CO129-399 - Governor Sir May - 1913 [1-2] — Page 360

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OP Y.

Record of Kong Kung-yan.

60411

24 FEB 13,358

Kong Kung-yan, known locally as Kong Ha, "The Shrimp", is a Namhoi man and a Hanlin. Although belonging to the class of gentry, he is looked upon as a "Hsia Liu Jen", a low character. He is

alleged to have made his money chiefly by interfering in lawsuits and bribing the magistrates, and to have spent most of it, as he

hade it, in brothels and wineshops. As an instance of his methods, the famous Li land case of four or five years ago is quoted against him. The cousins Li had a lawsuit over some land in Heungshan, the value of which was put roughly at one million dollers. One of the

parties to the suit was persuaded by Kong to give him g140,000 in

return for which he would assure his success in the case when it

came before the Kuangtung Prefect. Kong kept the odd $40,000 to

himself and handed over the round sum tohis influential friend

Admiral Li. Admiral Li pocketed a portion of the $100,000 and gave the balance to the Prefect. On the day of the trial Kong obtained another $8,000 as a "refresher" for introducing his protégé to the Prefect, and the case was won. This is one out of many instances

of bribery alleged against Kong He.

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In October, 1911, he intrigued for an official position, was taken up by the late Viceroy Chang Ming-ch'i and given the post of *Ch'ing Hsiang Tsung Fan", to look after the clearing of villages

of brigands. Just before the revolution broke out, he acted as

intermediary between the Viceroy and the Republican Party. At that

time his ambition was to be made the civil head of the Kuangtung

Government, and he was still platting for this end after Hu Han-min

had been appointed temporary Tutu. However, the "People's Army

who came to the support of the Revolutionaries, consisted in great

part of the brigands whom Kong had just been nunting down with

such animosity. His life was threatened and he had to flee to

Hongkong. He appears to have gone to Peking, where he invoked the

assistance of influential friends to further his schemes in Kuang-

-tung. In the present condition of affairs he dares not return

openly to Canton.

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