As already noted in these columns, ever since the arrest of the so-called Koluo Hou chief Li Hsien-mou last year by the Viceroy of the Liang Kiang provinces, there had been, owing to conflicting testimony the part of captured Society meu, a great deal of doubt amongst the official classes and outsiders concerning the man's actual identity with ove Li Hung who had been represented as the "Head Centre of the Society." This feeling was increased to considerable degree upon the death of Li Hsien-mou in the Kianguing Prefect's yamen the other day, coupled with the tale Of his wife, concubine and slave girl, who voluntarily followed his example. - To such adegroe was pity felt for the man and kis family that considerable odium attached to the Viceroy, Liu K'un-yi, for his harshness against a man who should have been allowed the benefit of the doubt in his favour, since even Yii-kuan, the Governor of Honan, was willing to stand security fur Li mou as a man who did not belong to the Kolao Hui." From recent evidence obtained through the confessions of lately captured members of the Suciety, notably one Tseng Ming-kao who gave his evidence "without the help of torture," having been promised life and freedom if he would turn government evidence, the surrounding the true character of Li Shienmou has been removed and we are now able to forma tolerably clear idea, from the trials of the Society men at Nanking duvi past eighteen or twenty mentha, many Kolao Hui's f were nut, denied ow ledge of such "man as Li Hung, wh on the other hand, the confessions of Ush Petin-shan and HsuTs*iu-fang, the servants of Mason, clearly pointed to the mythical Li Hang as the Head Centre" of the Kulao Hniy with K'uang Shih-ming as second chief and one Tstug as third. The evidence of Tseng Ming-kan, however, exp apparent conflict of testimony which has been the means of raising so many doubts to identity, and shows that the man the servants of Mason considered to be the Head Centre" was, after all, merely the instigator of " local movement for private purposes. In other words, Li Haiet or as he should be called by name, Li Hung, although not a sworn member of the Kulao Hui, yet being acquainted with sou the. principal chiefs was anxious to get assistance in obtaining revenge on the government fur what he considered the wrongful execution of his father in Awhui, about seven years ago. This was the celebrated ex-Taiping Prince Li Ch'ang-shou, afterwards presented with the name of the Perfectly Faithful by an effete Emperor, on his joining the Tioperialists and turning upon his former urades in rebellion, while on the er hand the Kulao' Hui chiefs, nothing luth, were only too ghd to take advantage of the '"sinews of war" presented by Li Hung in the shape of Th 60,000 in silver sycee, to bring about their own political ends. Thus Mason's servants, who, as will be seen from Tsing Ming-kay's evidence, were merely novices, really thought that Li Hung was the Head Centre simply because it was he who had provi ed the money for buying the firearms, while as a matter of fact not the utmost tortures could make Society men not in the secret confess that they knew such a man as Li Hung or Li Hsien-mon as their Head Chief, and in cases where they had been confronted with the mau their ignorance was apparent to even the most. sceptical, showing that they had oufeseed" to what they really did not know. This settles the much vexed question of identity which has puzzled the acumen of the judges for so long, but which upon elucidation through such evidence as that given by Tseng Ming-kao, and being immediately telegraphed to the Throne, brought down on the 3rd of June the Imperial mandate that the head of the defunct Li Hung should be severed from lits eérpse and that the real Head Centre of the Society, Ku'any Shih-ming, should suffer decapitation at the same time, This man, whom Mason's servants described the Second chief being really the "Great Senior Brother" or Chief of the Kolao Hui has thus been nimed by nearly all of those who have been wnfortunate enough to come under the jurisdiction of the Judes at Nanking.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.