?
May 23, 1903.]
the confusion the man who fired the shots, along with another man who accompanied him, escaped. Deceased's wife and daughter rushed into the room, found him in a state of collapse, and called the police. When the injured man was taken to the hospital Dr. Bell found that his injuries were too serions to allow of the extraction of the ballets He died next morn- ing. Three bullets were found in the body and the cause of death was certified to be internal hæmorrhage. Decessed made a dying declara. | tion implicating the Chinees Government, say- ing that they had offered a reward of $20,000 | for his life. One of the most interesting points about this case was that the circumstances of the crime were known evilently to a very large namber of Chinese both before and after the murder. The principal reason they remained passive was probably that they were afraid of the Chinese Government. Deceased w s & member of the Reform party. He was prominently concerned in the Waichou rising in September, 1900, and for his connection with that rising he was wanted by the Chinese Government. The Acting Viceroy of Canton and Governor of Kangtung offered reward of $20,000 together with official rank for the capture or assassination of the deceased mau. Li Ka Chuk the mindarin in L'auton who was in charge of the military guard and had power to do anything with the police force there, took the matter up and practically organised this murder.
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His Lordship-Ip esume you are going to prove this-that these offleisis publicly offered a reward for the man's apprehension or assassina. tion ?
The Acting Attorney-General-I shall prove that.
His Lordship-Because it is a very serious allegation to make against these officials,
The Acting Attorney General-I think I will prove it to your Lordship's satisfaction,
CHİNA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
636
made the noquaintance of the prisoner on his Tam Chung, a Faumati fisherman, said be uncle's marriage boat at Yaumati in April, 1900. About July or August of that year he again saw him on that Lost. Prisoner said he had come down to look for some business but did boat for four or five days and then came not say where from; he stayed on the over to this side and took a house in a lane off Hollywood Road. Witness went to live with him in the capacity of a cook. He left on the 5:h January, 1901. he lived with prisoner he remembered a pilot house to Sergeaut Sullivan. During the time we had pointed out this
from the Ain Yui coming to the house. On prisoner he understood there was a man named oua occasion be her the pilot telling the Yeung Kuo Wan living in Hongkong and asking what was his occupation. Li Ka Chuk of the Chinese Government, he said, offered reward of between $10,00 and $20,000 to several buttons; could the prisoner get some anyone who would kill him and also to give
was a reward he would get some one to kill one to kill him ? Pris ner said that if there
stay for dinner. the deceased. Prisoner asked the pilot to
for the house of the deceased. When they the man. The Chinees Government had arrived in the neighbourhood of deceased's | the man down from Canton and “ house Tsui Fuk mounted guard at the junction to be done." He hoped the Eng of Gage Street and Aberdeen Street. Prisoner vernment would and the other two men continued up Aberdeen | happened about half-past seven. A min name
do · him justion, “S Street as far as the back of the honse and Kwong had come to his house two months ago stopped at the entrance of the lane. Then and told him that Ng Shui Shang had gone up prisoner reconnoitred the back of the hous, and tɔ Canton to make arrangements with Ting presently afterwards came down and joined his Fan Toi and asked him to make a design of. two companions at the foot of the flight of murder on deceased; if the business succeeded. steps. There they had a short conversation, and it would be $20,000, entered the house, the prisoner mounting guard | then the other two men went up the steps and at the corner so as to command Aberdeen Street and the lane at the back of the house. The | shots were fired immediately after these two men entered the house. Directly the shots the house and came down the stops. They were fired the two men reappeared from were followed by a witness who knew them and they walked very quietly down Aberdeen Street as far as the Praya. There three out of the gang of four got into a sampan and went out to ed across at Yaumati ata mariage-boat belonging the Harbour. A little later on prisoner appear.
of the story and asked them to put him up. to friends of his, to whom he told more or less They refused. The prisner disappeared and he was nots en again. But presently afterwards the whole gang were back in Canton where they stayed in Li Ka Chuk's barracks for ten days or more, during which time the murder was very ly referred to it, boasting that he committed frequently discussed and the prisoner frequent- the deed and claiming the reward for it, There was no secrecy preserved there about the their reward and the Viceroy promoted the matter. The four murderers actually received prisoner and two others to be mandarins of the Afth rank. In conclusion, he said the jury which they might bare with the Reform move- must leave out of consideration any sympathy ment, if they had such a sympathy. Notwith by the Chinese Government or officials of the standing the extraordinary breach committed fundamental principles of international rights and the intolerableness of having a foreign government's emissaries entering our territory for the purpose of murdering somebody who was under the protection of onr flag but was obnoxious to that foreign government, it was conceivable that the Chines officials who organised this affair we e actuated by patriotic motives. He did not know they were, but it to do with the motives of this gang of murderers was perfectly possible. But that had nothing who were actuated by no spirit of unselfishness and patriotism but by the meanest and most sordid motives of money to be gained. regards the law in the matter, his Lo dship would tell them that in the case of murder by a gang, although only one man might actually inflict the fatal injury, they were all alike liable for the crime.
