New Britain herald., 1914-07-28
SUMMARY EXECUTIONS
 RESUMED BY CHINESE
Yuan Shi ka'S Government AQain
 Becomes Severe.

Pekin, July 2s.-Yuan shi-kais government, lenient for a a while, has become so severe that the summary of execution of sentence, death or exile for political offenses are again numerous. It is no only those who violate the law but al so those who but passively support it and who will not work for reforms, on whom the hand of the law is set.
 Yuan Shi-kai has found that dras- tic regulations are necessary for inn proving the provincial administra- tions and purging the country of rebels who are still striving to turn the army against the president A recent presidential mandate pre- scribes execution for officials who re- ceive bribes for preventing the law. Life imprisonment is prescribed for those who accept bribes for neglect ing to put the law in force. It ap pears from the mandate that pun ishment <by death may take the form of shoot instead of the old time de- ca apitation and penal servitude may take the form of banishment to remote and. unhealthy provinces"
 Persistent Gamblers Included.
 Besides rebels and corrupt off, cials, persistent gamblers and secret service men of vicious practices are also to be put to death, if the presi- dential orders can be enforced. Such lists as the following are appearing daily, indicating those whose life may be the forfeit of their crime.
 Tong -chong, acting magistrate of Hsiao Kan Hsian, failed to perform his duty and practiced 'squeezes,' giving great trouble. to the people.
 '"Tu Chong Yu. acting magistrate of Ching Shan Hsian, allowed his relatives and servants to receive bribes and to frequent evil houses.
 "Tung Lai-yu, magistrate of Chia Yu Hsian, misappropriated govern ment funds and has the habit of smoking opium and gambling.
 "Feng Jui-sung, active magistrate of Chung Yang Hsien, refused to hand over his office when instructed istrates."
 One Regrettable Phase.
 One regrettable phase of the dras- tic program which the government has undertaken is the fact that many innocent persons have to go to the execution grounds. It has long been the practice of trade rivals or any person who holds grievance against another to bring the authorities down upon that person and perhaps bring about his execution. One of the most familiar methods has been | for one to send through the mail let 1 ters which would seem to connect ] his business enemy with rebel Oper- ations. The government authorities, carefully watching the mails, detect these letters and believing them gen. 1 uine, run down the person to whom l they are addressed, and take sum- l mary action. Perhaps hundreds of | guiltless persons have already been executed as result of such fraud. 1 It would seem that the administra- lent letters, but the Chinese author 1 ities are still naive and life is held very cheap because it is so wretched and miserable.
 Serious Evil Continues.
 l serious evil continues to exist in the secret service branch of the gov ernment. The detectives have long made it a practice to extort "squeezes' by threats of denuncia- | tion and to obtain rewards by accus- l ing innocent men of complicity with Sun Yat-Sen and his party.
 l An account comes from -Changtu, l in Szechwan province of an opium smoker being executed publicly as a