Re the Petition of one Li Sheng, servant of the sub-prefect Wang, deputy in charge of the House of Detention.
Some time ago a cashiered officer named Chou Han, who also bears the name of Chou "K'ung-t'u" (i.e., disciple of t'onfucius) for the crime of disseminating libellous prints and books against the missionaries and their chapels, was ordered to be punished by H.E. Viceroy Chung under instructions of the Tsungli Yamen. Ju this connection H.E. Viceroy Chang memorialised the Throne as! mitted to appoint H.E. Yun, dunt of Hupeh, to try the said delinquent. Chou Han, But upon the said Inten-dont's arrival at Ch'angsha, it turned out that the said Chou Han had started on a long journey and was therefore unable to appear before the Court: In consequence of this some relatives of the accused were summoned by the Court and deposed that the said accused " was suffering from an unsettled. mind, very neatly resembling lunacy." LIB, the Viceroy therefore memorialised the Throne on the subject, recommending that the said Chou Han be cashiered of his rank and that when he had been brought back to his native town hw should be kept under strict surveillance xnd prohibited from ever coming to the provincial capital og to disturb the pence by his unreasonable conduct. It was also recommended thatit, upon investigation, it lie found that Chou Han's illness should develop into Tunacy and in consequence cause him to act more badly than ever, the matter should be Throne and the mat eto. All this has ini archives, and the accused having been so fortunate as to be Teniontly dealt with should more than ever have endeavoured to obey the regulations which had been determined upon owing to his outrageous conduct, But intend' of this the said Chou Han had the temerity to com to Changsha und in consequence there have appeared once more placards upon the city walls, etc., signed with the name of Chou K'ung-t'u and headed, An "Appeal for Union and Activity. The subject dealt with la exactly similar to one also written by him several years ago called The Signal, but at the end of the present document is an appeal to destroy the homes and chapels of Jesua and to burn all their religious books and possessions. Three days ure given to the converts to repent, at the end of which all are to be doomed to extermination if the commands are disobeyed. Now such an outrageous attempt to stir up the masses is the acme of audacity and unreasonableness and a forgetfulness of all past clemencies. At the pre-gent moment our government has its hands full of the Kiaochou and other incidents moreover we have repeatedly received the Imperial commands to specially protect the missionary chapels, trusting in so doing to avoid further complications with Foreign Powers, and to show our friendliness to them. It behoves all who are the subjects of the Emperor to do our best to second the wishes of his Majesty. Instead of this, however, we find the accused acting in such outrageous manner, publishing placards and stirring up the masses, and in such a crisis as that which our country is now passing! I, the Governor being most anxious to prevent all disturbances therefore ordered the Provincial Judge to ind a deputy to Ninghsiang who, in con-Junction with the local magistrate, brought Uhou Han to Changsha, placing the cused temporarily in the House of Detention to await his trial, the said accused having acknowledged that he had written published- the placards in question. jut all the same he acted in a most strange manner and when placed in a room in the said House of Detention destroyed and broke everything in the room. He then assaulted the sub-prefect Wang and badly injured him, and locked him in his own room obliging the said sub-prefect's servant, Li Sheng, to petition me on the matter. I then ordered the Changsha magistrate to try the accused, but the intter's words and conduct were those of a stark mad creature, and I am not surprised then that the accused should have posted such placards in his crazy way. It is therefore imperative to keep strict watch over the said Chou Hin in order to prevent his raising still greater disturbances.
will now instruct the Provincial Judge send and release your master, the said sub-prefect Wang, from the room he has been locked in by the said Chou Han, and if, upon careful investigation, the latter be found mad indeed, he shall' be maunded and locked up us is the usual way of treating lunatics, and he shall also be laced under the strict surveillance of the local authorities of his native town.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.