The Governors of the Metropolitan Prefecture submit the result of their enquiries into certain charges brought against Chang Chao-feng, Acting Department Magistrate -of Tungchow, the investigation of which was referred to them by the Grand Council in obedience to an Imperial decree of the 2ist April last. The Magistrate was accused of having treated.a certain Rath; of having levied certain grain-sioner with such severity as to cause his
duties twice over. and further of extort tion generally and connivance at the malpractices of his own servants. He was! at once suspended pending investigation into these several charges by a commission of enquiry appointed by memorialists, and consisting of the Intendant of the T'ungyung circuit and other officers. Of the various charges brought against the Magistrate the gravest is that of having caused the death of a prisoner by excessive severity, and with reference hereto memorialists have to state that both Department and District Magistrates are by law required to furnish monthly returns of all prisoners in their charge, so that any concealment is out of the question, During the four years and more that the magistrate has held office at Ting-chow only three, prisoners have died i goal, and in their cases death was certified to have resulted from natural causes. With regard to the case of the man Fu, memorialists beg to state that in_a recent cross-action between a certain Fu Wan-chun and another about a disputed piece of land, which was tried by an officer appointed' by memorialists, the evidence of the said Fu Wan-chun was 0 unsatisfactory that he was consigned to prison in the Trungchow magistrate's gaol where he died on the 17th March last. An enquiry into the circumstances attending his death was held by the Heiangho magistrate, who found no evidence of the deceased having been subjected to any mal-treatment, and accordingly certified to this effect. A relative of the deceased named Fu Wan-ho subseently presented a plaint charging that the deceased died of vexation consequent on his being imprisoned, and this would therefore appear to be the case to which the accusation of wanton disregard of human life refers. No matter how the deceased came by his death the fact remains that he was sent to prison by the officer who tried the case, and as the T'ungchow magistrate had nothing to do with this he consequently had no motive for suppressing the facts.
With regard to the second charge of having levied double the amount of regulation grain-duty an individual named Li is mentioned as having settled the dispute, whilst the Wan Ho-yung firm is stated to have paid the Tls. 1,000, demanded before the merchants were allowed to resume business, Memorialists find that the grain-duties are paid to the Sub-Prefect charged with the collection of revenue, and that consequently the accusation brought by the individuals Li and Huang against the magistrate is not capable of being substantiated. The present acting-magistrate of Trungchow was however ordered to ascertain from the employes of the Wan Ho-yung shop, whether a sum of Tls. 1,000 had or had not been paid as alleged, and their unanimous testimony was that there had been no such payment.
As regards, however, the charge of levying black-mail on a certain grain-broker the facts have been ascertained to be as follows: Wang Yung-ching was one of the the ieee possible scale, horses, mules erally by parties of four or five, and
officially appointed in-brokers in the Trungehow distri Enormous. quantities and cattle being carried off under cover of night, and the owners attacked and of grain had been coming in by boat, so wounded, if not murdered outright, when-that his receipts by way of broker's com-ever they ventured to offer any resistance. mission were continually on the increase from day to-day A very considerable that the escape was effected torag the The result of the present enquiry shows number of prisoners are confined in the absence of the magistrate, and favoured by gaol at T'ungehow for whom no provision the customary storm of wind and rain whatever is made in respect of rations. As invariably offered as the explanation Wang Yung-ch ing had only lately started as such cases. In this instance, however, broker and doing a most profitable busi-two of the escaped prisoners were recapness the Magistrate called upon him tossupply tured within three days, one of them dying 15 piculs of rice per month as a subvention shortly afterwards in gaol, whilst the third towards a public outlay which is not allow-was also caught some time after, but too ed to be charged in the official accounts. late to be included in the present investi-This Wang Yung-ching refused to do on the ground that there was no rule to this gation.
[effect in the old regulations. The case soners ate now confirmed, no notice being The original sentences passed on the pri; being urgent he appealed to the higher taken of their escape in consideration of the authorities, and no rice was ever actually Act of Aumesty proclaimed last year, The delivered by him. This is what gave usual penalties incurred by the prison oftirise to the calumnious and quite uncials are similarly remitted, but they are [founded charge that the magistrate had dismissed from their posts for carelessness connived at his personal retainers levying although no guilty connivance was proved!Dlack mail. Memorialists observe that in against any of them. cases such as this where the official expen-13th June. diture is in excess of the allowance, it is OFFICIAL IN FOOCHOW ARSENAL DISMISSED, impossible to avoid now and again having recourse for assistance to the surplus profits A decree based on a memorial from the of the public. In the present instance, Governor of Fokien denouncing Wang however the magistrate carried things some-Sung-chen, an oficial in charge of the what too far, and so laid himself open to clerical department at the Foochow arsenal, j accusation. Though committed from public for having taken advantage of the illness motives, his proceedings were highly of the superintendent to address an appli-irregular, and memorialists therefore pro-cation direct to the Throne in favour of pose that he be compulsorily retired, and handed over to the Board for the determi. certain students abroad. His Majesty considers that the memorialist's proposal nation of an appropriate penalty.—Rescript to cancel the recommendations in question already published. is altogether inadequate to meet the case,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.