Double Murder ard Suicide on Ockseu Island Further details of the terrible tragedy on Ockseu Island, near Amoy are contained in the "Hengkong Telegraph." Under date December 13 the "Telegraph's" Amoy correspondent writes Duiiing the /past few days the people of Amoy and- vicinity have been shocked by the tragedy that has taken place on the little island. of Ockseu just -off the coast of Formosa, where the light house keeper murdered his assistant and assistant's wife, and then some days later committed suicide.
According to the best information obtainable, the murder 0 place on December 1, when apparently without reason, the light house keever, Mr. J. Thomas, walked into the office of his assistant, Mr. Ole Knudsen, and shot him. Upon the appearance of the wife of Mr. Knudsen, Mr. Thomas turned on her and shot her. Four days later the murderer sat down and wrote quite a sane letter to his head office in Amoy admitting the deed, simply stating belt hat it was necessary for him to do it, that he was forced to it.
Upon receiving this word from the messenger, the Customs authorities immediately despatched a ship to Ockseu to bring Mr. Thomas to Amoy, but on reaching the island it was found that Mr. Thomas had committed suicide.
While there has been no official statement regarding this tragedy" it is understood that no definite reason can be given for it. It is admitted that there had been some friction between the two men. due largely to their position and nationality, as Mr. Thomas was of Chinese descent and in charge of the light station while Mr. Knudsen was Norwegian and the assistant, However, most people say it was due to mental derangement—some temporary form of insanity. 4 All three bodies have been brought to Amoy, where they are to be interred. The funeral of Mr. Knudsen took place in.ithe foreign cemetery on Kulangsu on December 11, while the bodies of Mrs. Knudsen, and Mr. Thomas have been handed over to relatives. Mr. Thomas was formerly of Hongkong.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.