Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1859-05-12
A Horrible Crime and its Singular

correspondence Oi INT GOSlOn l1dNcler.
HoEs KONG, China, Feb. "a
have just returned from scene at the
Court House of tragic interest, such as |
never witnessed before, and hope never 10
witness again; and the moral of which, in
the illustration of divine Providence in
the detection of the most concealed crimes,
may authorize NE to depart from my gene
raj rule.
About month since, Capt. Johnson, of
the New York ship Mastiff. en- awakiug
enc morning and arising from his bed, found
the Chinese boy, whe had for SINE time
been his cabin servant, lad only fourteen
OF fifteen years old, wss missing; and upon
examination of his money chest, to which
the boy had access, he found about S750.
in Enslish sDvereigns, were missing. A
Chinese boat had been seen long side the
ship in tie night, and the natural inference
was that the hoy was in partnership with
The boat, and had unceremoniously trans
ferfed both himself and the money to it.
One afternoon the Captain had occasion
to 90 ashore, and his own boat being en-
gagged, he WAS Obliged TO procure one OF the
Chineae, called "fast boat" CARRYING =
sail as well as using oars. and large and
hea,y. When he returned from the town,
the sea was rough, ard the Chinese master
OF the boat being ignorant of the custom
sry way of uPproaching the ship. the boat
was driven By wind and wave with great
force against he side Of the ship, producing
a violent concussiun in the water as well
IS in The ship. The effec: of-the dseharge
OF cannon in raising dead bodies from the
water is well known, and sucn was the con-
cussicn of the boat. Had the trump of the
archangel been heard in the ear of the
ChinFse bey, hardly could he have sprung
more suddenly from the deep where he lay
The mystery was cleared up; suspicion
gave way 20 certainty; and now it was
know the poor cabin boy had been mur-
dered IN board the American ship.
When the body came up, it was found
with creased rope about the neck in a
nucse, which had been drawn SO tight that,
upon post mortem examination, not drop
of water was found in the body The boy
had died of s!rangulatioH and not by drown
ing. Besides this, piece of iron OF about
twenty-five pounds weight. called "nor-
mon," an sppencage of ship tackle, was
fastened 10 The body by the rope, that if the
boy was rot choked he nigh, be drowned;
and neither choked OF drowned, or both,
that he might tell no secrets. Nor was
this enough; the head bnre marks OF violent
confusion, and evidently had been attempt
ed to kill the boy by blows, ard instantly,
as well as by stfanglng.
kt length the usPicons of Captain John
son were fastened upon three. who were ar
rested upon examination. while all the crew
were KEEP. in confinement in the jail as wit
| nesses. The names Of the three implicated
| sre Williams, a Frenchman, and Jones and
GbliHs, lrish-all of them young men, un-
der twenty FIVE years. When brought, into
Court, one was recognized by member OF
the jury OF inquest as having served cut an
apprenticeship in one oc the English penal
settlements; and though young man and
lender man, such face as he wore assur-
I'd al z'ho saw it once that he must be the
guiity one, or at least, one of the guilty;
lo- were they mistaken. 1t was Jones.
! When brought Into Court for examination,
they were put upon oath-not by compul-
sion, believe, but with their own consent.
What false swearing! How COOL What
airs OF Indifference, and even triling and
| levity! witnessed the whole; not word
! duplicating themselves or others could be
wrung out or invited out. They were re-
manded to prison for few days.
In the meantime, the Government offer.
ed $500 reward, and the American Con-
sul $500 or more, 10 any one , ho would
give testimony which should lead to detec.
ton; but none was forthcoming. But that
solitary confinement, those long days and
dismal nights, and the fears of detection,
with the hope of pardon upon turning
States evidence, began to work upon VIII
iiams. He sent at length for the tailor; he
maze clesn bosom in regard to Mem.
though he would not implicaie himself. lie
told where some Of the money could be
found in the hold Of the ship; the Captain
searched, and il was there. He related
how the whole affair was consunma,cd -
They knew the boy had access to the CAP.
tsis's money chest, and by the assurance
OF dividing the plumber persuaded him to
commit the crime. When he came from
the cabin in the night with the money,