(2) The Governor of Shantung reports the murder of a woman and her four children by her son-in-luw. The murderer, whose name was Hsii Tien-fen, was married two years ago and lived on affectionate terms with his wife. On account, however, of his poverty, his mother-in-law used frequently to send for her daughter and make false excuses for detaining her, instead of letting her go when wanted. The relations of the two households were afterwards embittered by the woman forming " plan of marrying her daughter to some one else, which was only. prevented by the latter's going off dutifully with her husband in spite of her parents commands, Afterwards the mother fell wick and her daughter was fetched to nurse her. When the husband came for his wife he was not allowed to have her, and w quarrel began between the son-in-law and the father-in-law which was only stopped by the remonstrances of another member of the family. he went to seck her, when th weather commenced, in order that she might come and make wadded clothing for him. When she was not allowed to depart, he seized her by the hair and tried to drag her away. The father-in-law seized a wooden stool and hit him on the head, upon which he bent a retreat. That after: noon he sat brooding over his troubles and drinking till he became intoxicated. While in this state he determined to Kill his father-in-law. Starting off with this intention he failed to tind his father-inlaw, who was gone to the town to buy medicine. His wife also was away awiwving water at the well, But his mother-in-law and her other children were in their louse and at the first glimpse of him began to call him names. In an access of rage he determined to kill them all. Seizing large brick, he broke his mother-in-lww's skull, and then smashed the heads of the children: On being arrested he made no attempt to deny the facts. "The Memorialist accordingly condemned him to suffer the penalty of death by slow degrees; and, as the law requires, the sentence has already been carried out. His wife has been sent into penal servitude at a near frontier, under the statute which allots that punishment to the wife of a criminal who kills three members of the same family. In view of the relationship of the son-in-law and the father-in-law, it is not necessary to take any notice of the assault committed by the latter on the former.—Referred by Rescript to the Board of Punishments.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.