Now that the release of Ya Chich'éng (RAEGr), reported in the Hongkong telegrams as In Kai-shing, has been decided upon, one may speak without fear of prejudicing his case. The so-called Swatow reformer is nothing more or less than a common bally, one of the class described so well by Mr. A. H. Smith in "Chinese Characteristics." His ordinary name is Ch'ou and he is known all over the country as K'u-fu Ch'ou (ARQ "Woe is me, Ch'ou!" because of the cry of anguish which he extorted from any who came under his hand.
In the Boxer year he was wanted because of the attentions he paid to Christians and their diarches and since then he hax attracted the notice, and incurred the anger of the mandarins by escapades sitnilar to that which was preferred in the charge made as the ground for the application for his extradition. He crowned his career by joining the rebels at Wongkong last year, and then at. last the suthorities decided to get hold of him. But! he slipped through the net, even that, part of it drawn round Swatow, and wot as far as Hongkong before he, was arrested. Of course he joined the rebels, he is "again the government as is every man of bt people' who know laugh regarded asa disinterested patriot. And yet the Hongkong Court has got there" in its decision not to grant the extradition applied for. The suthori~ ties have forfeited their right. to call him to trial by their inaction daring the last ten years, during most of which time he has lived openly in and about. Wongkong. What they wanted was Ch'oa the rebel, and not Ch'ou the robber. And did the Hongkong Government suppose that even if the proceedings had been entirely regular, and the Chinese authorities had engaged not to try Ch'on on any other charge than that of robbery they would not have rid themselves of the rebel by cutting the head off the robber
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.