November I. 11)00.
THE ILLTSTKATIil) 1 1 IS IS.
Justice in China
Queer Court Customs
iCupyrlKlit, 1900, l Kr.mk i i " . 1 1-1 ntt i
SHANGHAI, Sept. 12. (Special Cor
rcspondotico of The Hoc.) This war will
mnko tho mlxeil courts ii feature of every
hlg Chinese city. They will bo established
to try all disputes between foreigners and
nntlvcs. The Chinese In the foreign con
cessions will be subject to them and for
eign Judges will be needed.
Tho foreign concession of Shanghai Is now
three times as large as the native city. It
has loo.uoo population, of whom only ."i.OOO
nro Kutopenns. It has a niKed court, with
Chinese and foreign Judges. Tho American
Judge Is tho consul geneial, although ho
Is usually lopresouted by the Interpreter of
tho legation. The unlive Judge Is a man
darln of the seventh order named Wang
The law and punishments used for cases in
which Chinese nnlv are Interested un
practically Chinese, the Chinese Judge being
allowed to have his own way except whin
Kuropcans are Interested.
I tsltcd this mixed ckUII the other la
Consul Ceneral (loo lliow w tit with me on 1
ltit-o lured too to .Mandarin Wang l'r
llarchet. the Interpreter of our colistiln1
who also a-'ti'd u-t Judge, translated fi m
anil Mattery, that touch of nature whoh
makes the whole world Uln, greased th
win el of our conversation. We had n m,.
of lea together before going Into the mi'
loom, and Judge Wang, feeing my caim rn
said ho hoped I wool I take a phoiogiaih
of him on the I ench. I icplled that 1 wuM
bo glail to do so If there was to be unv
bam'inoliig. llambonlng Is the most .on
inon punishment here. Witnesses are bam
booed to make them confess, anil If tho
iloes not serve mote terrible punlshne n.
are adopted.
.lodge Wang replied that ho would be de
lighted to oblige me, but that the usual
hour for bnmbrolng was 1 in the afternoon
when he hoped I would return.
"I am tony, your honor," said I. "but I
have an engagement nt I."
"Ah!" said tho old Clilni'so mandarin at
he rellectlvcly sipped his tea, "In that raw
perhaps I can llx It up this morning to sun
, you. I have an old thief hero who lias
not confessed. I will have him brought in
near tho close of tho session and give him
J00 blows to loosen his tongue. It will be
Just before noon and you will have a fairly
good light for your picture."
At this moment tho olllcers told us that
the court was ready and tho old mandarin
invited me to sit on the bench with
him. For two hours I watched thieves,
burglars, kidnapers, pirates and others
dragged In by policemen. They wero pulled
almg In chains, Jerked about by their
queues and inndo to get down upon their
knees beforo us. While thero the Judge
examined them and the delect Ives and po
licemen gave evidence. Sentences were
quickly passed. Some got as much as 300
blows of the bamboo, some were sentenced
to the eangiie, others to Imprisonment In
chains and seme to hard labor.
Itlllllliiiileil lleloie the llllioiii.
At last the end of the docket was reached
and my victim was brought In. Two vll-lalnoiis-looklng
policemen In tall red hats
and long red gowns pushed him forward,
holding him by tho queue. He trembled
as ho entered tho room and fell on Ills
knees In front of the Judge, who fiercely
demanded his confession. The man pro
tested his Innocence, but Judge Wang, In
what must have been to the prisoner a
terrible tone, said:
"You are not telling the truth; you are
guilty!" And then to the policeman:
"f!lve 1) I in the bamboo and make him con
fess." Upon this, two tall Chinese In red coats
seized tho prisoner and laid him flat on his
face on tho floor. They pulled down his
trousers. One held him firmly- by the
Rhouldeis and another by the calves, so
Hint his fat thighs showed In nil their
nakedntss
"Thero is your picture." said tho Judge,
ns ho ordered a policeman to move n llt
tlo tcakwood tnble to the opposito end of
tho room nnd clear out the visitors be
tween It nnd tho man. I llxcd my camera
on tho table, stepped off the distance bo
twoen It nnd tho criminal nnd set the
shutter. Tho bambooer knelt down be
hind him nnd raised his rod nnd nt the
first blow tho picture was taken.
It proved to bo a success nnd I used it
ns nno of tho Illustrations of this letter.