His Lordship-You must offer evidence. The Acting Attorney General-Certainly. my Lord. This mandarin, he went on to say, really organised this murder, althongh he did not actually come to Hongkong; and some of his braves were in the gang who committed the murder. Yung Ching Kai, captain of the Chinese gunboat A Yui, came to Hongkong and acted as intermediary between the mandarin and his emissaries: Prisoner was the leader of the gang who committed the deed. He tried for some time to get assistance in the murder. Many per sons had been traced who were asked and refused to act with him. He was therefore for some time trying to make up a gang, One of the persons who were asked to co-operate actually lived in the same house with the prisoner for some time and he would speak to the meetings between the Chinese officials and the hatching of the plot, he being present at some of the meetings held. This man left the house shortly - before the murder. Some of those who were asked to co-operate would have been quite willing to assist in kidnapping the deceased but would not take part in mur. der. This man felt it
was getting alto gother too serious and he went away but was afraid to report the matter. Early in January of 1901 there were meetings held in Li Ka Chuk's barracks in Canton between the captain of the Kin Yui and officers of the man- darin, Chan Lam Tsai, Tung Chung and Tsui Fuk. The last two men were braves. Thése three men were engaged by Li Ka Chuk to assist the prisoner in this enterprise and with the prisoner these three men constituted the gang who carried out the purpose of this con- spiracy. On the morning of 7th January these three men came from Canton to Hongkong. They joined the prisoner here and thereafter until the time of the murder they were con- stantly together. On the day of the murder in the late afternoon there was a meeting in the house of Ng Shui Shaug alias Ng Lo Sam, a man who was one of the conspirators though not a member of the gang of four. He was banished shortly after the murder. There were present at this meeting the gang of four men including the prisoner who was the leader, also two officials from Canton-Li Ka Chuk's secretary and the captain of the Kin Yui and an acquaintance of Ng balled Kong, At this meeting the anal arrangements were made for the murder, and at the ter mination of that meeting the gang set out
As
E. W. Carpenter, P.W.D., was the first witness. He put in and proved plans of the house 52, Gage Street,
The wife of the murdered man next- gave evidence. When she heard the report of fire- arms, she said, she came out from the cubicle where she had been lying on the bed, and met all the pupils running out. When she went into the front room she found her husband leaning forward with bis head on his hands. He was bleeding. The lamp on the table at which he sat was extinguished; it had been burning before the murder. There was another lamp on a side- table; it was alight. With the assistance of her daughter she laid her husband upon a bed. When she asked him what had happened he said he had been shot at the instigation of the Chinese Government.
A young Chinese who was a student of the deceased and who was in the room when the murder was committed gave evidence as to the deed.
Cross-examined-There was no other stranger in the room but the man who fired the shots. Prisoner was not there.
After other witnesses had given evidence, Dr. Bell went into the box. He described the man's coalition when brought into hospital and spoke to the dying deposition made by the deceased and written down by witness at the time. Deceased's deposition was to the effect that he was teaching at the English school in his house when very quietly the murderer came in and shot him four times. He did not know
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The pilot not only did asked witness to assist him to best Tenng so but stayed for several days. Prisoner Kue Wan. Witness aid he had some dlacemen trading in this Colony and it would be very difficult to secure his services. in the house. All of these co sented to join He flatly refused. There were six men living the prisoner. He heard the e people d'soussing what they were to do with the deceared; prí soner suggested that he and two others should go down the street, keep a watch on Yneng Kue Wan, and, if he went to a house where there were only a few people present, shoot him; if there were many people they were not to shoot him. Witness left the prisoner's house on 5th January becau e be was afraid of being boat. implicated. He went back to his uncle's. Be called at the prisoner's house - and a man named A Tong were there. In on the 9th, on which occasion Lam Tsai
previous gang were afraid to do anything, they the presence of these two, prisoner said the
Cautou. Witness next saw prisoner about had no pluck; so he got these two men from eight o'clock at night on the 10th on his uncle's boat at Yaumati," where prisoner arrived by a sampan, alone. Prisoner asked to be allowed to stay for the night. Witness's uncle asked where he had been and what he had done. 1 risoner replied that he had killed Yeung Kne: Wan. His uncle refused to take him in, Prisone, then asked for a blanket but did not get it, aud at last went ashore in a sampan to Yaumati. towards the end of the year in Canton, Witness next met the prisoner
some time in February. The Kin Yui was a Chinese gunboat, and Yeung Ching Kai ble name of the captain, who was nader Li Ka Chuk, the military governor of Canton. On this occasion rewards in the shape of buttous were mentioned, and the prisoner said to witness: "You are a coward, otherwise › you would have plenty of money to apend and a button to wear.' Prisoner said also that he bad received only a few hundred dollars of the reward so far, and a button-a crystal one of the fifth rank. When witness was living with him the prisoner was buttonless. He naked the prisoner to lend him a few dollars, as the New Year was approaching but he said he had not a
cash left.
Cross-examined--Witness was a fisherman, and had his own boat in Yaumati. «Ho gars up cooking in January, 1901, before which date be had never been a fisherman. His anole gave him the boat. Witness had a brother named Tam Tai who visited the house where he was cooking for the prisoner, but witness knew nothing about his antecedents, nor whether ha was hiding from the police in consequamos of