A Chinese Sentenced to Starvation.

Evening Star, Issue 7484, 31 March 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

A Chinese Sentenced to Starvation.

*. The other day we visited Che-hsien's Yamen in the city for the purpose of inquiring into the truth of the statement that a criminal was exposed in a cage and was being therein starved and tortured to death. Such an event is of rare occurrence in Shanghai city of recent years, and its revival by the new district magistrate is somewhat surprising. The unfortunate creature stood upright in a bamboo cage about sft high, with his neck through a cangue, by which he would have been almost suspended—or at least the tips of his toes would barely have touched the bottom of the cage—had it not been that some person had placed a large stone under the man's feet. By this his sufferings were greatly relieved, and his chances of death by strangulation reduced. He did not look particularly distressed at his position, amid the raillery and jeers of the spectators, who displayed an almost fiendish delight in mocking his state, to which he seemed not loth to reply with interest, and a perfect fire of abuse was kept up between the cruel people and the wretched prisoner. Wo learned that in the morning a friend of his gave him some rice and water, and also prepared a pipe of opium with which to soothe his sufferings. If this humane friend, however, were detected in his merciful ministrations by the authorities there is no doubt that he would bo punished severely, perhaps even clapped into a similar cage. It would seem that the yamen peoplo make no provision for pro viding the prisoner while in the cage with any kind of food, aud that they also direct dire threats against anyone who might give him any. The man is described as a desperate thief, and has been in prison ten years; hiß last offence was stripping the other prisoners of their clothes and stealing everything else of the little that these wretched beings possessed. ' North China Daily News,'