The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1869-08-27
Curious Illustration of Chinese Super.
StitiOn.

The Shanghai News Letter says the fol-
lowing story has obtained large credence
among the Chinese recently, and is inter
esting as showing the ease with which the
Chinese mind grasps superstition:
at appears that sometime since man
and his wife, who together opened bean
shop in the city of Tai-tsan, some forty
miles distant from Shanghai, had do
mestic imbroglio, which resulted at
length in the death of the husband by suf-
location, which the wife by combination
of means effected. The body was con-
cealed for long time, coffin provided,
and at suitable hour in the night, was
placed on board boat and sent to a GER
tain place in the canal and sunk, large
milestone from their bean shop being
used for the purpose. A few nights after
the city magistrate was awakened from
his slumbers by fearful noise, as of some
one beating on the Distress Drum at
the entrance of his Yamen. Next morn
ing inquiries were made, but no one
seemed to have heard the alarms but him
self The night after it was heard again,
but no person was seen. The third night
watchman was stationed to observe
what took place. The noise came again,
but on being questioned by the mag
iStrate, the watchman said it was the
soind. Go and arrest the wind, then, he
said, and forthwith issued a warrant for
the apprehension of the disturber. The
man charged Herewith protested his in
ability to accomplish such a task, how
ever, but departed on his rambles and
allowed the wind to snatch his warrant
from him and dash it into the canal Fol
lowing close after, he secured it again,
and bore it all wet to the mandarin, and
told him that the wind had taken refuge
in the water. Where? exclaimed the ex-
cited button; 60 forthwith, and dig him
out. Away went the man again, armed
and equipped for a contest, this time with
both the flung (wind) and shut (water).
He prObed and eXerted himself but a
short while, before discovering its refuge
twas curious something, but on being
hauled up to light was found to be coffin,
containing a dead man and weighted
down by q mill stone The mandarin came
and held an inquest no marks of violence
were discovered, but all the circumstances
were so suspicious that the mandarin at
once, taking the milestone as an index,
ordered search for the perpetrators. A
bean-shOp was soon found, and woman
in mourning for her husband, and as the
other stone of the pair was wanting in its
place in the mill, and no satisfactory ac-
count could be given of it, a comparison
was instituted by producing the one found
attached to the coffin. No evasion could
satisfy the officer that she was not the per-
petrator of the foul deed, so mysteriously
communicated to him in the watches of the
night by the spirit of the departed She
was arrested and dragged to prison, there
to await sentence, which, according to
Chinese law, is decapitation. The above
has recently traspired, and obtains large
credence among the ignorant Chinese II
is on such slender threads that the great
superstition flung shut hangs, and not un,
frequently by such reports that a mandarin
succeeds in bringing himself into notoriety
and securing prOmOtion."