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they belong, should not be molested by the people for giving evidence. Nobody should try to take ravenge on them for doing so. It is on account of this that I have issued this proclamation, and I command you all to take notice, etc.
INTERVIEW WITH A CHINESE COMMISSIONER.
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THE HONGKOng weekly pRESS AND
(December 23, 1905.
give great assistance to the missionaries. | oriminals to be confined in the Mixed Court I beg that the contents of this letter be kept prison. Mr. Twyman, the British Vice-Consul, perfectly secret and that nobody should come has, however, repeatedly wanted to send these to know of it. With compliments, (Signed)f males to the foreign gaol and on this account Your younger brother, Ku Kwong Ip. The it has been a subject of repeated opposition on addressee is one of the native Christian the part of Mr. Kuan, the magistrale of the missionaries of the American Presbyterian Mixed Court. The latter Las also petitioned Society of Linchow.
the Shanghai Taotal to back up this opposition. This is on record.
Our Canton correspondent writes on Dec. THE OUTBREAK AT SHANGHAI
18:-Iolled on one of the Chinese officials who took part in the Linchow Enquiry. He told me that the enquiry was practically closed; and that a meeting is to be held by representatives of both governments to arrive at a final decision. "He had no doubt that it has been clearly established that Dr. Machle did snatch three little cannons (not bombs) out of the six that were disposed in a row in front of the joss for worshipping purposes. The Doctor took them away to the dispensary, and refused to return them. The Commissioner has no doubt that Miss Chestnut did sweep all the josses away when the people went to ask for the return of the cannons. Evidence would have been produced to prove this, but the unfortunate lady being dead, the question, he says was deferentially shelved. The American Consul. General applied to Viceroy Shum to obtain the evidence of Sub-prefect Ku, who was at Linchow, and was cashiered fifteen months ago on the charge of bringing & false accusation against one of his secretaries. Ku had accused his secretary of being a confirmed opium smoker. Governor Chang dismissed the case and cashiered Ka. Shortly afterwards Ku obtained an appointment in the Police Service of Canton through Viceroy Shum. While holding this post it was discovered that Ku had misappropriated 4,000 taels during his tenure of office as Sub-prefect of Linchow, and this charge having been proved against him, Ka was committed to gaol and is still in prison undergoing his sentence. The Viceroy naturally refused to permit such a scoundrel to give evidence in such an important affair, as his evidence would have no value. But, he said, we have discovered that Ku has written several letters to Dr. Marble and to two native missionaries, offering to give evidence in their favour by stating that the Linchow people were ill-disposed and had a grudge against Dr. Machle and the mission; on the condition that he should reinstated as Sub-prefect of Linchow or be given some other equivalent official position.
Ku would show in return that a year ago the people had made up their minds to kili Dr. Machle and the missionaries. All these letters are now in the hands of the Chinese authorities. The Chinese Government has consequently determined not to grant a further investigation in the matter, and should the American Govern- ment iu-ist, the whole of the report will be disclosed and published in all the newspapers. submitting the ca-e to public opinion.
I am informed that Consul-General Cheshire will probably arrive here to settle the case with the Chinese authorities. He is expected to
arrive to-morrow.
The official I interviewed also stated that no other criminals would be decapitated until those that have absconded are arrested and tried.
Following is a translation of one of the letters written by Ka Kwong Ip, ex-Sub-prefect of Linohow, to Chi Sing, a native missionary.
"To Chi-Sing, respectable gentleman, I have received your letter and know that you are in Canton and that you are about to rotura to Linchow. I regret to be unable to see you personally. How about the Linchow missionary case ? Is the investigation completed? Have all the culprite ben arrested? As Taim-Lin-Shou has been cashiered, I do not know whether Chung-Chi will proceel to Ligohow to take up his post. If he does, I do not think he is capable of doing anything. Mr. Cheun, who has been permanently appointed to the position of Sub-prefect of Linchow, is also an incapable man and has not got the ability to handle such a difficult, matter. It is not an easy matter. I trust you will speak on my behalf to the
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MIXED COURT.
The N.-C. Daily News of Dec. 11 says:-It appears that there was no question on Friday about the destination of the girls whom the female prisoners were charged with kidnapping, Mr. Kuan, the magistrate, having agreed with the British assessor that they should be sent to the Door of Hope. The trouble arose over the two women charged with kidnapping, who were remanded in the usual way for the production of further evidence. The Consular Body's in structions to the foreign assessors are that female prisoners are to be sent to the Municipal gaol and not the M red Court coll, which are utterly unfit for the reception of any women It is alleged that they have recently been made more decent, but that fact, if true, has not been notified in any way to the Consular Body, Mr. Twyman was acting entirely in accordance with his instructions, and Mr. Kuan's calcula:ed opposition was a part of the design formed by the Chinese authorities to assert their authority in the Settlement, and to give way on this point would be to give away our rights in Settlement limits.