After tho bamboolng began I would havo
stopped It If I could, but It was In court,
nnd this was Impossible. It took four men
to glvo tho 200 blows, each man bringing
down tho bamboo fifty times on tho bare
thighs of tho victim. Tho hnmboo was n
strip of enno nbout two Inches wide anil
flvo feet in length. It was ns lltho ns solo
leather, but so springy that it Boomed to
fly back upon touching tho fish. Tho exe
cutioners hold It in both hands, bringing
It down with n nolso llko n pistol crack
upon one slnglo spot on the man's thighs.
Thoy never left thin spot, hitting It exactly
ngaln and again, ns thoy counted tho
strokes nloud. In tho first ton strokes thero
wns no chango of color, nlthough tho man
howled and groaned. After tho twonty
flflh tho flesh wns red, nnd at tho end of
the second fifty It hnd turned blnck. When
125 wero reached It was bleeding slightly,
the black lino having oxtonded out to n
ring nbout tho slzo of your palm. At tho
end tho flesh to tho dopth of an Inch was
n Jelly.
By ChlneBo law no criminal enn bo pun-
Ishcd until ho has confessed his guilt. This
causes nil sorts of tortures. Tho lnqulsl-
Hon was mild In comparison with tho Chi-
ccso courts of the present. 1 once saw an
alleged pirate brought Into tho native ci urt
nt Atnoy. Tho man protested his lnno-
cence. Ho had been so tortured that ho
was not able to wulk and ho was carried
in a bnsket. Ho had an Iron chain about
his neck and another about his feet and
bands. He was spilled out of the basket
upon the lloor In front of the Judge. Ills
chains were taken off and he wns assisied
to his knees. Tho Judge asked him of 1k
wrre guilty Ho replied 'No," and he was
ordered away for more torture
Time polh emeu then dragged htm to tho
BJiliv
!!& vHtf :lfcS3P',kr wBflH
3HIiiui.' CL Vv-' ",j
rill.NKSH I'OI.ICHMAN TTIII-.K
sldo of tho court room. They took a bench
much llko n carpenter's snwliorso nnd,
forcing him upon his knees, put this saw-
horse against him so that the board of the
bench rested ngalnst his back between tho
shoulders. There was a hole in tho top ot
tho board. Through this his queue wns
pulled and his head tied by It tight against
the board so that his neck wns stretched
to its utmost. Ills arms wero bent back
and tied to tho upper legs of the horso.
Tho man wns barefooted. Tho offlclal:.
pulled up his wldo pantnloons to tho thighs
nnd. bending his legs, tied them to thb
upper legs of tho horso by strings fastened
around his big toes, so that tho whole
weight of his body rested on his baro knees
en tho stone. Now an Iron chain with
ragged links ns sharp as though filed was
colled up and put undor his baro knees.
Ho wns then told that ho would bo lot down
when ho confessed. I ennnnt describe tho
torture. Tho ninn'a eyes nlmost started
from their sockets, his fnco twitched and
hls moaning mado mo sick.
A Tortured Plrnlr.
Here Is nnot'ier pen plcturo ns I took it In
the native court at Canton a few weeks ago.
I give tho note-i Just ns I wroto them. "I
nin In a Chlncso court room. A yellow-faced
Judge in a gorgeous gown, with a peacock
feather In his cap. sits behind n rod-covered
tnble. llesido him nre clerks in silks and
satlnH. Tho ofllcers of tho court, drosBed In
livery, with tall sugar-leaf hats, stand about
with Instruments of torturo in their hands.
"Tho lloor ls of stono nnd upon tho cold
grnnlte in front of tho bench upon his baro
knees Is a Chinese criminal. Ills arms nro
stretched out at right nnglcs to his body,
They are bound by ropes, twisted round
and round them, to a long bar which rests
upon his shoulders. Just back of tho neck, "'Why not? Why not?' ho ropllcd.
throwing his yellow ngonlzcd fnco to tho 'They deserve It! Thoy deservo It.' "
front. Tho bar Is fastened to uprights on In n further chat with Dr. Dykes ho do
each sldo, and it servos as a frame to keep scribed a tcrrlblo punishment which ho
tho man In position nnd prevent him from witnessed In Kuklnng n few years ago.
