261
TABLE CONTAIning Names of RingLEADERS, &c.—continuad.
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
TITLC.O. 882
لسلسيلينيسيا
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
Ping Shan
Ha Teun...
Name.
Tang Chin I
Tang Tsing Wan
Tang Kwan Shan...
Tang Lai Shang Tang A Lam
Tang A Leung
Tang Chak Shin. Tang Kwok Lam
Tang Tsing 8z
Tang Hung Taoi
Tang Chik Ting
Where referred to.
In statements by Tang Chik Ting. Tang Chik Ting's statement. Ng Ki Cheung'a statement.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Letter 3A.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
¦
Tse Heung Po
Name.
Where referred to.
Ng Ki Cheung's statement.
Do.
Lai A Chun
Tang Fong Hing ...
Ng Ki Cheung's statement. Letter 3 of documents found in Un Long Meeting House, forwarded by me on 24th April.
Pat Heung
Li A Pong..
Pang A Tưng
Tang Chuk Sam ...
Kam Tin
Tang Lo Pan, alias Tang Kok
Lam.
Tang Yat Hin
Tang Ki Yau
Tang Ying Cheung Chu Kei Wan Ng Fung Cheung
Shap Pat Leung
Ng Ki Cheung
Do.
Do.
Tang Lo Pan's statement. Tang Chik Ting's statements.
Ng Ki Cheung's statement.
Tang Lo Fan's statement of 18.4.
Tang Chik Ting's statement. Ng Ki Cheung's statement.
His own statements 18th and 21st
April.
Letter 3c.
Tang Chik Ting's statement.
Ng Ki Cheung's statement.
Do.
Do.
Do.
In the petition presented by the
widow of the murdered man.
Man Cham Tsun's petition. Tang Chik Ting's statement. Tang Lo Pan's statement. Liu Wan Kuk's statement. Man Cham Tsun's petition. His own statement. Tang Chik Ting's statement.
Tang I Shek, alias Tang Wai Lun,
implicated in the murder.
Tang Po Wan
Tan Mun, or Castle Peak Sheung Shui
To Tong Tso
Liu Wan Kuk, alias Liu Shi Tai
Pang Shiu Hon
Fan Ling
Pang Mau...
...
Ping Kong
San Tin ...
To Hang
Kam Tin
Ha Tsun...
Lung Kwat Tau
Ping Shan
Ha Teun...
Hau Hon Kai
Man Lai Tong
Man Cham Trun.....
Tang Lai Wan Tang A Hi
Letter 3A of documents found at Un
Long.
His own statements.
Petition of Man Cham Tsun.
Ng Ki Cheung's statement.
Account book, marked Z3.
Liu Wan Kuk's statement.
Petition of Man Chan Taun; petition
of widow of Tang A Cheung, who was murdered.
Ng Ki Cheung's statement. Account book, marked Z'. Tang Chik Ting's statements. Ng Ki Cheung's statement.
Do.
His own statement.
Author of letters found in temple at
Shek U.
Ng Ki Cheung's statement.
Account
books found in temple at Shek U (F) and book D.
Ng Ki Cheung's statement, Account
books found at Shek U. Man Cham Tsun's petition. Ng Ki Cheung's statement.
Do. Do.
Tang Lo Pan's statement.
Tang Chik Ting's statements. Tang Lo Pan's statement.
Do.
Tang A Chun
Tang Nga Tsun
Do. Do.
Tang Chu Shan
Tang A Ngai
Tang Chik Ting's statements.
Do.
Both alleged to be implicated
Tang Chin Shek
Tang I Yau
in the murder.
Do.
***
Letter No. 3A.
Tang Tsing Sa, implicated in the Ng Ki Cheung's statement.
murder.
Tang Chik Ting's statement.
Tang Kwok Lam's statement. Account book, marked Z. Tang Chik Ting's statement. Liu Wan Kik's statement. Letter 3c.
