TRAGIC INCIDENTS IN CHINA.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 14326, 11 April 1912, Page 6

TRAGIC INCIDENTS IN CHINA.

Roy Robinson, of H-M.S. Pego.-vis. ■, writing to relatives in Singleton, New South Wales, furnishes detail-, of life '" and customs in China. The ioilowiit- '- extracts are from his letters:— "J ' • talking to a Chinese compradoro, when I heard a rifle shot, and he fell .lead at my feet. The tragedy was simply dun to the carelessness ot a rebel. Rifle* are continually going off. and the risk a man runs is great. 1 witnessed another horrible . tragedy last week. A Chinese coolie stole a small electric lamp globe from a shop. He wa.s dragged out into the middle of the road, and bound with his hands behind his back. 1 thought they were genii-, to shoot him. when suddenly an officer stepped out in front of him, nnd tho ' coolie dropped on his knees and Wat. his head. Tho officer drew his swurrl, and beheaded him there, right in tho middle of the main street. As soon as his head was off the mob spat on it, and kicked it about the road. Then they brought a post and stuck it in th<\ ground, and put the coolie's head on top of it, with his body at the bottom. , According to custom, it was left therefor three days as an example. There have been a terrible lot of .suicides here (Nanking!—nearly all women. A lost of the acts of self-destruction are ■ • due to the revolution, walking nlons the street it is a common si:;ht to ion dozens of dead women in the gutters."