Yii-lu, Governor of Fengtien, reports a case in which Wen Shu, member of the Imperial Clan, the " Red-girdles," (Gioro) or members of the collateral branch of the Imperial Clan, Pao Chen and Chirg Fa, the Han Chun or Chinese Bannerman Cheng Kuang-chuan, and a Chinese named Wang Chao-ch ing having set up a gambling house at Lungtszpu, in the department of Hsinmin, and made themselves a general nce to the law-abiding portion of the
magistrate of Hsivmin by the Collector were reported to the department of Lungtszpu named Wen Huan. This resulted in the arrest in the first instance of the Chinese Bannerman Cheng Kuangchuan and the Chinese Wang Chao-ching the breaking up of the gambling den, and the flight of the members of the direct and collateral branches of the Imperial Clan, Wen Shu, Pao Chen and Ching Fu. But Wen Huan, the Collector of the walled village of Lungtszpu by so doing brought upon himself the enmity of the gamblers and a plan was agreed upon by them to murder the former, even though the local authorities were on the qui vive for their arrest. So one night Gioro Pao Chen, the Tewny shih Wen Shu and their accomplices, taking advantage of the darkness, attacked the collector's farm and in the fighting that ensued the collector's brother Wen K'uei received sword-wounds on the back and left arm, which were examined the following day by Ma Tsung-wu, department magistrate of Hsinming "and verified by him. This occurred on the 27th day of the 6th intercalary month of last year (10th August 1892) and orders were immediately sent by the Military Secretariat at Moukden to the troops and military police to arrest the would-be murderers. This resulted in the capture only of the Gioro Pao Chen, Wen Shu Ching Fu and an accomplice Tung Shih-ju managing to escape to distant places. As it has been found that it was the captured Gioro Pao Chen who wounded the collector's brother Wen K'uei with a sword, memorialist has sentenced Pao Chen in accordance with the law provided in such eases having reference to members of the collateral branch of the Imperial Clan, viz tobe imprisoned in a solitary cell for the space of two years and six months; bam-Vooed with a large instrument forty blows and to be banished to the nearest peval colony. The Chinese Bennerman Cheng Kuang-eh'uan who is an accomplice and was arrested in the first instance, to be bambooed ninety blows with a large instrument and banished for two years and half toa distant penal settlement. The Chinese Wang Chao-ching who for the sake of gain rented his houses and grounds for the purpose of gambling, should, according to the law provided for such crimes, be beaten eighty blows with the bamboo and banished for the space of two years, but as he has since died, in prison, there is no necessity of passing this sentence on him. As for the others that have escaped memorialist has issued instructions for their speedy arrest and when captured will punish them according to the law provided in their case.—Rescript: Let the proper yamen report thereon.
17th June,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.