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December 17, 1898,1
before he was recommended to me. I do not, know whether he is quarrelsome or not.
By Mr. Goodnow-The captain said the com- pradore had a revolver in his hand and he was trying to take it away from him when the com, pradore shot himself.
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
some repairs, I was called up to chow at eight | chair, but I did
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the compradore do so
o'clock. I saw, the captain on deck. He had As soon as the seem fell on the dook I
been quarrelling with his boy and was holding took him up in my arms. I heard a guttural his queue. I saw the captain strike the boy noise in his throat, Then all was quiet and I and also make him kowtow. The boy was. let him down again. The second and third completely in the power of the captain. The shots were fired right close together. There captain tried to put the boy into the dining was a little time between the first and second room, but the boy got away and got into a shots. After I let the compradore down on the sampan. The captain then went into his deck the preacher (Mr. Randal) felt at his room and when he came out he pointed heart and said in Chinese that he was deads a revolver at the sampan but he did not After the three shots Mr. Woods returned to fire. After this a foreigner and four Chin. the bridge, the captain following. The prea 080 came on board. The foreigner spoke cher remained with the body and I went down to the captain, and then went back to his below. sampan. After that the captain scolded the compradore. I made up the fires at one o'clock. The steamer sailed at four o'clock, when I was on duty. I came out of the engine room at eight o'clock, when the steamer was anchored. I went on to the fore-castle deck at about half past eight. I saw the compradore there lying on a chair. I saw no one else there before I lay down myself and went asleep. I was awake before the first shot was fired I was awakened by a noise which came from the captain. The first thing I saw when I awoke was the captain fire the first shot. Then I wrapped up my head and heard two more shots. I then ra down below from where I could hear the compradore groaning.
The court adjourned at a quarter-past five.
Dr. Macdonald said-I am a British subject living at Wuchow. Early on the morning of the 8th of July Mr. Randal came to me. He told me an accident had occurred upon the steamer Dosing and he wished me to come and attend to a wounded man. I went into my drug room, took what I considered necessary, and went with him on board the Dosing. On my arrival there I was shown the prostrate form of a Chinaman lying on the forecastle head. I examined him, and when I had satisfied myself that he was dead I turned my attention to Mr. Woods, whose wound I attended to. The wound was in the left hand, and had been caused by a bullet. Whilst I was dressing the hand the steaner was drifting down, to its anchorage near the Custom House. On arriving there I got off the steamer and reported what had accurred to the British Consul; and suggested that he should send to the Prefect and get the braves removed to avoid further tronble. When I was on board the ship there were between 500 and 600 braves on board. They appeared cowed, but there were many sullen looks, and I thought it not improbable that there might be a disturbance. After I had been to the British Consulate I returned to the
CANTON, 9th December. ship. I can speak Chinese and I thought it Wan Chan, chief engineer of the Dosing, on my duty to return and endeavour to prevent being cross-examined by Mr. Melbourne," said auy further catastrophe. There was a gen--At the time I heard the first shot there were -eral conversatio on board as to the occurrence, several men on the forecastle head. There and it seemed to be presumed that Captain were three foreigners, the pilot, myself, and Toulmin had shot the Chiuaman. The cap- Yeung Wei. The captain had on a black coat. tain, however, did not admit this, but he | There was an awning extending from the said the compradore only got what he de-bridge to the forecastle. When I saw the served and that he was sorry Mr. Woods had captain make his boy kowtow to him in the been shot. On the afternoon of the 8th July I morning, I only saw the captain and his boy was asked to make a post mortem examination and Young Wei and a sailor on the deck, of the Chinaman, and I did so. I found one
When the captain pointed his revolver at the wound at the angle of the jaw on the left side boy in the sampan the latter was about 25 of the face which apparently had been made by English feet away. The crew was the same on a bullet. There was no aperture of exit to be seen this trip as on the previous trip. and judging from the direction of the bullet I should say the bullet was to be found in the right hemisphere of the brain. While I was making the examination some natives as sembled in the vicinity, and knowing their prejudice against such an examination I desisted, having satisfied myself that the wound had caused death
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By Mr. Melbourne-I remember Captain Toulmin saying there was an incipient mutiny on board and that an attempt had been made to push him over the ship's side by one of the crew. The captain and Mr. Woods then went to sleep and slept soundly in their chairs, and I did the same. I have an impression that Cap. tain Toulmin was perfectly willing either to go ashore himself and report the matter or that either of us should do so.
Kwok Hum said--I am a West River pilot. I joined the Dosing on October 26, last year, and have been pilot for her ever since. I remember leaving Hongkong in the Dosing on the 4th July. We arrived at Wuchow early on the morning of the 7th of July. I remember the captain having a dispute with his boy and I saw the boy leaving the vessel in a sampau.
"..."
By Mr. Melbourne--I did not see the com mencement of the quarrel between the captain and his boy. I was in my room when I heard a disturbance. Then I came out and the first thing I saw was the captain holding the boy's queue. When I and the compradore 'went to lie down on the forecastle head the weather was pleasant but the night was dark. I knew it was the captain who called the compradore by the voice. I did not see the captain and the compra dore come any nearer together after the first shot, when they were three or four feet away from each other. I laid my mat on the fore castle head because there was no place for me to spread it out below.
