The Executions at Kucheng.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7540, 22 January 1896, Page 4

The Executions at Kucheng.

A correspondent of a London paper, in a letter dated from Foochow, gives the following description of the execution of seven men condemned to death for the Kucheng massacre :— " The foroign commissioners, with the exception of Commander Newell and Mr Banister, left their quarters early, and reached the magistrate's yamon at 6.15 a.m. They at once took seats just outside the great gate. The Taotai and Prefect were sitting at a table in the centre, while a double row of soldiers lined the way to the gnte at the street, 100 yards off. As the commissioners took their Beats a drum was beaten, and a salute fired. Then each of the couderaned was brought from his cell and conducted rapidly up to the officials, before whom he knelt for a moment, and was tumbled into a cage, and a bambor, stuck down his back, to which Was fastened a piece of paper on whicb the sentence was written. When thi'j p ar b of the ceremony was overjjthe prefect and magistrate donned scarlet robes and scarlet hoods, and the line of march was taken up to the execution gro /Un d near the river, just outside the cify ga te. At a given signal the condemned knelt with their backs to the official stand, and the five executioners began, their bloody work. When the heads were off tho whole vast concourse of people sent up a great shout, clapped their hands, and departed. The heads are now hung in open baskets in conspicuous places about the city."