200
香聾
Extract from"Hong Kong Telegraph."
dated 12th. March 1900.
X
X
Chinese Sailors Tortured.
6.0
2300*
to 9 JUL 01
Some time last month commodore Chan, who has command of two
guardboats, arrived at Canton, where he received an order
from the mandarins" of Krong May village to proceed there to
quell disturbances caused by a family named Au who had
been murdering and destroying property. Chan immediately
departed for the village, taking his two boats with him,
but accidently left five of his men at Canton. These men,
when they found they had been left behind, intended to take
a junk next morning to the village and went to houses of
ill-fame for the night. While there they were arrested by
the command of a military officer named Li and taken before
this officer accused of being pirates and, as they would
not confess, were sentenced to be tortured. Next morning
they were brought up again before Li and, as they could
not stand the torture any more, confessed to being pirates.
hi then sent a petition to the Canton Government saying he had captured five pirates and prayed for authority to have them executed. Commodore Chan, when he heard about this,
sent to his friend Tan, a mandarin, to enquire into the
matter. By this time four of the soldiers had been executed, the fifth saving his own life by turning witness against his comrades. Li had been recently degraded and threatened with severe punishment if he did not capture a certain party of pirates and, it is believed, he arrested these sailors to make the Government think he had performed his
duty."
1
j
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.