It sains that years ago the Sanfir's yamen from neglect during an wverfiow collapsed Tha authorities sent the amount required for rebuilding to the official in charge, who quietly kept it in real Chinese style, and this house of Hsii he was using as a residence which had come into his possession through the lessee handing it over to him for debt. After taking the money he moved his yamen there and settled down for good. The charge of confiscation was made as occurring at that tims, but it happened Lo sold it to Hu twenty years after an the deed, signed and stamped and registered, wae 8. They were in the dark, not. kn -wi the owner poss-sed. It tu ed out that there were deeds of transfer for generations estab! clear title for seventy years, and that the officials ad gotten it through a lease from a man Chin, who, not having money, gare the officials his leasehold, taking ear" to give paper to the landlord, L". This ian sold it, as above described, t. Hsii twenty years after the claim of confication, which was only a transfer of the lease, ani as late as ten years ago the front was sold off to the Hanyang Guild, never a question as to Hsii's owner:
The last act is the son of the former owner claiming a part of the price as due him. The spectacle the officials have cut in this has made them detested by the people. They have been trying (o pose as opponents of the foreigner, trying to raise agitations against Dr. Collins. but beau-e everyone knew it wis a cass of atterapted Kran ebro ming fars—ollicial stealing of private property—they have failed.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.