Fu Yun, Governor of Shantung, reports the result of his investigation into a case which was taken away from his jurisdiction by the plaintiff and brought up to the Court of Censors at Peking, but again referred to memorialist by a decree of the Throne in the month of November, 1892, The case was first sent to the Pro-Vineial Judge, Sung by memorialist for trial and afterwards verified by him in person. According to the evidence adduced it appears that the appellant, a commoner by the name of Ts'ai Ta-k'uel, a native of Kiangsu, residing in Shantung, charged the respondent or defendant, T'uan Kuo-chun, a vative of Honan, but now an expectant district magistrate of Shantung, of having by false pretences inveigled a qnaiden belonging to appellant's clan into marriage and then by ill-treatment encomfis, the respondent', official status and assed her death, but that trusting in influence, he defied the arm of Justice from taking its cours Sach were the charges. ion into the evidence laced another aspect on the affair, which subsequently was acknowledged by the appellant who eventually confessed that his charges were made under the influence of excitement and suspicion, caused by over-estimating certain circum: stantial evidence. The facts of the case stands therefore as follows: T'aan Kuo-chun, an expectant clehsien of Shantung, has an only son T'uan T'ing-chi, at the time a salaried Licentiate of his native town of Tsiyuanhsien, Hunan: but this son, owing to there being no issue of the elder brother of the respondent T'uan Kuo-chun, was many years ago adopted by this elder brother, or own uncle of the said T'uan 'T'ing-chi, who in Honan got a wife for his adopted son or nephew, from the K'ung clan. With this wife T'uan T'ing-chi lived happily for some years but up to 1891 had no children by her. As is customary, when two brothers or relatives have only tone son between them to hand down the family name and offer the ancestral sacrifices, the adopted father generally gets a wife for the child of his adoption while the parent himself also procures an extra wife for his son, in order to make sure of the chance of having a grandson, especially if the wife procured by the adopt ed parent prove barren. The respondent Tuan Kuo-chi, finding, therefore, that K'ung Shih, the wife of his son 'T'uan Ping-chi procured by his uncle or adopted father had so far been without issue, accordingly set about to procure a wife for his son in Shantung, unknown to the latter. The girl chosen to be the wife of T'uan T'ing-chi, was a maiden of the Ts'ai clan, of which the appellant T'sai Ta-kuei is the male representative in Shantung. In November 1891, the said T'uan Ting-chi and his first. wife Keung Shih having come to shantung from Honan, his father, the respondent ordered him to marry Ts'ai Shih, which was done as the turmer dared not disobey his father's comnuunds, So far the new couple lived happily together, and the two ce-wives K'ung Shih and Ts'ai Shih also lived amicably together calling each other "sisters" according to etiquette. A month after the marriage however, it seems that the new wife happened to retire first without waiting for her husband, an act which was taken umbrage at by the latter, she reprimanded Ts'ai Shih for her want of respect for her Jard and husband. Ts'ai Shih who seemed to be a girl of spirit retorted, and an alte cation ensued, but peace was apparently restored throug female servant Cheng Wang-shih, and the husband accordingly left the room while the servant after staying with the bride short time, also retired ta rest in her own quarters. Much to the consternation of everyone Ts'ai Shih was found the next morning quite dead, suspended by the neck from ove of the windows of herapartiment. The news was immediately communicated to the mother of Ts'at Shih, called Ts'ai Tu-shih, who was es ceedingly grieved at her daughter's unexpected suicide, and on the other hand the father-in-law, T'uan Kuo-chi, the respondent, also notified the district magistrate of the town to conduct an inquest on the body. But the mother of the dead girl, could not bear to think of this and willingly signified her desire to the local magistrate to forego the inquest. The body of the dead woman was therefore laid in a coffin and the T'uan family gave hertha best of everything so far as funeral obsequies and Buddhist ceremonies went, the expenses on this occasion being about Tis. Ta-K'wei. was away from Shantung and 200, All this time the appellant, Thai knew nothing of the affair. On his return from a trading trip, however, he was 0 much shocked, so he states, at the suicide of his relative, that he immediately became suspicious that she had died by foul means, and that the jedlou-y of K'ung Shih, the first wife, was at the bottom of the whole thing. The foregoing of the inquest was also.a matter for suspicion, and the tears and lamentations of the mother of the bride so goaded him to madness that he immediately began to sue the respon: dent at the court of the then acting Governor of Shantung, the Provincial Treasurer, Tang P'ing-chen, stating that his relative Ts'ai Shih had died under suspicious circumstances, and that Tuan Kuo-chun talking advantage of his official position prevented for obvious reasons the taking place of the inquest, This case was deputed by the acting Governor to the prefect of Tungch'angfu; but before anything had been done by this official in the matter, Ts'ai Ta-kuei had already gone up to Peking to appeal to the Court of Censors; in which he himself acknowledges that he had added the charges above-named against the respondent, in order to strengthen his case, while on the other hand he also confessed that he had no enmity against the T'uan family, But now having heard the evidence of all parties, he confessed that he had been too rash and precipitous in making his charges. 40 blows of the Pamboo and a fine, As the law in the appellant's case provides
memorialist has sentenced him to this punishment, while the respondent is also wrong for having of his own accord sought for a second wife for his son, which as an official he should have first obtained the consent of the Throne before doing. He is therefore turned over to the proper Board for the determination of a penalty. As the son was only following his father's commands in marrying 'I'sai Shih, he is held blameless as also the go-between Wang Lu-san, who acted throughout in a straightforward manner, according to the custom that obtains throughout the empire.—Kescript: Let the Board of Punishments report thereon, 19th October.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.