Government ut Ili presents a report giving an account of the trial of an officer named Hsi-shang for shooting and killing a boy _in his employ called Li Ting-sheng-tai." In the first instance an inquest was held_on the budy of the deceased, which which entered on the left side. The wound was found to have been pierced by a bullet was undoubtedly received during life-time, and was also certainly the cause of death: Afterwards, the parties were assembled, and the prisoner, Hsi-shang, was put upon his trial. According to the statement made him in court, he was a native of the ince of Kirin. He had gone to Th in
regiment, and tually been promoted Aras." common soldier in 8 Manchurian tothe rank of captain. In 1885 he was still stationed with his regiment in Ili, and the wasa servant in his employ. The father of the deceased was a native of the same part of the country as the prisoner, to whose care he entrusted his son because he himself was very poor and not able to support him. The boy was thirteen years old, and was a very careful and industrious servant. One day the prisoner was slightly indisposed and sent for a doctor to come and see him. When the doctor arrived, a foreign rifle was lying on the table, where it had been placed by a soldier to whom it belonged. The prisoner thought it would be in the doctor's way and took it up with the intention of hanging it on the wall, He was not aware that it was loaded, as unfortunately was the case, and he accidentally pulled or atruck the trigger, and so let it off. At the moment the deceased was just outside the room, bringing in some tea. The bullet passed through the hanging door-screen and struck him in the left ribs, completely traversing his body and going out on the right side. After a few hours he died from the effects of the wound. The prisoner did not. attempt to deny that the deceased was killed by his hand, but he declared that the act was perfectly unintentional, The boy's futher deposed that the prisoner had always treated his son kindly and had no grudge against him, The story was also corroborated by the medical man, who hud been an eyewitness of what occurred, and by the soldier who had placed the gun upon the table, The witnesses were all re-examined by the memorialist himself who found them to adhere unswervingly to their statements, As, moreover, during the long period since the prisoner entered the army in the lowest ranks, he has never been known to give way to wine or to anisconduct himself through violence of temper, and he had no cause of offence against the boy, it may be accepted that he had no intention of killing him. Further, the discharging of a foreign gun by accidentally touching its trigger, and thereby causing some one to be shot, was a chance which it was impossible to foresee or guard against, It is laid down in the law that in the case of avy one's killing another by perfect accider*, the homicide must pay compensation money to the amount of Tls. 32.4.2, which sum will be handed to the relations of the deceased to pay the cost of the funeral. In the present instance Hsi-shang, out of grief for what hes happened, has already given the father of the deceased, much more than the necessary sum; sv that the amount to be paid by him may be reduced to Tls. 12.4.2. There is one other point. For purely accidental homicide, the only penalty in the law is the payment of the sum of money. But Hsi-shang was at the memorialist's request temporarily cashiered in order that he might be regularly placed upon his trial. Now that the case is concluded, it will be for His Majesty graciously to decide whether he may allowed tu resume his post and rank in the service.—Referred to the Board of Punishmen
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.