By Mr. Goodnow-I do not know who had charge of the liquor on board. Before the scene on the forecastle head the compradore told me the captain had scolded him for not locking up the boy and that it was not his place to lock the boy up. The first time I saw the preach er on the forecastle head was when he was feeling the dead man's heart. I have never had any trouble with the captain. I am not a relation of the compradore's. I did not see the revolver after the shooting. I do not know of any other trouble between the captain and the crew except what I have testified to. I do not know that the compradore had a revolver that night or that he ever had one in his room.
Lang Tau Tsai said-I am employed in the Imperial Customs at Wuchow as boat examiner. I remember the Dosing being at Wuchow on the 7th of July last. I went on board at about Yeung Wei said-I am assistant compradore seven o'clock in the morning. While I was on on board the Dosing. I occupied the same
board I heard a disturbance. Then I saw a position in July last. I remember the Dosing Chinese boy come out of his room and go into arriving at Wuchow on the morning of the 7th the captain's room. I saw the boy run out July. It arrived when I was asleep. I got with the captain hold of his quene, which the up at about six o'clock. Nothing special took boy was trying to get out of his grasp. I place between six and eight o'clock, but at eight entreated the captain to let go but the captain o'clock I saw the captain take hold of his boy's refused and still grasped the boy strongly and queue and make him kowtow. The boy struggled kept pulling his quene. Then the boy got somewhat and the captain endeavoured to drag away and went into a sampan. The captain him into the dining room. At the end the returned to his room and came out holding a boy broke away and got into a sampan. Then revolver, which he pointed at sampan No. 65, the captain went to his room. He came out which the boy had got into. The sampan got holding a revolver in his hand. He pointed the away and the captain returned to his room. I saw revolver at the boy in the sampan but did not no disturbance before this. I left the ship at fire. He then went on to the bridge and gave about four o'clock in the afternoon. The some order in English which I did not under-soldiers came on board in the afternoon, but stand. Just then the custom-house boat con- there was no disturbance of any sort: taining another foreigner came alongside. The foreigner 'spoke to the captain two or three minutes and then went away. That was all I saw in the morning, as I went ashore. I came back at two o'clock, when the braves" commenced to come on board. The boat started at four o'clock. I do not know how many passengers were on board. Soon after eight to
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Later on in the afternoon compradore took his blanket some soldiers came on to the steamer. The steamer left Wuchow at about four o'clock. In addition to the braves there were three foreign ers on board the captain, Mr. Woods, and another. We were going up the West River. At eight o'clock in the evening we anchored. I told the captain it was too dark to go on, and the captain used "large" words at me. Then I went to the compradore, who told me to anchor. Later on I was awakened by a shot from a revolver coming from where the captain. was. I saw something in the captain's hand. After the first shot I lay down and covered my head, and I heard two more shots. I then looked about and I saw the compradore lying down.
Wan Chau said I am chief engineer of the Dosing, which I joined when she was completed last year. I know the compradore of the boat. I remember the 7th of July. We reached Wu chow about three o'clock in the morning of that day. I was on duty when the steamer anchored. Afterwards. I went asleep until six o'clock, hwen I went down into the engine-room to do
the forecastle head and lay down to sleep. I also went to the forecastle head to sleep, lying down to the left of the compradore, who was lying on a chair. I was awakened by bearing the captain calling the compradore. Then Mr. Woods came forward and called Lei San. Then Lei San sat up and spoke a few words to Mr. Words. After this the captain came forward and spoke two or three words to the compradore which I did not understand. Then I heard the report of a revolver. I heard three reports. At the second report I saw Mr. Woods hold up his band and at the third report I saw the compradore fall on the deck. I saw the captain raise his hand and I saw a light come from the captain's hand at the first shot. I heard two other reports, but I did not see the lights. I was lying down on the deck with my eyes open. All the reports seemed to come from the same place. When the captain first came up he put his hand on the chair. Then the compradore got up but I did not see any struggling "I saw the captain pull the
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By Mr. Melbourne-When I asked the captain to let go the boy's queue I spoke in in English, which I understand somewhat.
B. C. Randall said I am an American subject and am in the employ of the British and Foreign Bible Society as a sub-agent. I went on board the Dosing on the afternoon of the 7th July-nearly four o'clock-at There were some parcels on board for mo Τ noticed that there were a large number of Chinese soldiers on board. I asked Mr. Woods - the reason, and he said he was taking them up to Tungkan. He asked me to go too, and I promised to do so on his promising to see that I got back the following morning. The boat left shortly after I went on board and proceeded up the river. Darkness came on and it was decided to anchor. We had dinner shortly after leaving. Mr Woods and myself were present. The captain was there but he refused to eat. He had had some trouble with one of his servants. I understood it to be with the. boy who waited on board the steamer. He said. he would not eat anything on board until he got to Hongkong, I do not know that it was because he WAS afraid to do so, because Mr. Woods pointed out that the food which we were eating was not from the vessel but had been brought on board by his (Mr. Woods's) boy; but the captain re- fused to take anything. I saw the captain, and Mr. Woods have a drink at dinner. I cannot