himself.
public until hunger and exhaustion put
an end to his sulferings
The day Of the bHStinado, too. IS by
no means over, The prisoner Is strung
up I'm Il reverse condition. and the
naked sOleS Of his feet are pounded
t,I !, lao
victim seldom RECEIVERS
But the more common form OF fog
cing Is TO beat the thighs with the
conCave side OF Il split bamboo. which
cuts ut every stroke into the flesh
China, 10y the way, was the home OF
that terrible death by water drops.
The victims head was placed on a
low hard, block. ard drops of water
at short intervals were allowed to fall
from n height on TO his forehead-a
far. far worse inniction than that of
being tied to a beam by the thumbs
and big toes,
The canguc IS regarded as COM
parativeIy mild sort Of punishment.
This consists Of n wooden collar, about
four feet square and four inches thick,
which Is placed over the prisoners
head. so that It's full weight falls on
the shoulders.
A description Of the ofrense Is also
attached to the victims body, and rs
he cannot feed himself he has to rely
on the public for sustenance.
Conservative to degree. II is not
surprising to find that the wheclbar-
row rs a passenger conveyance Is still
In vogue, as. too. is the ferry. consist
Ing OF light canoe. towed across the
water by number OF swimmers.
Machinery for the most part is de
splsrd and the MILL still used for win
moving the staple diet rice. is Of the
simplest and most out OF date descrip-
ton possible.
The rice is placed In a cement BASIN
over which Is II heavy stone ut the end
Of long lever. This is worked up and
down by two boards. in the form of Il
cross. attached to the axle OF huge
hand turned wheel
For simplicity of keeping city In
formed Of the time Canton would be
hard to beat. In one of the temples
are four large earthen jars on success
slye shelves.
Water descends by slow drops from
one 20 the other. II brass scale on q
float In the bottom one indicating as II
rises the hour of the day.
At 3 o'clock every afternoon the low
retilled On the outside walls OF the
city are displayed boards with thu
number OF the hour on them, so thai
all may see. And this has gone or
without break since 1921
Funerals appear almost mockery t'
the visitor. II money can be freely
spent n manager Is appointed, anC
from the highways and the byway:
street boys and bcggarS are collected
dressed up in amazing costumes. sup
piled with dazzling umbrellas, stand
ards and boards. which are carried
over their shoulders in long stragsle
Others carry small houses and cart
made OF card papet horses. men, WON
en-, etc. Indicative Of the dead one
treasures, aud these with heaps of pa
per coins and paper money, are burn
ed at the grave so that they may b
enjoyed In the life beyond
Hired mourners with cymbals. gong
and wind instruments keep up a cor
tiuuous series Of howls and noises, {
which is added the boohoo, boohoc
Of an ear racking horn worked some
thing like n garden hose.
Women are regarded as nothing 4
China. They are brought up In IL
norance OF the world outside, the on
object OF their life being 10 get maI
ried and have sons 10 follow the n
theirs, girl IS not even allowed {
look upon her husband until she Is az
tually welded. london Ladies' Field.