(2) The Lieutenant-Governor of Joh-hoh reports the trial and sentence of a criminal found guilty of the murder of two persons in one family. The case, which has been standing over for a long time, has been delayed by the frequent changes of the local oftcinls, by the diticuty of procuring evidence, and by the necessity for hol trials owing to the prisoner's persistent refusal to confess to the commission of one of the crimes. The facts are as follows Wa_ Wen-shin, the inal, wasa native of the Wu-ch long district in Chihli, and gained a livelihood as dealer in pictures. The victims of the crime were Tuan Vu-hua and his wife, with whom the murderer had been on terms of friendly acquaintance. Wu Wen-hsin had managed to save a sum of 30 strings of cash, which he deposited for safe keeping with Tuan Vu-hua, Tuan Lao-li, " kinsman of the latter, becom surety for the money. In course Tuan Lao-li died, and when Wu Wi asked for repayment of the money, Tuan Vu-hua put him off with excuses and promised to pay if Tuan Lay-li were fortheoming. Wu Wen-hsin reasoned his debtor, but only got abused for his trouble. Feeling that Tuan Vu-hua was bent upon robbing him outright, he determined to have his revenge by killing the man. Accordingly on the morning of the 18th November, 1861, he went armed with a knife to the house of Tuan Vu-hua, whom he found sitting onastove-bed. He told Tuan Vu-hua that he would have it out with him if he did not pay the money, but being received with abuse he stabbed the man to death, Tuan Yuthua's wife, who happened to be in a courtyard at the back of the house, rushed in on hearing the noise, and entered into a death struggle with her husband's murderer, by whom she was also stabbed to death, The murdered man's mother-it and his son gave the alarm, and Wa W hsiu_ surrendered aimself'to the nearest magistrate. The law lays down that anyone who murders two persons in one family, the one intentionally, and the other of malice afore-thought, shall suffer immediate decapitation with exposure of the head, and that half of his property shall be sequestered for the support of the family of his victims. This is the sentence passed in the present case, but as it appears from the murderer's deposition that he is possessed of no property whatever, the latter portion of the law need not be carried into effect.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.