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Show TAX COLLECTOR'S TORTURE Bastinado and Other Cruel Devices Employed in Oriental Ori-ental Countries on Delinquent Property Owners. Said one cf a gioup of men the nth r night ' It Is Impossible for nuy oiil to travel In an Oriental countiy for any i onslderuble lencth of time without with-out leirnlUK to feel devoutly thankful that ho Is not subjected to the tnx tol-Iettlni.- methods of the blackmailers and all-aiound thugs who too often are detailed to Ih" work of in iking tnx col-lections col-lections foi the governments of them "I enn iccall one Incld.nt In a little city of Palestine, which Illustrates my meaning and iny feelings 111 connection wltli th- niuttei I was acquainted some, tlmn ago. with a lesldeiit of this particular city, and was "ly much taken n-bnek when I found out that he append to hive an almost union-uucriblo union-uucriblo aversion, not only to lax pay-nc pay-nc but also to tax collec tors I Innlly we it to him nnd asked lilm whether ho lould Inform me as to the causo of '''"lusi'walt." he full, significantly "I lid wall and ono day the tax colic, col-ic, to" came along It seemed ns houih t he e weic vciy few legulatlons Lo cnliir tb" -"uu ' "f the men for hey came to my nillve friends mma"nr .'inf w'.Vo' give1,, it without U"lhVSl,lo"yo.i not m.k. a piotest to Ih, authorities'' I aske.l I htm when wo "C.,V,,f,;,,wo,u.dPbc.i:.hJ,use?' was the . iionipt resronse 'Do you sup- ESsctorJi'-'rd:! only fcet bastinadoed ,,, I was thutldci struck, and asked whether lioB not attempting to gul' roc dftei the good old-fashioned iiSfeiiS'SFSn'efS ttRcr ". 'ill t ill!-' " mm, ffl'o, anay0f..a.mst'bha3Unardhom"n j with him or. at least, .close at hand, and In who has the buidlhood lo niics-tlo niics-tlo l his Judgment In tho matter of taxes Is simply pcisiimled of Its Justice Jus-tice by means of to or 100 blows' on the lure f, et Our t ix mile, tors arc Ktn-erally Ktn-erally pretty rich men after they hive been at the business for n few ycais ' "'I ran ri member u Hire In China,' retimked one of thoBo who had been llstenlnr In the ntoiy llrst told, 'of it man who bad hlR entlio prop, rty ton-flu ton-flu nled and win himself thrown Into prison for trying In misrepresent matters mat-ters in connection with the value of his estate' , ,. One of Hi" men told of nn Incident whli h was InmiRlit to his attention In I'm to Itkn sevcial ycais ago Herein the Ameilcans mine Into possession of the Island and foi some time aft, i that" lie said Maxes worn frequently mile, led In rural dlstiletn by peisons who mid" tho nssisHinints und the collector would walk up In the dooi size up the fittings of a room oi of the shuck,' as the case might be. and demand such payment as he thought Just and proper from his own slindpolnt The results, at times uned to In ridiculous 'On ono occasion a man who bad paid an annual assessment of five esos mi a decidedly humble little homo out In the mountain land bought two urmelialrs with some money which ho had reeelved for doing odd Jobs for the American Hoops hen tho tnx colletlor came around again he llxed tho nsbermiieiit as 510 " u hnt Is the extra 15 foi Inquired tho Indignant payer. Vmi are more piosperous,' wns Ine rbsponse . , . What put that Idea lnlh sour heid?' wns the surprised Inquiry for un answer the Assessor pointed silently In the direction of the two nrmthalrH I need hardly art 11 that the thalra were soon disponed of An old traveler who had glrdnl tho world several times during tin rourje of bin long lUtcer said that while In Persia ho bnd at ono time seen sevoral poisons who had attempted to evade the payment o' taxes burled In quick-lime quick-lime to their lie, ks and left Jo die of tlio riiot horrible torture while water whs being flltei -d through the ground about the I la," whir they had been burled HruoMy n lltucn. |