Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1911-10-12
TALE OF HORROR TOLD
MISSIONARY TELLS OF AWFUL
CHINESE PUNISHMENT.
fortunes Of Prisoners and Almost TN.
beIievable Penalties Exacted by
Official Sanction-How De.
sorting Soldiers Were
Disciplined.

Kansas City, Mo.-Chinese military
discipline is something fierce, accord.
ing to DR.. A. L. Shelton, of Anthony,
Kan, who has just returned from the
land of the pigtail. The doctor tells
this blood-curdling story of the cruelty
practiced upon good friend of his
who was a major in the Chinese
army:
Three companies Of Chinese SOL
diers under the majors command, but
stationed in a different city, rebelled
and deserted, taking their arms and
ammunition. AS the Chinese army
is In the main made up of men who
accept the service in place of penal
sentence, the most rigid rules are en-
forced heartlessly to get minimum
of service and discipline. They are
paid the equivalent Of s2.40 month,
on which they must subsist. To them
starvation is always imminent and q
dead dog or mule or other animal,
even when dead of disease, is greed
lily cooked and eaten.
The major was held responsible
for his rebellious troops, and only the
intercession of the commanding gen.
eral of the district, who got down on
his knees and begged for the life Of
his subordinate to the civil governor.
saved his head.
THE punishment was modified to
dismissal from the army and 1000
light blows from a small paddle. The
paddle used is from one to one and a
half inches wide, 10 inches long and
probably the eighth of an inch thick.
In administering it the thighs are
barred, and light, even blows are
struck on the thick flesh between the
hip and knee, the victim lying pros
trate on his face. The paddle is used
with sort of flip and for some
time makes no impression; 500
blows makes the flesh red and puffy,
1,500 brings the flesh to a jelly-like
consistency, and 1000 marks the limit
of torture a strong man may endure
and live.
Often gangrene sets in and the vic
tim dies; with the best of treatment
1t is months before the man padded
can use his legs naturally. In the
case of the major the flesh sloughei
off his thigh an inch and half deep,
five inches broad and IL inches long.
He expected to get we'll, but his legs
would always be crippled. The re.
bellious troops were pursued, 200 Of
them were killed in action and the
balance brought to camp for behead-
ing Eighteen of the soldiers were
given swords and required to cut
gashes in the flesh of their captain
who was unable to prevent their re-
bellion, then they were beheaded be-
fore the captain.
ITO stimulate other officers to great
er zeal in handling their men the cap
tain was then taken in hand by the
official executioner who had bound
him to a big stake for the men to
cash with swords. With keen knife
the lips of the captain were sliced off,
then his nose, later his eyelids were
cut off and his eyeballs were exposed
to the pitiless sun. After few hours
the skin of the forehead was cut away
and allowed to drop over the blinded
eyes, hanging by the corner edges.
Then later the breasts were cut of,
all but the skin at the lower edge,
and allowed to hang; if the victim sur
vived that, and the captain did, then
the flesh covering the bowels was cut
away and allowed to hang apron fash
ion while the wind and sun dried, and
flies and vermin fed upon the blood
and cut flesh. In this case the cap
tain, long unconscious, died with dis
emboweling; in cases where a man
survives that, then knife is plunged
in his heart at the end of the day of
horrible torture"