The Governor of Kuangsi reports the trial and execution of a man convicted of the murder of four persons of the same family in the Peiliu district. From the facts elicited at the trial it appears that the criminal, one Chih Kuang-shui, and his nephew Chih Ch'un-tang, were ° joint farmers of a piece of land, which they held at annual rental of 10 piculs of grain, The former having fallen into arrears with his share of the rent got hix nephew to advance 2 portion of it, and shortly afterwards went away in search of employment, leaving his mother with his nephew's fu During his absence Chih Ch'un-tang lent the el woman sum of 8,000 cash, and as she was always complaining and making trouble when he refused to lend her any more, he finally turned her out of the house, When Chih' Kuang-shui returned, his quest for employment having been unsuccessful, he was very much annoyed to find that his mother had been turned out of the house, and expostulated with his nephew, but was only met with abuse. Finding himself getting poorer every day he wanted to yo shares as before with his nephew in the farming of the land, but Chih Ch'un-tang objected thet the advance of rent had not yet been repaid, and refused to agree to the proposal. Words were pro} bandied about, Chih Ch'un-t'ang's mother, his wife, and his brother, Chih Lin-kao, all joining in the dispute and siding agains the uncle, After this Chih Ch'un-tang begin to press for the debt, abusing hi uncle for not paying it, and threaten it that if there were any further delay he would go and lay hands on every thing there was in Chih Kuang-shui's house, in satisfaction of the claim. The repeated indignities he had suffered at the hands of his nephew, and the latter's harshness in refusing to let him share in the farm, coupled with the reflection that he had absolutely no means of earning a livelihood, led Chih Kuang-shui to the resolve to kill his nephew at the first opportunity. Hearing that the family were all going toa wedding in a neighbouring village and would stay the night there, leaving Chih Ch'un-tang by himself to look after the house, he determined to effect an entrance and kill him whilst he was asleep. During the second night watch he accordingly went to the house armed with a chopper, but feond that Chih Ch'un-tang was still. that he be brought to trial. The evidence up, sitting at work with his back to the showed that the usual precautions had been open front door. Stealing up behind hiw, taken for the safe custody of the prisoner Chih Kuang-shui dealt him a violent blow whose escape was in no wise attributable to with the chopper on the back of the neck guilty connivance on the part of the jailers. and felled him to the ground. Hearing a It only remains therefore for memorialist to noise, his mother and his wife who had ' pass sentence according to law. The statute returned home instead of staying away for provides that inthecaseof any prisoner being the night as originally intended, ran out! suffered to escape through negligence on to see what the matter was. biti Chih Kuang-shui determined to stop their mouths by killing them also. He first attacked his nephew's wife, giving her a blow on the forehead which knocked her down.
The mother then tried to grapple with the murderer but received a cut on the side of the face, and when she rushed at him with her head down Chih Kuang-shin dodged on one side and struck her to the ground with a blow on the forehead. At that moment the other nephew Chih Lin-kao also returned home and seeing the state of affairs shouted for help. Chih Kuang-shui aimed a blow at him, and as he was stooping down to pick up a billet of wood gave him another blow on the top of the head and stretched him lifeless on the ground. The murderer then turned to leave the house but was met by another nephew, who rushed in and attempted to lay hold of him. Chih Kwang-shui however knocked him down and escaped. Chih Ch'un-tang and his brother Chih Lin-kao were found to be dead, the old woman had fainted and only the wife of Chih Ch'un-tang was able to speak. Restoratives were administered but without effect, and both the women died within a short time of the injuries inflicted. In accordance with the law bearing on the present case, the criminal has been sentenced to be decapitated, and in order that no delay should occur in carrying this sentence into effect, on account of the heinous nature of the crime, the standing Imperial death warrant has been put. in force, and the criminal led forth bound to a public place, where he was decapitated in the presence of the Judicial Commissioner, his head being subsequently forwarded for exposure at the scene of the murder.—Reférred to the Board of Punish-
29th May.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.