凡验官多是差厅子、虞候,或以亲随作公人、家人各目前去,追集邻人、保伍,呼为先
牌,打路排保,打草踏路,先驰看尸之类,皆是搔扰乡众,此害最深,切须戒忌。
凡检验承牒之后,不可接见在近官员、秀才、术人、僧道,以防奸欺及招词诉。仍未得
凿定日时,于牒。前到地头,约度程限,方可书凿,庶免稽迟。仍约束行吏等人,不得少离
官员,恐有乞觅。遇夜行吏须要勒令供状,方可止宿。
凡承牒检验,须要行凶人随行,差土着有家累、田产、无过犯节级、教头、部押公人看
管。如到地头,勒令行凶人当面,对尸仔细检喝;勒行人、公吏对众邻保当面供状,不可下
司,恐有过度走弄之弊。如未获行凶人,以邻保为众证。所有尸帐,初、覆官不可漏露。仍
须是躬亲诣尸首地头,监行人检喝,免致出脱重伤处。
凡检官遇夜宿处,须问其家是与不是凶身血属亲戚,方可安歇,以别嫌疑。
凡血属入状乞免检,多是暗受凶身买和,套合公吏入状。检官切不可信凭,便与备申,
或与缴回格目。虽得州县判下,明有公文照应,犹须审处。恐异时亲属争钱不平,必致生词
,或致发觉,自亦例被,污秽难明。
凡行凶器杖,索之少缓,则奸囚之家藏匿移易,妆成疑狱,可以免死,干系甚重。初受
差委,先当急急收索;若早出,官又可参照痕伤大小、阔狭,定验无差。
凡到检所,未要自向前,且于上风处坐定。略唤死人骨属,或地主,(湖南有地主他处
无)竞主,审问事因了,点数干系人及邻保,应是合于检状着字人齐足。先令札下硬四至
,始同人吏向前看验。若是自缢,切要看吊处及项上痕;更看系处尘土,曾与不曾移动?及
系吊处高下,原踏甚处?是甚物上得去系处?更看垂下长短,项下绳带大小,对痕宽狭;细看
是活套头、死套头?有单挂十字系,有缠绕系,各要看详。若是临高扑死,要看失脚处土痕
踪迹高下。若是落水淹死,亦要看失脚处土痕高下,及量水浅深。
其余杀伤、病患、诸般非理死人,札四至了,但令扛HT 明净处,且未用汤水酒醋
,先干检一遍。仔细看脑后、顶心、头发内,恐有火烧钉子钉入骨内。(其血不出,亦不见
痕损)更切点检眼睛、口、齿、舌、鼻、大小便二处,防有他物。然后用温水洗了,先使酒
醋蘸纸,搭头面上、胸胁、两乳、脐腹、两肋间,更用衣服盖罨了,浇上酒醋,用荐席罨
一时久,方检。不得信令行人只将酒醋泼过,痕损不出也。
Whenever officials in charge of inspection dispatch Tingzi (attendants) or Yuhou (guards), or employ personal followers as public servants, or have family members accompany them closely, and summon neighbors and Bao Wu (neighborhood watch groups), referred to as "Xian Pai" (vanguard cards), clearing paths through the Bao system, trampling grass to check roads, and inspecting corpses beforehand—all these actions disturb the local populace. This harm is the most severe and must be strictly prohibited.
After receiving the inspection warrant, one must not meet with nearby officials, scholars, practitioners, monks, or Daoists, to prevent fraud and avoid inviting lawsuits. One must also not pre-determine the date and time on the warrant. Upon arriving at the destination, only after estimating the travel duration should the date be recorded, to avoid delays. Furthermore, clerks and runners must be instructed not to stray far from the official, lest they engage in bribery. When traveling at night, clerks must be required to provide written statements before staying overnight.
When conducting an inspection upon receiving a warrant, the perpetrator must be made to accompany the team. Local individuals with fixed residence, property, land, no criminal record, such as Jieji (section chiefs), Jiaotou (instructors), or Buyagongren (escorting public servants), should be assigned to supervise. Upon arrival, the perpetrator must be ordered to face the corpse for careful examination and questioning. Runners and clerks must provide sworn statements in front of neighbors and Bao members on site; cases should not be taken back to the office to prevent excessive manipulation and corruption. If the perpetrator has not been caught, neighbors and Bao members serve as witnesses. All corpse inspection records must not be disclosed by the initial or re-inspection officials. The official must personally visit the scene to supervise the examination, ensuring that serious injuries are not overlooked.
When inspecting officials stay overnight, they must inquire whether the host family are blood relatives of the murderer, to avoid suspicion.
When blood relatives submit petitions requesting exemption from inspection, it is often because they have secretly accepted bribes from the murderer to settle matters privately, colluding with clerks to file the petition. Inspection officials must never blindly trust such requests and immediately report or return the forms. Even if there is an official judgment from the prefecture or county with clear documentation, careful consideration is still required. Otherwise, disputes over money among relatives may arise later, leading to litigation or exposure, which could tarnish the official's reputation and make innocence difficult to prove.
Regarding murder weapons or clubs, if retrieval is delayed, the families of criminals may hide or alter them, creating doubtful cases that allow perpetrators to escape death, which is of great consequence. Upon first accepting the assignment, immediate collection is necessary. Early retrieval allows the official to compare the size and width of wounds for accurate verification.
Upon arriving at the inspection site, do not approach immediately; instead, sit downwind. Briefly summon the deceased's relatives, or the "Dizhu" (landlord/property owner—a term specific to Hunan), or disputing parties, to question the circumstances. Count all relevant persons, including neighbors and Bao members, who are required to sign the inspection record. First, clearly define the four boundaries (Si Zhi). Then, proceed with the clerks to examine. In cases of hanging, carefully inspect the suspension point and marks on the neck; check the dust at the tying point to see if it was disturbed; note the height of the tying point and what surface was used to reach it; measure the length of the hanging body and the thickness of the rope against the width of the mark; determine if it is a slipknot (live loop) or a fixed knot (dead loop); observe if it is a single cross-knot or wrapped knot, examining each detail carefully. In cases of falling from heights, inspect the soil marks and traces at the slipping point. In cases of drowning, also check the soil marks at the slipping point and measure the water depth.
For other deaths due to injury, illness, or unnatural causes, after defining the boundaries, move the body to a bright and clean place. Do not use hot water, wine, vinegar, or other liquids initially; perform a dry examination first. Carefully inspect the back of the head, crown, and within the hair for signs of nails driven into bone by fire (where bleeding may not be visible). Thoroughly check the eyes, mouth, teeth, tongue, nose, and excretory organs for foreign objects. Then wash with warm water. Use paper soaked in wine and vinegar applied to the face, chest, ribs, breasts, abdomen, and flanks. Cover with clothing, pour more wine and vinegar, and cover with straw mats for a prolonged period before proceeding with the detailed examination. Do not rely on runners merely splashing wine and vinegar, as this will fail to reveal the injuries.