In the eighth moon of last year Chen Shu-hsun, Colonel of the Huangchow Regt. (Hupeh) reported the acting Captain of the central company, Li Hsien-hsin, to man of no intelligence and utterly incapable of any initiative, and that he had in consequence deprived him of his command sent him back to the provincial capital for examination.
Thereupon Li who was very indignant at this treatment formulated a series of charges against the colonel and urgently requested that he be punished. Chang Chih-tung appointed two Prefects to investigate the case and they now report as follows.
""(1) As regards the accusation that Chen hsin took under his special protection a private named Huang, we find that on a charge of criminal' abduction being brought against the latter the colonel at once degraded him and handed him over to the civil authorities for punishment. How then can he be said to have unduly favoured him?
(2) The second accusation is that on Officers detached. for river duty Chen vacancy taking place itt the ranks of the,
appointed his wife's brother. It has been roved that his wifes' brother is not at fuangchow and the late captain does not state what post it was to which this relative of his colonel was appointed (3) The charge that. he filled up the vacancies in the racks of his regiment with men who were recommended to him by his son proves likewise to be unfounded, notwithstanding the fact that Li handed in lists of names said to have been drawn up by the son. These we compared with other documents in the young man's handwriting and found them to be forgeries.
(4) Li states that the colonel made away with 800 pounds of gunpowder and that he knowingly took delivery of inferior powder without raising any objection. To this the reply is that in 1865 the former provincial authorities in view of the importance of Huangchow did there store over 8,400 pounds of gunpowder and ammunition, all of Jessness on his superior officer.
(6) It is stated that the colonel used to exact presents from his subordinates, but of this there is no proof and the. charge appears to be unfounded. Chen" when questioned in to this anatter remarked that the rent of a piece of ground belonging to the regiment, which an-unally amounted to a hundred and several tens of strings of cash, was given in charge of the captain in order that out of that sum any necessary repairs to official buildings might be executed, but that ever since his arrival at his post the captain had only provided him with 3 bamboo blinds and 2 gongs.
(6) The last of this series of charges is that the present captain in the central company of the Huangchow regiment bribed the colonel heavily in order to. effect the exchange from another regiment but with reference to this we have to ask how a colonel could possibly have anything to do with such an exchange, and have to add that the statement that Chen Shu-hsun used his influence to procure Yang the appointment is not in accordance with fact Memorialist would point out that although the chargesbroughtby Li Hsien-hsin against his superior officer have all been proved to be unsupported by any satisfactory evidence
position and not sufficiently" able to the Inter appears to be of yielding dis-exercise a strict control over his men. The fact that he accepted even such a small present as three bamboo blinds and two gongs from Li Hsien-hsin could not but give his subordinates cause for remark and the fact that he left his son about the yamen could not but lead to the latter mixing himself up with official matters. The colonel although not guilty of connivance, did not exercise sufficient care, and _memorialist would ask that he be degraded to the rank of an expectant major. The captain Li Helen-hsin, in that he brought these charges against his superior officer because the latter was the means of depriving him of his post and in seeking to put the blame of the loss of the gunpowder on the shoulders of the colonel has been guilty of deliberate malice, and his statements having been proved to be all utterly' without foundation, memorialist would ask for permission to immediately cashier him.—Granted.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.