New-York daily tribune., 1857-04-28

and the fact that the patents All recOvered and so
.oou would seem to point to something less serious
than arsenic. Only one chemical examination
ssems 10 have been made bya certain Dr. Horland,
but its details are not given with such disnctness
that any opinion can be formed OF its accuracy
According to this analysis there must have been IN
the whole batch Of bread not less than ten Pouhds
of arsenic; yet no attempt was made 10 'no" 'ae
possession of this large quantity oi poison "
Alum or any of his men, or where II could nave
haac obtained The counsel Of Alum, however,
did not think il worth while to dispute the aesoo
fact of the arsenic and of the Intentional poison
ing by somebody; they only denied that Alum had
anything to do with il.
II was shown that Alum was engaged In an
extensive wholesale baking business, ana enjoyed
the confidence of the foreign residents at hong
Kong. The head of the British Commissarat de-
sartment had made contract with him on the l4th
of January the very day before the alleged poison
ing, for 100 600 lbs of biscuit. The United States
naval storekeeper had another contract with him at
the same time for the same commodity even to a
greater extent; and both these functiOnaries con-
CURED in giving the man the highest character for
honesty and fair dealing in all his previous transac
tons with them. At the very time Of bis supposed
flight there had been just erected in his premises
new kneading machine, which had arrived from the
United States fortnight before and for which be
had given no less than fl00. On the l4th (the day
before the poisoning) he had paid Mr.. Foster,
Boston merchant, 5000 for 81 barrels OF
-four, which were not even cleared on the
18TH the morning of his alleged flight. On
that same l4th he had paid $500 to Mr..
Pustau, and had purchased from Mr.. Edwards
I,sOO bags of California -four. An attempt was
made 10 prove that he was at this time in embar-
rassed circumstances, but it wholly failed. The
result of the evidence on this point was that
though like al men in business who give long
credit this Hong Kong baker was occasionally
short of ready money yet the sum total of h"credts
far exceeded that of his debts and that he was, in
mercantile phrase, long way ahead of the world
His credit was so good that single foreign firm
trusted him to the amount of $4,000. As to his
alleged flight, the facts stated by Alum and fully
sustained BY testimony, were these: lie was native
of Chinese village near Canton, where his graud-
mother still resided, and whence he came to Hong
Kong at eighteen years of age. A notice had oeea
posted up in his native village BY the authorities
requiring all persons in Hong Kong to return, on
pain of being seized and punished as traitors As
Alum did not obey, some Chinese soldiers had gone
to his grandmothers house, attempting to extort
money from her, in consequence Of which she wrote
TO Albums father, who lived with him and assisted
in his business, advising that he and all the rest
of the family should return, except Alum himself
who was not to return by any means, as the Man
darins in consequence of his adherence to the
foreigners, had offered five thousand dollars for his
head. She advised him also to be very cautious of
himself as it was expected that be might be kdnap-
ped or his buildings set on FIRE.
Alum and bis father concluded TO comply with
the grandmother's advice, and Alum, at his wifes
request, accompanied her as far as Macao intend
ing to return in the same steamer the same evening
or the next day. The family took with them on
the short passsge-as their sole provision, except
few oranges-abOut half.a-dOzen loaves OF the
poisoned bread. The whole crew of the Sham
rock we're supplied with the same. The evidence
is clear and precise to the point that Alum, his
wife and children, all partOOk freely of this bread,
and that they all, like the rest of the passengers,
suffered from its effects. At first this sickness was
attributed by Alum and his family to the motion of
the vessel. but when it was found to extend to all
on board, seamen as well as passengers it became
evident that it arose from another cause. There
was "something wrong about the bread" As soon
as Alum became convinced of this fact, he insist
ed on returning that very afternoon to Hong Kong
There was something wrong about the bread, and
he must 90 and inquire after it," The state of the
Sbamrocks crew and other impediments present
ed an obstacle to the immediate return of the vessel
Alum offered frat $50, then 800, to induce the
captain at once to take him back. When he found
his entreates still refused he did not avail himself
of the opportunity which was freely offered him OF
going ashore, bu. quietly remained on board the ves-
sci, awaiting the period of her sailing back to Hong
Kong and there, without attempt at resistance or
evasion, he was captured by those who had set out
from Hong Keng in pursuit Of him. Such was the
account given by Alum himself on his first exam
ination, which on the trial was abundsntly con-
frmed in every particular BY unquestienable wit
nesses. As to the bread, it appeared that it was
made in one part of the town. while Alum him
self resided in another; and further, that the very
gang of workmen employed in making it were all
taken sick that same night, much in the same way,
which they aseribed to some vegetable soup they
had eaten.
Here was evidently no case against Alum, and
as the only thing against the other prisoners was
their being in Albums employ, they too had to be
acquitted However they did not escape 30. As