The Rev. John K. Hykes, an American missionary in China, has reported the f lowing curious conversation held in Fel ruary last with a Chinaman from Yunnan, who professed to have been an eye-witness of murder of Mr. Margary. How far the story may be relied upon in the absence of all information regarding the character of the Chinaman, it is of course impossible to say. Mr. Hykes writes "Tu compliance with your request I beg to mako the following statement of a con versation with a Chinaman claiming to be from Yinnan, and calling himself Ti Nyon Tai, respecting the murder of Mr. MIargary. Iam sorry that I cannot give you a complete verbatim report of the dialogue, I have forgotten some unimportant details; st you can depend upon the report of the conversation being correct in. all essential points. Some time during February last, while walking outside the south gate of the city of Kin, Kiang, 1 met a Chinaman with whom I had the following conversation What is your name?—My name is How old are you Sixteen years. Where are you from?—I am from the province of Hupeh. What part of the province Hankow. Why do you attempt to deceive me? I am somewhat familiar with the dialect of Hankow, and your dialect docs not correspond with it. I do not believe you area Hupeh man.—It is true I am not a native of Hupeh, although I have lived for some months in Hankow; my native province is Yunnan, From what ace in Yéinnan?—From).
T asked him to repeat the name, but oving to the difference in his pronunciation I did not recognise it as a place with. which I was familiar,) and so 1 said, I know of no such place. Evincing not a little surprise, he said:—You do not know.. Itisa place where one of your countrymen was killed in Yunnan, You are just telling me a big story for my amusement.—I assure you that what I tell you is true.—What the foreigners name ta Kis Tieh illed of saw the execution with my own.—How do you know he was
eyes. Where was he killed?—In Li ta jen's Yamen, What is Li ta jen's name?—Lisi tai, "How did you happen to witness the execution?—I was an underling in Li ta jen's Yamen, Was this Mr. Mar-g's et yilt to the place?—No; he had there before. Did the people of the city know that he was to be executed
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.