Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-05-23
A CELESTIAL DEFALCATION.
How the Hcathen Chinese Try . ssBus,
cd" Banker
From the Idaho CITY World Anril IA

| cd" BoAkeFs
From the Idaho City World, April Is.
Quite row recently occurred among
the Chinese residents of our city, aris.
ing from the busting" of the Chinese
Bank of Deposits, belonging to the See
Yup Company. It appears that AL,
Chee-Eee Wood, and several other
prominent Cinnamon, were interested
as officers and directors in the savings
or accommodation bank alluded to, and
that Zee Wood was "boss officer,
or ut least, by virtue of bis position,
was peculiarly trusted with duties of q
responsible nature connected with the
care, safe.keeping and disbursement of
the funds of the institution, and that
under him was book keeper who was
intrusted with the delicate and i'm
portant duties pertaining to that posi-
ti0n.
About week ago it was discovered
that something was rotten in China, or
at least in the bank, and upon investi-
CATION of the safe, &C., several thou
sand dollars of the funds were missing.
The greatest excitement prevailed, and
| elimination and recrimination among
our Oriental inhabitants was the order
of the day. Fec Wood was pounced
upon as the guilty party, and his life
demanded in satisfaction of the abuse
of the trust reposed in his honor and
integrity. The bookkeeper was closely
questioned, and his accounts under.
went careful scrutiny, but nothing
duplicating Zee Wood could be discov-
cred. Finally the excited Cinnamon
a0rood kho+ * Eroo woo5 ...o.a;,. a.
the time-honored custom prescribed by
their religious teaching, would purge
himself of suspicion the matter would
rest. Accordingly, one day last week,
everything being prepared beforehand,
a delegation waited on our worthy
Dryde McC Clintock, and informed him
that certain exercises were to be gone
through with at the Chinese graveyard,
and that they desired him to be on
hand, and to look out and "see who
shot first. DrYde If course t'looked
out, and before he would allow any
Chinaman to go to the place indicated,
carefully searched those who were to
accompany him, and relieved HIM of
their artillery and pruning-knives.
ed respectful distance, and Zee Wood
and two or three of his accusers re-
paired with Dryde to the cemetery,
where all the graves of defunct Mon
golians were found lit up with wax
tapers and adorned with slips of paper.
The oath of innocence, which was i'm
printed in Chinese characters on a
piece of paper, and was spread upon o
grave and fastened down with sticks,
and Fee Wood, prostrating himself
recording to their peculiar religious
belief, went through all manner of gen.
Infections, signs and tokens, and then
seizing q white rooster, provided for
the occasion, he took cleaver and
severed its head from it's body. The
ceremony through with, Sheriff Nc
. intock, by request, dug hole md
therein the dead rooster, the
used to cut off it's head, and
l paper on which was written the oath
IF exculpation, which were then covered
with dirt OF buried. Dryde said he
had to perform the duties of sexton, as
not one of the Cinnamon would touch
The dead chicken or assist in the burial
Of it. The ceremony is said be one,
Of a very solemn nature with the Chi.
nese, but it appears that in this in
stance it has not satisfied them. Some
Of them openly declare that Zee Wood
has falsely sworn, and one of them re.
I" me think he die belly soon."
We are informed that some of the most
obstrepor0us of his c0untrymen are
making up o pony purse to pay some
to assassinate Zee Wood, but
whether it is true or not. we can't say.
should it be done, the hired assassin
would probably be summarily dealt
With, regardless of the formalities of
aw, az Fee Wood is one of the leading
Cinnamon of this camp, and his own
rlends would probably not abide the
AVIS delay. We don't know whether
he decapitated chicken has
'een resurrected or not, but as we
earn it was fat one, some of the ir-
everent boys are losers by not being
ware of the ceremonies.