"On the morning of the 8th instant, Mr. Kuan, magistrate, Mr, Ching, assistant magis- trate, and Mr. Twyman, the British assassor, were trying cases brought by the police, among which was one in which a certain Mrs. Li Wang Shih was charged with kidnapping children. According to the evidencs, this woman claimed to be the wife of an official and that she, accompanied by four others had arrived in Shanghai from Szechuan; that she had with ber five little girls whom she had purchased in Szechuan as personal attendants, but whom the police had wrongly charged her with having kidnapped. In view of the wrongful acous8= tion Mrs. Li Wang Shih asked that her accusers be punished. It was found, in the course of the trial, that the defendant had arrived in Shanghai in the steamer Poyang en route to her home in Kungtung, and that the luggage brought by her amounted to over one hundred pi-c-s. As for the children, the defendant declared that she had documents proving bona fide sales to her of them, etc. As this evidence
6.
appeared to refute the charge of the children having been kidnapped, the magistrate consulted with the assessor as to the advisability of remand- ing the case, seading the children to the Door of Hope," and keeping the defendants under Our Cantonese fellow-residen's have, we are the custody of the Mixed Court ad interim. info.med, a separate ground of complaint; ene The British Assessor, however, determined to of the prisoners in question is alleged to be the have the defendants confined under remand in widow of an official in Szechnen, being herself the foreign (Municipal) Gao. The magistrate a Cantonese, and the girls alleged to be kid-replied that as he had not received any instruc- napped are stated to be slave girls such as every tions from the Taotsi to change the regulations, official has in his household, openly bought from he could not consent to this. An argument their parents or guardians. It is stated that ensued and, neither side being willing to the prisoner has in her baggage proper papers give way, the magistrate accordingly ordered justifying the presence of the children with her.| his runners to follow the regulation and hand and that the police did not give her time to the female defendants to the charge of the produce these papers; but it was precisely for Court female gaoler. Upon this the Vice-consul this purpose that she was remanded. Much was ordered the police inspectors and all the made at the meeting of the Cantonese of the constables present to use force in getting away insult to which a lady of rank was subjected; the defendants. In the melée that ensued two but it will be noted that the Chinese magistrate runners of the Court, Chang Tai and Chou himself proposed to remind her to the Mixed Yu-ching, and several onlookers were hurt, and Court cells. If there was no foundation for
when the magistrate called out to the police to the charge of kidnapping, the lady's innocence stop striking, one of the i spectors went so for would have been ascertained when the case was as even to threaten him with a club. heard again on Saturday.
There is, however, every reason to believe that the dispute on Friday was a premeditated incident in the plan to attack foreign rights in the Settlement, and it is necessary that a firm stand should be made for these rights. It is to be regretted even more by the Chinese than by their foreign friends that the youth and hot- headedness of the Brothers King should have led them so forget themselves as they did on Friday. As for Mr. Kuan, he was doubtless acting under the orders of his superiors, and wa are glad to know that a strong remonstrance has already been addressed to the Taotai.
AN INDIGNATION MEETING.
was called on Dec. 9 by the Committee of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce to protest against the conduct of the Police in striking runners of the Mixed Court during the session of the Court. Over a thousand are computed to have attended the meeting, during which it was decided, amongst other thing, to demand the dismissal of the police inspectors, detectives and constables concerned and to ask that an- other person ba appointed to act as British assessor. A great deal of indignation was manifested by everyone present among the large assembly, and there seems to be consider able unanimity as to what steps should be taken to preserve
"the face" of the Chinese officials who are claimed to have been insulted by the police.
One
We give the following Chinese view of the disturbance at the Mixed Court at Shanghai, in view of subsequent developments. It went to the N.-C. Daily News as a letter from “ American Consul-General who was present." The orginal letter is in and beg him to insist that the Chinese Chinese. authorities should reinstate ms as Sub-
"It has always been a part of the Regulations prefect of Linchow. I assure you that I can'of the International Mixed Court for female
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About this time there was a large crowd of people outside the gates who, hearing of the distnrbance, tried to rush in. Fearing a riot against the police on the part of the mob, the magistrate ordered the gates to be temporarily closed in order to prevent outsiders from coming in. Following on this the police forcibly took away th defendants, male and female. Nothing can render a worse insult to the dignity of su independent country than such treatment of its officials.
Finally the two funners who were hurt by the Police have been examined by a special officer sent by the Shanghai Taotai and also by Dr. Ransom, the latter granting a cortificate as to the condition and nature of injuries received by the runners in question.”
THE PEKING-HANKOW RAILWAY.
A traveller who has just arrived in Shanghai from Peking via Hankow, furnishes the A.-C. Daily News with the following details about the working of the Peking-Hankow railway.
At present the bridge over the Yellow River is not open for traffig although it is completed, Passengers have still to cross the river by boat. There is one train each way per day, and the journey to Hankow is made in four stages. A train leaves Peking at 7 a.m. and rans to Shuaibfu, which is reached at 5.25 p.m. The night is spent in a Chinese inn. The following morning Shuntefu is left at 6.30, Sinyanghsien boing reached at 4 p.m. Passengers cannot proceed further that day, but again have to spend the night in a Chinese inn. Leaving Sinyang hsien at 5 am, next morning in a construction train to which is attached one old third-class carriage with broken windowsand without light 'cr hest, it takes three hours to cover the 35 or 40
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