The Story of One of the Most Despicable Crimes in Shanghai's History "Now that he is dead it is possible to tell the whole story.
His death came about in a way which was quite out of the ordinary. He was among those who recently attempted to break out of the French Municipal Prison and was one of the first to receive a warder's bullet in his heart, So ended the life of one of the most heartless and cowardly of the criminals whose names and photographs appear in local records—a Tu all, thirty-one children "were released at that time. Only 18 of them were ever identified by their parents. Some poignant scenes in court when mothers received back their off-spring they had thought lost for ever, will make that hearing memorable to every one there. And who can forget the wistful glances of the boys who were not identified? Cowed by their long ill-treatment, they seemed half ter fied of everybody. At the back of the court could be seen the parents of seme of then who had answered the advertisements published by the police. And didn't the boys sean eagerly every fresh face that appeared in the room! And wasn't the disappointment depicted when they recognized nobody and nobody recognized them—wasn't it heart-
But now that Vu is dead possible to tell the whole star Just When he began practising his nefarious trade in children has not been established. Apparently he commenced at first by offering waifs and strays a home. His deputy would be down to meet all ships coming from near-by ports. Perhaps there was a small boy anion the passengers who had the The Task-master—-a study Physiognomy. appearance of not knowing quite where he was going. If so, the deputy would approach him, ask him where he was going, and if he man who bought up small children from kidnappers who failed to obtain ransoms for them; bought them up for ridiculously low sums and in his closely shuttered and barred house in the French Con-would like a good home, regular meals and congenial work. If the answer were yes, then he was taken cession, made them work for him, dearing them, starving them, letting them "go rotten with disease; terrorizing them in every conccivable way, $0 that they could turn out cheaply goods which he sold in his shop on Seward Road.
If you have a good memory you may recall the case against Vu Pa hong in the French Mixed Court in May 1026, The judge and the assessor had many hard things to say about the prisoner when sentencing him to 15 years. im. Prisonment. Vu was charged with Keeping Chinese children as slaves. Little tots stood in the witness box some of them were so small and funted that they could not be seen over the barrier and had to give thit evidence from the floor of the court, They told very much the same' story. 'They had been kidnapped from their homes, held in various dives for many moons, then found themselves in Yu's house. How they got there they did not inow. But they described what they were made to do, how they wore beaten even with' iron bars, left to sleep just where they could in all weathers, and fed with disgusting remnants. Never wore they allowed to look out' of their prison, and s0 long as the light Insted, they worked on the benches of their task-master. to Yu's hous in Rue Amiral Bayle, down an alleyway; cajoled inside, if the formidable appearance of the barred windows frightened him; and once inside he stood no chance of again communicating with the outside world, Vu apparently found this method of recruiting cheap labour extremely Paying, and as he got further and further away from his enti methods of enticing children wi some show of consent from them-
One child had a ghastly wound on his head. It was given him, he explained, by the prisoner with a flail of iron, and nothing had been done to treat it. In court it was Black with dried and clotted blood, testimony to the callousness and cruelty of the man in the dock, solves, and became identified more and as. simply a_child-thie opened another avenue of trade for As must be generally known, many children are kidnapped whose parents can never pay the ransoms demanded. What are The squalor of their surroundings. leen slept in corners like this: while, they will kill the child as an example to others. But often it is not worth their while. Sometimes they will sell the child away to an-Jotier city, bat this may prove costly and dangerous. It is far easier for them to cell the child to a local: receiver-of-stolen-ckildren, and this is what Vu sot out to be.
Though his house was in a well-
[frequented alleyway, his respect-Jable appearance caused little suspieion of what he was about. Not one of the 31 infants he kept ccnled was allowed to get in touch with the outside world. His bolts ud bars seemed from the outside to be little more than extra precaution from robbers. It was only when they were seen from inside that their real st purport were realised. So Vu was Jalmost unsuspected. Gossip there was, of course, especially as he became better known in the underworld. His prices for children were low—only $5 per head—and nappers felt they were not being treated as well as they should have been. Yet his reputation spread—how far can only be understood when the story of his discovery is related. ae: lat. sh ble we steep where they could" id slept n the shelf; others beside the ywers, received sentences of ten years.' The judge seid that it of the most" horrible and revolting cases of torture that had been before the court for years. Vu, Pal pices onmlleas" be [Sich ae Ss eh posse geet bey Som Coste a nee him for $5 and transportation wan, where some of them still lea ier cee ieee a meos SSttcen "bat Ge infer "brotttt|""Se glis hav tyed to ofer missing boy was staying in a house in Rue Amiral Bayle, and he set lout to reclaim him, In Shanghai been in the forefront of the gon! breakers. The warder's bullet ended his despicable career.
The young slaves who were rescued by the French Police.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.