falling If ho should faint. His head Is tied Said ho:
to tho bar by his queue. "I wns riding on horsobnclt on tho walls
"Now, nt tho direction of tho Judgo, two of tho city when I saw n crowd on tho
of tho court olllclals lake a round stick street below me. I stopped nnd somo of
eight feet long nnd of tho thickness of a the men asked mo to como down nnd seo
telegraph polo. They lay It down upon tho the fun. I did so nnd found tho crowd wns
mnn's legs Just back of tho knees. They gathered nbout two wooden cnges, ench of
then catch hold of tho bar to which tho which held a mnn, bnrehended, baro-
crlmlnal's arms aro fastened and step with footed nnd disfigured with beatings. Tholr
both feet upon the stick. Thoy nro fat and heads wero upheld by shelves Into which
tho two must woigh nt least 350 pounds, their necks fitted, so Hint their wholo
Their weight Is pressing tho man's baro weight rested upon tho toes. Tho shelves
legs Into tho stones. lie cries and thoy In- wero fastened near tho top of tho cages,
crease the torture by rolling tho pole under
their feet back and forth upon his
calves. His toes have been pulled out so
that the shins and the whole front of his
feet are In contact with the stones and tho
men are grinding them Into the granite.
"I ask the man's crime. The Judge tells
,m' ls accused of piracy, but that he
claims to be Innocent. The Judge tells mo
I"1 "HI tortured until he confesses. Ilo
eems to laugh nt the pain, and he Is smok-
' water pipe and languidly putting
questions as to the case between the
I'""""-
"At last tlesh and blood can stand It no
l""gcr. Tho prisoner nods his head In token
"f confession and the olllclals step off.
They loosen his hands and he drops In a
'"P on the lloor. They men smear a
'"lie Ink over each of his palms ami press
""'tn Hat down upon a sheet of paper,
nbove which some writing in Chinese has
'"'en piin'ed These form his signature to
'ho confession If he should es, ape ho
CHAINUI) I'Olt STUAMNd DltUCS.
could bo detected by means of them. Tho
confession will be sent to tho viceroy and
his head bo cut off a day or so later."
l.Nieclill.v for Women,
Women nre not favored by Chinese
Judges. In the court here I heard a nutn-
her of severe sentences nronounced. nnd
nt Canton one woman was nunlshed with
the clapper. Tills seems to bo especially
for women. It Is inndo of two pieces of
leather, each as thick as a harness tug,
but a little wider. They nro fastened to n
hnndle In the middle. Tho clapper ls not
moro than a foot long, but it Is ns dendly
ns though It wero iron. It is used for
pounding tho cheeks nnd Hps, often break-
lug tho Jaws and knocking out tho tooth.
Tho Cnntcn woman was suspected of smug-
gllng opium, but claimed to bo Innocent,
Tho punishment wns given to induce con-
fesslon.
Dr. John H. Hykes, tho head of the
American lliblo society, onco saw a fo-
mnlo thief treated to fifty strokes on the
mouth with tho clnpper. He described tho
punishment to me. Ho said:
"One policeman held tho womnn's head
back ngninst his knees whilo nnothor
struck her across tho mouth with tho clnp-
per. Her Hps bled at tho first blow.
After tho fifth they began to swell nnd at
tho end they wero ns thick as your threo
lingers."
"Did she scream?" I asked.
"Of rourso sho did," replied Dr. Hykes.
"Well, after that," Dr. Hykes wont on,
"wo saw n mnn got fiOO blows with tho
bamboo. This punishment wns terrible,
for tho man's flesh was torn from his
thighs. As I looked I nnld to Judgo Tu,
tlio mandarin In clmrgo, 'I don't boo how
you can etnnd It.'
so that when they attempted to rest their
toes they hung by the neck The men lud 1
been sentenced to death III the cage for!
robbery and outrage. Pasted on the out-'
side were placards which warned all per 1
sons not to give them food or drink Tins
was in the middle of July, when the heai
was Intense. Three days after thai I
learned they were dead."
The Cruwlim lliiiuhoit.
"The ordinary punishment of the b,n,. ,.
's very seere," continued Dr. Ilyk.s. ... I
when more than 200 blows nro guru
sometimes results In the vleHm's be u
maimed for life. There ls consld, r.u-t.
science In giving the stnd.es and the p
Hccm.in can make them heavy or lb lit ,
I'leiwes. In ninny eases the pre...tur
the policemen to let them elf cam
11,1,1 11 r"1'' " I" l)' the man who lu
1,0 ""'"V receives the full scutiiu.
