Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-01-05
A DAY IN A CHINESE COURT.
American Describes the Way the ce-
lestials pispensa Justice.

American Describes the Way the Co.
, IestiaIs Dispense Justice.
II you were scouting around the
outside of an inclosure In which
body of interesting people were shut
ting themselves up from your obser-
walton you would be grateful for a
window through which you might see
some OF their unfamiliar behavior.
China is such a walled-in country.
where western eyesight does not read
lily penetrate: but perhaps the best
point Of view for customs motives
and character seen at close range Is
The daily process of the courts. Many
travellers have recorded their visits 10
TN" seats Of Chinese Justice. the pas
tinado. the prisoner .kneeling on
chains, the long pillory sentence in
the cangue, and others sometimes
went out in the morning to see crimi-
nails decapitated. Such scenes are
now hard to see, for the Chinese have
a suspicion that their system of JUS
tice shocks the western mind. Tor
ture still goes on, both as a punish
ment and to elicit testimony, for. as
a former Chinese minister to the
United States explains. 1t is doubtful
whether Chinese witnesses could be
depended on to give true evidence
without torture.
| / spent a day In a court through
| uh No oaaI a oi,ncaooinp 81 oooaa n
Illustrating many occult habits of the
Chinese mind. This is the so-called
mixed court, for the international
settlement" Of Shanghai: that is for
the area of that city set apart for all
the foreigners except the French. This
external government has Jurisdiction
over the large Chinese population liv-
ing In the settlement. The standing
magistrates Of the criminal section
are Chinese, but with them sits upon
the bench every day an assessor"
that Is, a representative Of England.
Germany or the United States. BY
invitation OF the American assessor,
Mr.. Butler, was allowed to sit be-
hind the rail alongside the judges, and
within hail Of the European police
officers, one or the other OF whom
translated for me when the proceed
ings were not otherwise clear. The
court is held in a room of the Euro
pean type, with the usual apparatus
of witness box, and railings, and spec
tators, and court officials
On one side stands a row of the
dreaded Chinese runners" the native
agents Of the court, who are kind Of
cross between the detective, the depu-
ty sheriff and the agent provocateur.
Near them sit or stand the police SER
geants, Scotchmen and Irishmen. In
the back Of the room lounge some
Sikh police, big. handsome men In
gorgeous turbans, and also some ma
tive police In reversed washbasin hats.
On the judges table lie two records
and charge Sheets one in Chinese, the
other In English. The Chinese magis-
trate speaks in Mandarin. which an
Interpreter repeats In Mandarin or In
local dialect; there Is also an inter-
prefer for the foreign counsel and
witnesses.
| A bad-looking Chinaman whom the
policeman shoves In by his que is
charged with stealing property worth
$500; his defense is that the COM
plainant Is a liar; the court gives him
week in Jail. He is a type Of the
professional criminal A loafer who
cannot give a good account of two
sheets Of galvanized iron Is sentenced
to one day in jail to give him chance
to remember. A building contractor
appears upon whose job an appren-
tice boy has been killed by the break
ing Of hosting machinery; in quite
modern fashion photographs are in
troduced in evidence. The man is
also accused OF attempting to bury
the dead boy without giving notice to
his parents; the life Of boy is no
great matter, but neglect to inform
the family would be contrary to Chi
nese morality: the evidence on that
point Is doubtful, but the contractor Is
fined $40 for not reporting the acci-
dent to the poice.
The next series Of cases could not
occur outside Of China, where the
stealing of children is a regular trade
practiced often to provide little
drudges to those in need of them, but
quite as often to give to chiIdless
families the opportunity Of acquiring
an adopted son. The stealing Is tied
up with the mysterious Chinese bond
slavery, about which foreigners know
very little and the Chinese will say
less.
| Throughout the empire there are
numbers Of household slaves the to-
tai undoubtedly amounting to mil
lions; but there is no open market for
them. and they usually remain slaves
of one family all their lives, and their
children are slaves Of those who feed
them. owners or parents. as the case
may be. The first Of these cases today
comes upon a complaint by disrepu-
table looking person against a much
better appearing person for stealinga a
child years old six months ago. The
judge finds no convincing evidence.
and supposes 1t to be a malicious
charge, such as the Chinese love to
bring against an enemy. Dismissed on
security.
Some Of the results Of kidnapping
and child slavery appear in the next
case. A little girl, 9 years old or
thereabout, is produced in court by
Miss Bonnell. She was found run
ming about in "Frenchtown," and she
gave her name, but steadfastly refus-
ed to tell where she lived. 1t was
evident that she must be a runaway
slave. and Miss Bonnell sent her run
ner through the city to look for the
usual posted notice that so-andso
had run away. He found such a no
tice of the loss of child bearing the
name which she had given, on the
/