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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY. PRESS AND
in civilised countries at the end of this nine- teenth century, and to a practical knowledge of the art of maintaining" discipline in gaols, that one can only express unbounded astonish- ment at its having emanated from three intel- ligent officials such as those on the Committee. Gaol punishment to be effective must be both prompt and severe, and defective as the present system in the Hongkong Gaol apparently is (leste the extraordinary number of floggings in 1895), the suggestion of the Committee would make it infinitely worse.
(why use Latin words when English will do ?) to the infliction of two whippings at a very short interval, although prima facie this would seem a very likely thing to cause abscesses, but a word of protest may be entered against the whole system of repeated floggings which seems to prevail here. The practice of the Supreme Court here in ordering a prisoner to receive more than one flogging for an offence (thus keeping the second one hanging over his head for a considerable time) is hardly likely to commend itself to the adoption of most judges In the first place, there seems to be an undue and magistrates, even were it legalised; but delay between the commission of offences apart from this it certainly seems that in the against gaol discipline and their punishment; matter of gaol punishments some restriction e.g., from par.6 (v.) of the Committee's report ought to be placed on power of flogging con- it would seem that a prisoner refused to work victs again as soon as ever the medical officer (a most serious offence) on May 21st and was says that they have recovered from a previous not punished for such offence until May 25th- dose of the rod, or rather rattan. This punish an interval of four days. This delay would ment should of course
be reserved for appear to be due to the practice of requiring an the more serious offences only (there are inquiry to be made by a Visiting Justice be several other very effectual punishments), fore the infliction of certain punishments. and once properly inflicted there ought to be Such s practice, even apart from the delays no necessity, even with old offenders, for its caused by it, seems open to objection on two repetition for at least six months. I would sug- grounds, (1) that it lessens the anthority of the gest therefore that, except with the special per- Superintendent of the Gnol, and (2) that in-mission of the Governor in each case, an interval spection and inquiry by non-officials in gaol of this length be prescribed before, a convict matters is of little or no practical use, well should be flogged again for a second offence meaning as such non-officials may be. The against gaol discipline. It is not to be for a better course would seem to be to give moment supposed that in a gaol in British the Superintendent full power to inflict any possessions he would be flogged twice for the punishment authorised by the gaol code (sub- same offence. ject
to the relo of the Medical Officer when he is not himself a doctor) and to rely upon official inspections for the prevention of irre- gularities. There would of course. be no objection to the continuance of the present system of visits from non-offici:] J.P.'s, but they should have no power to direct the Super- intendent, who alone is responsible for the gaol discipline, to do or not to do anything, though their remarks as recorded in the visiting book would of course receive every consideration, both from the Superintendent and the higher authorities.
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Passing over as puerile the suggestion to substitute the birch for the rattan, one may be permitted to express surprise at the idea of in- troducing the treadmill as a form of hard labour. It is true that the cranks are at least equally out of date in most modern prisons, but the Committee might at least have hit upon some form of labour less objectionable. In a gaol of the size of the Hongkong one there ought to be no difficulty in providing useful forms of employment, differing in severity, for the various classes of prisoners.
In conclusion, we must all be glad that the Committee has brought prominently forward the very unsatisfactory condition of the Gaol Hospital. But who is responsible for this state of things?
SCRUTATOR.
Hongkong, 14th July, 1896.
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[July 16, 1896.
property ruthlessly destroyed Thence it into Shantung, where the rebelse, occupied the residence of the French pi Ho-kia-chwang, which they converted fortress for their own defence. From o-kis chwang the movement spread over many Christian communities, whose houses they set on fire and completely destroyed. - The rebels took possession of all the property and stock they required, including the ponies and cattle belonging to Christians or pagan owners indiscriminately, and requisitioned everything they needed from the country people as if they were a regularly organised army. The time selected for the rising has been particularly well chosen, as it is im, mediately after the wheat harvests have been gathered in and with a plentiful crop in the granaries they have ample food; and the country, moreover, after the wheat had been out, is already covered with a high growth of kaoliang or sorghum through which the rebels can move in safety without being seen. To - strengthen their position they have taken with them a great many native Christians as hostages whom they carry about from place to place, and two at least of the unhappy captives are al- ready reported to have been murdered. To give an idea of the strength and organization of the rebels, we may mention that for the attack upon the converts and foreign mission at Tong shan (outside the walls of the city of the same name) fully 600 rebels were gathered by a pre- concerted signal, and resistance on the part of the unhappy villagers was simply futile in the face of the numbers. Both the French mission- aries and the native converts in that region carry arms for the defence of smaller gangs of bandits, who constantly harass the country; but with 600 determined enemies opening a regular attack upon the place it was no use to attempt any defence, and when our informant left the scene the rebels' were ́lying outside the city waiting an expected arrival of further re inforcements from various points to begin a grand attack on the walled city itself. The rebels carry a standard of black and yellow, and all the local brigands in the neighbourhoods through which they marched had joined them in numbers, bringing a large additional supply of ponies in mobs which they had taken from the country people to mount the rebel forces. So rapidly had those forces increased in strength that when the Christian community and the
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REBELLION ÎN NORTH KIANGSU.mission at Fung-hsien were attacked the assail-
We are indebted to Father Thomas for the
following particulars of the rebellion now pro- ceeding in North Kiangsu and Southern Shan- tung. The names of the societies which have risen against the mandarins are Kin-lung-tsao and Ta-tung-hwei. The objects of the members of both these societies are almost identical with those of the famous White Lily, with which we suspect they are affiliated, or at least they are its offshoots. The headquarters of the opera- tions of both societies are in the sub-prefecture Tsao-hsien in the province of Shantung.
