The Detection of Crime in China.
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THE DETECTION OF CRIME IN CHINA. THE Chinese possess no organized de up by the thumbs, or suspending him by the neck in a wooden frame so that his toes just tective force, though the officials some times visit in disguise the scene of a notable touch the ground. All such tortures are crime for the purpose of making inquiries, illegal; but a confession has to be obtained and police spies are often locked up with somehow before sentence can be passed, and remanded prisoners to try to worm out their cases are many, and the time allowed for secrets. The lower classes being intensely settling them short. Seldom can the stout superstitious, the judicial investigation of est rogue, or, alas! innocent man, hold out crime usually takes place at night. The against such treatment continued through judgment hall is a lofty building of wood, out the night, and renewed, if necessary, unceiled, and bare of furniture save for the again and again. When two or more persons are equally raised dais at the north end, where is seated the presiding magistrate, attended by his suspected of theft or the like, the magistrates secretaries, clerks, and lictors. The only often show great ingenuity in detecting the light comes from paper lanterns or cotton guilty. In cross-examination they are pe wicks in oil-cups, which but serve to bring culiarly skilful in obtaining damaging ad into prominence the weird shadows flitting missions, their suave manner deceiving the about the corners and lurking amongst the accused as to the importance of the point they wood-work of the roof. Silence prevails, inquire about so carelessly. Two instances the few spectators watching the proceedings of extra-judicial methods for ascertaining the standing like statues. The accused, dragged culprit among many equally under suspicion from the darkness and filth of a Chinese deserve to be recorded for their cleverness. Some balls of opium taken from a piratical prison, is forced to kneel before the judg ment seat throughout the trial. Weakened junk by a revenue cruiser mysteriously dis by ill-treatment and appalled by his own appeared while being transferred to the lat superstitious imaginings, he often requires ter vessel. Opium is very precious in China, only a little judicious terrorizing to elicit a and a ball is easily split up and secreted in the wide sleeves or the voluminous waistband full confession of his guilt. If he prove ob durate, witnesses are called. From these no of a Chinese sailor. The commander of the vessel was loath to institute a search of the oath or affirmation is demanded, the break ship and crew, knowing well the craftiness ing of a saucer and other forms for adminis tering an oath to a Chinaman laid down in of his men, and that, even if found, the opium English law books being quite unknown in would most probably be in the bundle of some Chinese courts. Any hesitation or refusal innocent man. He therefore resorted to a to answer the magistrate's questions — for plan as simple as it proved effective. In his he is judge, jury, and crown prosecutor all cabin was, as is usual, a shrine of the God in one, and no counsel for the defence is dess of Mercy and of the Chinese Neptune. allowed — is punished by slaps on the cheek Before these deities he instituted a solemn or the application of the bamboo to the service, which was prolonged till evening. thighs; and similar penalties more severely When night fell, he mustered the crew and administered check the giving of false testi called them one by one into the dimly lighted mony. Should the prisoner, in face of strong cabin. Here each man had to make solemn evidence, persist in denying his guilt, various declaration of his innocence, kneeling before persuasive measures are resorted to, such as the images, and dipping his finger in a forcing him to kneel on chains, hanging him saucer of water, to smear his face all over,
