Chang Kuei-ching, an ex-cotton_ mill worker turned rowdy, whose acts of law-essness in the Yangtzepoo and Li Hong-Kew districts last year caused considerable commotion, paid the penalty of his crimes on Saturday morning, he being executed on the parade ground inside the native city. The story of Chang Kuei-ching's brief career of crime is a peculiar one, and illustrates the helplessness of the native authorities when called upon to act with decision against a dangerous outlaw. Chang had attracted to himself a gang of some eighty men, who hovered on the outskirts of the settlement and plundered in various ways the considerable population which the growth of cotton spinning and other industries has attracted to the districts. The native runners when sent after him were either seized with an intense desire to return home or driven back by Chang's followers,. whilst a tipao and some other small fry fell into his hands and were re-Jeased only on promising not to act against him any more, Chang's downfall was another illustration of churches la femme. He proceeded to abduct a young woman whom thad known when working in the cotton mill and who had recently married. The husband was terrified into holding his tongue for a while, but when the new acting Twotai Lu took office, the complaint of the husband was put before him. Lu Taotai besought the co-opera tion of the Municipal police, and besides offering a reward of $200 for Chang's capture, stimulated the exertion of the yamen tunners by the promise of sixty that they failed to produce Chang. Last ows to the headmen for every three days month Chang was captured in a combined raid by. the Municipal police and the runners. Once in the power of the authorities he was given short shrift. Although no murders had been laid to his account, and the usual sentence in such cases is banishment to a distance of 3,000 1 for from three to five years, Li Taotai asked for permission to at once decapitate Chang. In support of this request he made @ special visit to Soochow and saw Governor Chao, who promised to explain the matter to the Viceroy Liu. Just about this time Li Taotai had to surrender his seals to Liu Taotai, and there was just 'a chance that the change of government might affect Chang's fate. However, it did not, and at two o'clock on Saturday morning s mounted courier brought the death warrant from Nanking. Orders were given for the immediate execution of the sentence. Atdaybreak, Chang Kuei-ching and one of his lieutenants who had been arrested a few days before; named Ah Doo, "the candy hawker," were brought out of the Shanghai magistrate's gaol and bound in the presence of Mr. Huang, who had been detailed to superintend the execution. Escorted by a detachment of cavalry and infantry the two criminals were taken to the "Nine mow lot" inside the Old North gate of the native city, used both as a military parade ground as. well as for decapitating purposes and there the two men saw the executioner, dressed in red, awaiting their arrival. Chang Kuei-ching was made to kneel in front, facing the pavilion where Mr. Huang was already seated, while the lieutenant, Ah Doo, Imelt behind his chief and could see everything that went on in front of him. At a signal from Mr. Huang and amidst the volley-fiting of the infantry and the galloping of the cavalry in a circle around the executioner and his assistants, Chang Kuei-ching's head rolled to the ground some ten feet off, slung by the hand of the executioner's assistant who bad held Chang's quave in front, of him, in, order not to impede the stroke of the knife on the neck. The next moment the executioner kicked the headless body, which sent it prone on the ground. The next thing the executioner did was to stand behind Ah Doo while the assistant caught hold of the queue in the usual way. When the flat of the executioner's knife came down with a "pat" on his neck and he received the customary kick in the back, his boy fell prone, as motionless as the trunk of his chief a few feet before him. This is called P'an-so or keeping company with decapitation," and is intended to strike terror into the heart of a man whose crime is not serious enough to warrant his decapitation also. Ah Doo's fainting away is alleged to be no unusual thing and is said to happen nine times out of ten in such cases, It was at first intended to expose Chang Kuei-ching's head at Yangtszepoo but Mr. Huang changed his mind at the last moment and simply ordered Chang's body and head to lie on the execution und for 24 hours "for the view of the public." On Saturday night, however, Chang Kuei-ching's relatives stitched on his, head to the neck and laid the body in a coffin brought for the purpose.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.