Now as to the severity of the floggings in flicted. It has always seemned to me that if a man deserves whipping he deserves whipping well. A single sound flogging is by far the most humane in the end, both as regards the prisoner himself and as regards the other "visitors in the gaol" (to quote a Japanese paper.) The system proposed by the Committee appears both cruel and ineffective and if it was that on which gaol discipline was administered last year it will largely account for the extra ordinary number of floggings. Judging from experience elsewhere, there seems no earthly reason why & Chinaman should not stand thirty stripes well laid on, and if this punishment were inflicted promptly on a man refusing to work Iventure to think that this most serious form of offence would soon be stamped out. A short anecdote of what actually occurred in the large gaol at (where there are nearly 3,000 prisoners, both Orientals and Europeans) will illustrate this. An entire squad of some twenty For the past three years the members of the European prisoners refused one morning to societies have been very active in pushing their turn out to work, on the ground of some alleged propaganda and enrolling members and initiat- deficiency in their rations. The Superintendent,ing neophytes. On many previous occasions Dr. S on hearing of this walked up to the compartment where the men were confined and ordered No. 1 to step out and work. I do," replied No. 1. (The word used is quite unprintable.) The game order was then put to each of the remaining prisoners and the same answer was returned by all. “Bring out the triangle," said the Superintendent, and tie him up," pointing to No. 1. There was a struggle, but it was done. Thirty stripes," said the Super- intendent, and when they were inflicted the first prisoner was cast loose and No. 2 tied up. In Sui-chow-fu it is well known that the By this time the prisoners were only too eager membership of the societies is very great, and to perform their allotted tasks, but they were there is every reason to believe that the societies relentlessly told they might do them after are equally powerful west of Kiangsu and in being flogged, and in the end each of them the north of Anhwei, towards Honan, since it is received in turn his thirty stripes. It will be known that when the news of the present rising understood that. after this there were travelled abroad many men came hastening more refusals to work in that particular gaol for from Pacho in North Anhwei quite close to a lengthened period. This may sound severe, Honan, to join in the movement. An excuse but a little consideration will show that it is having been found to raise the standard of the far more humane in the long run than the sug-revolt, the rebels have begun by destroying many gested system of petty floggings at intervals.
It is not for a layman to discuss the question to whether the death of the unfortunate pri- soner, No. 704 was due proximately or remotely
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ants numbered many thousands, and the house into a fortress. The country on every side of Father Bouchier was converted by the rebels
was given up to indiscriminate pillage. The Christians disappeared and made off as best they could escape from the danger. In every small town in the sub-prefectures named, the garrisons consist of some twenty cavalry men, all equally impotent, while in the whole Sui- chow-fu perfecture the number of available troops scarcely reaches 500 horsemen, and per- haps as many infantry. The French fathers had previously warned the mandarins of the danger, and soldiers were sent to the threatened mission stations, but finding the enemy too numerous these beroes discreetly and promptly their respective walled cities, so that the houses of executed a series of "masterly retreats" back into the missionaries were lying in the hands of the
they have attempted partial risings, but always hitherto without success. It is a noteworthy feature of every previous attempt that as soon as a signal was given many people in Sui-chow-rebels undisturbed. Even in the walled city of fu sold their little belongings, disposed of their
Siu-chow-fu itself, the mandarins find it impos. effects, and, hastening into Shantung made sible to measure their strength with that of the rapid junction with the rebels, which shows that the revolutionary teachings of the societies are widespread and their effects felt equally in Shantung and North Kiangsu amongst their adherents.
Tien-chu-tang, or Roman Catholic churches, in Shangtung, and the Christians in three sub-pre- fectures have been completely and absolutely given over to the mercy of the rebels and their
rebels.
W
AN ALARMING TELEGRAM. A The latest news from the scene of the rising is contained in a telegram received from Father Gain, Superior of the Missions in the district. It came via Chinan-fu from Siuchow-fn which place it left on the 29th alto. It reads are living in our house in the fu (city) in very bad state. Rebels occupy three districts Fang. hgien, Tongshan and Siau-hsien; 20 Christian communities destroyed; 1,000 Christians ren dered homeless, Revolt rapidly increasing in area and strength, Expect troops to take
The two priests Fathers Thomas Biboul, while on their way down to Sha met troops going forward from Tsingkin on the Grand Canal,
It will be gathered from the foregoin the two missionaries, who remained the scene of the rebellion to ake care
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