CO129-087 - Sir Robinson - 1862 [7] & Acting Governor Mercer - 1862 [7-9] — Page 330

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**Shum Aling being in prison, and not yet sentenced by Tai-kot. (the apreme Court) wroten letter and employed Mr. Ka-la-ma's (Grandpre's) hoy to carry it to Sam-qui (Caldwell) The import of the letter was to this effect; that a shop of Kate-ae-lung was built jointly by Shane Abing, **(the writer) and Kani-ne-lang. Formerly Sam-qui said that this shop should be given up to Wong Akoe's wife that she might receive the rental, and "if this were not done evil would come out of a refusal. I, Shua Ahing, "have considered whether holding this house and being in prison were * better than to give it up and be free, and conclude to give it up as my * host way.

Therefore I write this letter to request (beg) Sun-qui not to "employ that "Pig seller" to bear false witness against me in Court, in "order to my condemnation, and I wil make over the shop to Wong Akec's wife, and also from money on my person pay Saun-qui $100. I myself have written this letter and await an auswer-

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(Signed) SHUM AHING,

"After several days Sum-qui repled That he had received the letter "and understood the whole matter. Formerly, said he, I ordered you to give up that shop and you would not obey, hence your trouble. Now, I have "forced this head man to testify against you before the Court (Tai-kot) who "will sentence you to hard tabor in prison for life. "letter that if you can get out of prison you are willing to give up this Now you say in your

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shop, and also make a present of 100 to me, and this you propose "to do after you get out of prison. Now since this witness resides with me "he requires large sums for expenses, and 400 is not enough. But ifyou "will send your younger brother, who is not in prison, with $600 to me, I will not require this man to bear testimony against you, but when you come to trial I will require him to reverse his former testimony, and "you will of course be set free,

You should complete the matter speedily and not delay. You know my "name, I uced not write it.

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"Shum Ahing received this letter, and because he could not raise all the money demanded, Sam-qui contrived the false testimony, in conjunction "with the head (Pig man *) to secure his being imprisoned for four years.

I beg of you, Sir, to understand that I only put in this paper, and I give you the original alse, (which contains something more) as an ex- planation of the way in which I got my knowledge. That Sham Aling

* The epithet suplied to Confer Brokerw.

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did write to Mr. Caldwell I do not doubt; bt whether his letter reached the party to whom it was addressed, and whether that party answered, as stated, are things of which I have no proof. At ali events, there can be little doubt but Shum Aling thought My. Caldwell got his letter; and that he believed the ehuge would drop if the money demanded were paid; and this, on the expectancy that his friends would raise the money for him, accounts for his not having employed a lawyer to defend him.

But it was his conviction and removal from his path that Caldwell wanted not his money.

Well, Shuu Ahing had no money and does not his very poverty form strong presumptive evidence of his innocence of the ene laid to bim ?-Why, if he had sold 45 men into slavery, at the low price of say 27 each, he would have had at command nearly double six Bundred dollars to purchase is release!

To proceed. To furnish His Excellency the Governor with such proof of Shum Ahing's innocence as may be suflicient to satisfy the justice of

the Crown in giving him his release, I hut to ascertain :--

1.

Whether song, the informer, were or were or nut an iny. postur as was alleged.

2. Whether it were true that the thirty two men that left the Sun- Look-tye hong for the Entilie Pireire were really part of the forty five taken to Macian.

3. Whether the five men released were really five of the forty five.

Whether Kwon-sun-kwan, who gave evidence at the Courts, was

4.

also an Impostor (and Shum Ahing in his statement to me said he knew nothing at all of him; he believed that he was a man paid by Caldwell and Mah-chow Wong's wife's brother to give false evidence.)

5. Whether Caldwell were aware of the impostorship of the men put forward us witnesses.

And 6-Caldwell's knowledge of the Impostorship being assumed,-- what was his motive?

The result of my investigation was as follows:-

As to point 1-Whether soong the informer were or were not an Tm- postor-I found, on the general evidence of Mr. Marquis and other officers of the Macao Government, per letter to Mr. Marquis and his reply marked A and B appended, that AsooNG WAS AN IMPOSTOR, and this Impostorship is further proved by the evidence of Delfino Xavier (enclosure marked and that of Cheang Achun (marked G. *)

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* see page 10 ante-

† sec pages 12 and 21 antz.--

see pages 12 and 22 ante.-

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