Honan Magistrate's Crimes:
Innocent Prisoner Tortured to'Death From Our Own Correspondent, Kueiteh, Ho., Apr. 15.
Two barbarous instances of Chinese criminal jurisprudence have just come to my notice, seems that about four years ago a man'living in the country Was visited by a band of robbers who kelled his son's wit and wounded hig son in the course of all vateables in the touse, leit operations in. cleaning,
The victim suspected three local good-for-nothings in the crowd and Sent in a petition informing against theas, whereupon. they! Were arrested. The local military leader examined one of the prison. ers with the aid of a bamboo according to the usual procedure. When two beatings failed to force confession, "the wretched man was string up and heated irons were applied to his bare flesh, s0 his uncle informed me. As they Were careless in' watching" him, thinking no doubt he had not! enough life left in im to need very careful guarding, he escaped, Ho was taken il, However, and brought back to his home where the people were naturally afraid Jof the consequences to themselves should he die ow their premises, Ho was taken to the prison again where she scow expired, his uncle,
people, in the meanwhile ssu tone of the most respected towns, ing him with Tod. wai The victim of the robbery next! sent in a petition to the magistrate accusing the undo of arranging, the escape. When the nephew was brought back and died the uncle ther charged with _hav-poisoned him to get rid of evidence.
Te seems that as this prosceator ras a vietion to the robbers in the first place he is at liberty to send in accusations against whom will, if they have no influence, having been concerned in" the original robbery.
DEATH OF THREE MONE, The magistrate himself, who} seems to be a very able and itstali gent man, told mo that seven arrests had been made an the word of this man and not one confess ion had yet been made. Three of these men have died in confinement and the others are still in gaol. There is no evidence against them so they cannot. be tried and condemned, and they} cannot be released or the magis: trate himself would be reported to the Civil Governor by the original victim for having released malefactors, Naturally a magis trate isnot anxious for this to happen, Even #0, however, this} particular official' is not escaping! trouble, for a few months ago the original victim (one feels capital letters should be sed) added a new name to his Only than did the magistrate refuse {0 arrest any mora mien $0} long after tha event, unless some evidence was Tortheoming, This seemed a very unreasonable stand to take to tha original vietint and could only be explain. od by the fact that undue influence} had been used £0 he has now sent a petition to the Civil Governor against three members of the com nnunity accusing then of influence ing the magistrate 50 should not grant the warrants, Tt is not yet apparent what the further outcome willie, (but in the aneantime several untried and uncondemned men (without friends} of influence, of course) are lon-gushing in' prison, while accusations are being broadcast against absolutely innocent men because 3t seems that sentiment demands that a man who was wronged. as this man was in the first. place, aust be allowed a little latitude in working off his injured feelings.
A secoxp MoRKO}
In my last letter I mentioned] about the Tittle fracas here in which the military took part. seems that the attackers on Mr. Meo's house were men wha had billeted themselves in' neighbouring dwellings and were known to him from tha fact that they had previously tried without success to. "borrow"? money from him.
On this night when Gen. Wang's yarnen troops set fire to: the build: time tad corns for them to work off their spleen and ab the same Hime make a Tittle for themselves. They therefore sealed the wall of Meo's house from a lane ab. the Ykek and having: frst shot him they helped themselves, When the mutiny sputtered out they went back to their quarters tint the nest' opportunity. Une ready to be good soldiers again
fortunately for them. their victim had not died us they supposed and on recovering little a the has. pitul was able to accuse four of his assailants by name, Thus they, \were picked out by the fice comthanding, bub then the problem Was how to punish them sines their comrades would probably resent anything drastic being done, a fellow-foding doubtless makeing them wondrous kind. 'The ques: tion was solved. by informing. the four men that sines they had been recognized and formally accused they' would hie to return homo and lig low fora little while, hey were given" $3 etch and escorted to th railway. station, four miles north of the city, and the troops there, not of their company, and shoot them, was carried "out, were gullly of but one cannot, mpathy for thi poor wretches going off more lees thuunkfully to their homes with 83 each in their pockets whilst certain death was waiting for them up the road, Details of their killing were given mu which may ov miy not. te true. When they got to the station they were taken into one of the military, compounds, Twas told, and orders ed {0 change into civilian clothes, fas it would not be convenient for them to go off in uniforms. 'They started (9 make the exchange and when stripped, one of riem" was shot dwn. 'The others, seeing What was coming, started to bolt for it naked and' were shot down as they ran, Thus four good forms were saved for the army, asia NEW ORGANIZATION
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.