Man Cham Tsun's petition. Mentioned in many of the petitions
from various villages, translations
of which have already been for- warded.
On the 17th day of the 2nd moon (27th March) Mr. May visited the various villages, and posted a proclamation saying that the lands, buildings, and customs of the people would not be interfered with, but would remain the same as before. He afterwards went to Ping Shan, and examined a site there on the Pi Kau hill. The Ping Shan people became excited, being of opinion that if the police station were erected there, the Fung Shui of the place would be seriously affected. They thought that this would be a good opportunity to arouse the fears of the people, and to incite the ignorant populace. They said that the English proclamation was simply meant to hoodwink the ignorant people. It states that lands, buildings, and customs will not be interfered with, but will remain the same as before. Why should they therefore, when they first come into the leased area, wish to erect a police station on the hill behind our village? When has China ever erected a police station just where people live? The proclamation says that things will be as before. Are not these words
untrue?
On the 18th day (28th March) a meeting was held in Ping Shan, in the ancestral temple, when resistance to the British troops was discussed. Some thought that their strength was unequal to the task, and that Ping Shan alone was not strong enough to resist. It was therefore considered necessary that the various divisions should com- bine forces before taking the matter in hand, so that victory or defeat should be shared in common. Accordingly notices were sent to Ha Tsun, Kam Tin, Shap Pat Heung, and Pat Heung, and the elders of the Sheung U division were forced to disseminate false reports to the effect that under English law a poll tax would be collected; that houses would be numbered, and a charge made therefor; that fishing and wood-cutting would be prohibited; that women and girls would be outraged; that births and deaths would be registered; that cattle and pigs would be destroyed (1); that police stations would be erected, which would ruin the Fung Shui of the place. In short, that the evils that would arise would be so great that one could not bear to think of them.
On the 19th day (29th March) the gentry and elders of the various divisions assembled at Un Long Hu, where a meeting house was established, and where ani- mated discussions took place in order to incite the people to revolt. The avaricious gentry originally intended to bluster and make a show of strength, in order to frighten the British, their real object being to benefit their own pockets under the guise of
262 ·
acting for the public good, and to extort money from rich inhabitants, so as to gratify their avarice.
But the people having been once worked up to revolt, it was impossible to restrain them, so that the sorry spectacle was seen of the tail wagging the dog, instead of the dog the tail. The position then became critical.
At about 6 p.m. on the 3rd day of the 3rd moon (12th April), a meeting house was established in Un Long Hu, where it was declared that matters having come to such a pass, resistance must be offered whether the troops were Chinese or British. It was decided at the meeting house at Un Long that each village should contribute a hundred taels in addition to what could be extorted by the cruel gentry from the rich inhabitants of the various villages. It was also decided that if the rich inhabitants should be unwilling to pay, rowdies would be hired to rob and plunder them; that their landed property would be confiscated; that they would not be allowed to run away from the leased territory; that those who accompanied Mr. Stewart Lockhart (last year) should not be allowed to get away, and that if it was reported that they were attempting to escape they would be seized and put to death. Then followed the burning of the matshed by the inhabitants of the Sheung U division, which was fol- lowed by armed resistance.
On the 8th day (17th April) the inhabitants of the Sheung U Division, Kam Tin. Pat Heung, Shap Pat Heung, and Wang Chau resisted the British troops.
On the 9th day (18th April) the inhabitants of the Ping Shan, Ha Tsun, Ngan Tin, Wai Tak, resisted the British troops.
The resistance really originated with the avaricious gentry of the various divisions. They wished it to be arranged with the British Government that while the land should belong to Great Britain, the affairs of the people and their law suits should still remain under the jurisdiction of Chinese officials, so that the gentry might be able to squeeze the people and enrich themselves. This was the real reason for their inciting the people.
The above are the true facts of the case which the writer heard with his own ears.
CHAU KWAN NAM. Dated April 22nd, 1899.