In the neighbourhood of Shen Chou in Chihli, there were two distant cousins Sinmed Sung Shuan-chu and Sung Shu-yun. The former was married, but the latter had neither wife or home, and therefore went to live in his cousin's house, giving in return his labour and the produce of two mu of land that he owned. One day last winter, when Sung Shuan-chu was gone the lodger objected to it away in search of temporary employment, bad quality of the food Mre, Sung gave him, and said that he would not work unless he was properly fed. Mrs. Sung replied by abusing him for greed-mess and laziness, and wanted to turn him out of the house. One night soon afterwards, the lodger came back from a wine-shop where he had been drinking the woman again met him with abuse and shes, and told him to take his things and clear out that very night. Losing his temper on account of her violent land he took a hoe and knocked her down; as she continued to revile him, his anger completely overmastered him, and he attacked her again and killed her outright, Her son, who was asleep when the quarrel commenced, was awakened by the noise, and caught hold of the man and would not let go. The latter, in order to free himself, struck the boy with the hoe and injured him, so that he died some time afterwards. For these two murders, the Viceroy Li Hung-chang has sentenced the criminal to be branded on the cheek, and decapitated without delay.—Referted to the Board of Punishments,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.