"Speaking of the bamboo. 1 have heard
(,f 11 1'iinlshmotit In which the IIvIiik 1.um
' made tho oerut Inner. I have no r (,e, i
(his punlsl tnent ami 1 mil told that it i
not permitted by the laws of the land Tti.
bamboo grows very fast. It Jumps ,i,,w,ir.i
several Inches In a night nnd Its M.ill, ln
n sharp point which will force lt- w.n
through anything. In the growing lu oi.
punishment the criminal Is fasten, d t
stakes over one of these sprouts and ib
plant grows slowly through him, ,.hi.ii
Ills d Mill.
"While 1 was living nt Kuklnng." said
Dr. llykes. "a young man In one of the il
luges near by was burlid nllve iim a phihmi
tnent for murder. The criminal w,,v n
for his Intent temper and getter, tl u r Ii
lesmiess. Among his oilier faults u.i, tin
lack of lllhil piety, which Is one i.f the
greatest of sins in China. He qu.n r. I. ,
with his father and he usually raihd to
Klvo him n present of a iuosh of p.'t-l.
the Kith of every month, ns ls the ru-ioni
with good sous. One day his father tool
him to task for this neglect. I'he t,,.i, ie
came nngrj and killed his father with
hoe.
"The murder caused great excitement
for parricide Is here considered the most
terrible of crimes. If n man kills a parent
not only himself, but all Ills neighbors tmd
relatives, are ptinlsheil. The parricide i.
tied upon a cross nnd slowly sliced to
death. The olllclals of the provl .in
degraded and the crime Is an Injiirv to the
district for years to come. When the abov
murder occurred the lending men of tin
community hushed It up nnd asked the
family to perforin the S'taMinient There
was a meeting of tho murderer's elan and
tho result was a sentence that he be burled
alive. His own relatives dug the grave
and his mother threw the diit into Hie hole
upon him nnd trumped It down with hot
foot." I'iihNIiiiioiiIn for I'nrrleliles.
No one but those who have studied the
Chinese enn realize the horror with which
they look upon parricides nnd matricides.
Nothing will excuse the killing of father
or mother by the child. In the l'ekln dn
zotto I find numerous instances of lunntlcs
who have killed their parents and boon
sliced to death, in this slicing not only Is
the flesh cut nway bit by bit, lint tho vic
tim Is. to a large extent, skinned alive
One of the first cuts Is across the middle
of the forehead, after which the execu
tloneer takes the skin nnd rips It off
Next tho cheeks are lorn off, then the
arms, breasts, thighs and calves, all cut
by cut, the sklu being torn awny until the
man is dead.
Accidents are no excuse for such kill
lug. It was only two years ago that a hoy
"f s "vlng in a little town about twenty
"'"''s from Shanghai was playing with a
K,"l He wns tossing It up in (lie nlr
when his mother ran out of the hut mid
'l necldentally fell upon her head and
,(lled her. According to the Inw tho old
('st "K nt which the punishment of slicing
tH "l'nth can be Inflicted Is Id. You would
'J1'11' they would have let the boy free
They did not. lie wns put at onco in
Prison and will be kept there until he
reaches Ifi when the punishment will be
'""''d. He has nix years more to wait.
1 have never seen a Chinese execution
nni1 1,0 nrt ,nv' '"' one the sight. The
'"iitallty of tho executioner Is beyond con
('Pthm- A missionary told mo how he ro-
'''""tly saw the heads of live robbers cut
nSt-
"Them were two executioners," snld ho,
"ol,( n" export, tho other an amntoiir. Tho
sw,'il of the expert went through the
necks tis though through cheese.
mit ""' amateur bungled his work. The
rubbers wore placed on their knees with
their heads outstretched. As the sword
through the necks tho heads fell to
""' ground, soiuo rolling twenty feet nway
Tmo ,,lomI Hpurtod out lu great Jots from
'"""es, which, s! range to say, still re
innlned on their knees.
W Hen nil tho bonds were off I nsked If
1 ''kI- not go Inside (he lino nnd look.
J magistrate said, 'Of course; why not?
and I went In
! pointed to one body and
(Continued on IllghUi Page.)
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