Double Murder and Theft Our Own Correspondent, Harbin, Jan. 21.
Harbin was thrilled with such a Some months have elapsed. since sensational murder as took place the night before last. The deed was perpetrated in the centre of the town, the victims being a young Russian and his mother. their assailants being Chinese.
In one of the streets of the Kitaiskaya lives a family of an elderly couple and their grown-up children. They own their own house built some years back, the father having come to Harbin in the early days and amassed a certain fortune. For some five years they kept the same Chinese cook, who only left the family a month or so back to go into business of his own. This Chinese who spoke Russian fluently and always dress ed in European style, was in the habit of coming to' the house frequently to see the new cook and often engaged in conversation with the elderly house-owner-On the fatal night—I am telling the story as put by the police. avoid the cumbrousness of "alleged's" and "reported," although obviously many of the statements have to be proved—the former cook when calling at the house suggested to the old man that they should go and play lotto. It is necessary to mention here that lotto is played by Russians and Chinese alike here at most of the clubs and anyone is admitted on paying the fixed entrance feo for the evening. The Russian agreed. never thinking that full prepara: tions had been made for the successful committing of this crime.
Tur Pror TucKess:
The murderers consisted of six Chinese, the cook being the instigator. Just before the lotto rooms had been reached, the Chin. ese put his hand in his pocket and finding he had forgotten to bring money with him, told the father to go in and he would go home and get his money and rejoin him in side, very quickly. It appears that the cook immediately went back to the Russian's house.
Some time before midnight Alexander, the grown-up son, ame home and asking the servant to make tea lay down on the sofa and fell asleep. The niurderers quietly entering the room dealt him a death blow by means of a heavy iron instrument—probably a crowbar. Covering the body the murderers carried it into the bathroom and awaited the arrival of their other victims. They had not to wait long before the mother and daughter returned. The door was opened. the daughter first entering. followed by the mother. No sooner had the door een locked when the mother was felled by 2 blow from a blunt instrument. One of the murderers seeing that the woman
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.