Chinese Justice.

Thames Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 10128, 9 December 1911, Page 6 (Supplement)

Chinese Justice.

A giim caie oi' some ChitUMu method* oi' meting out justice ■ to ofieudoih has been related to 'ihe' London .Standard by Mr W. J. JVkuruy, c oiieruist wiio lives in Hong .Long-, a few months ago Mr Murray and ten other Europeans undertook a voyage in a Chinese junk to a village called Yank-Tee,- abouti'orty miles from Hong King. Night fell while ckoy were ■ atill some distance from the village, and dm y.g the iughi> thfc junk was surrounded by Xfciiiost! pirates and captured. After being robbed of all their valuables the Europeans were left to mako their way to Yang-tee as best they could. On arrival they mpoited the robboiy to the chief mandarin, who immediately sent out a large force of soldiers to' secure the pirates. After a Tiot battle, in which forty of r.hti pirates were' killji. Twenty-four were captured • and' In ken to Vanq-tMe. They' "were t^'icd or. Iho spot by the mandarin, whe ordered then, t© bo executed. Early next nun-limp a bell was rung to summon ell the inhabitants of thf nefgh fboiirhrio<l. and whpn they had pothered on the ssashoije'the mandarin informed them that #ie pirates had 'bey i .ii-aeiyed to ' dsath. The twenty-Ffnir ]u-isonei is ■were'placed in a line before iho crowd and handed over to iho executioner. "As the excen Honor approached 'the first man," Mr Murray's narrative statos. 'Tie ordered him to turn round and kneel on the snnd, drawing a larcre double edged sword from His 'belt al the same moment. At a nod from the nonudarin ho seized "the man's pijrtail firmh* in his "'left hand 1' and pulled f'.ho head forward. After making a sranil nick in the neck', as a sorl of ])rcliminary, the execntioner gave hi* sword a quick twirl, '-and the head wi<? off." The process "was repeated until nil the ! prisoners had been dor ipitted, and Mr Murtrv fi.'iys th'H thf pirates did not flinch, ,-ilthouch ct'i'h shuddered perceptibly n^ tho hfn^^m.in made the prelhwnnrr "mcl?" in the neck. After the exociiiion the heads wera placed on poles, in ho looked Ht'for ten days, and tlic bnfiies wera thrown into n pit.