The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-11
A Woman Execution In China for
the Murder OF Her
Husband.
The Imperial Tomb of the Minge
not In Condition for
Royalty.
A BODY Barred Twelve Years IL Turned
to Stone Other News of tho
Orient.

ohfN ihhNbIoCOs MAY ACluC IlHll OO-
vices from Hong Kong and Yokohama say:
Ma Pi-yao, the governor of Kuangsi, China.
reports in a lengthy memorial to the
Throne, a case Of triple murder committed
bya woman in P'o-pei HsieE. The woman,
whose maiden name is Chao, was married
last autumn into family named Wang,
consisting Of father and three sons who
gain their livelihood by filling the soil.
She objectsd to their poverty when her
parents made the match. When she en-
tered into the Wang family she always re-
fused to work. On several occasions her
husband, Wang Jeh-chang, reproved her
for her idleness and more than once be ad-
minlstered something stronger than kind
words. When her husband scolded or beat
her. she generally ran away to her mother.
One day she stole four hundred cash from
her husbands brother. which on being
discovered caused her husband to feel
disgraced among the peopis. On this oc-
casion, he gave her a sound thrashing
which eventually cost him his life. From
this date onward, the woman used TO wan
der nlone on the hills seeking for poison Gus
herbs. An old woman named Huang in
formed her of certain plant which is a
violent poison. OF this. therefore, she
gathered large quantity ana boiled it
down to an essence, which she mixed with
some vegetables, which she prepared for
the noon meal Of the family, when they re-
turned from the fields. Her husband, his
father and brother sat first at the table,
No sooner had they finished their meal than
they were all seized with internal pains
The other members of the family, alarmed
by the cries of pain, assembled on the
scene. The woman, knowing the severe
action of her poison, had gone to her next
door neiRhbor on pretended err
rand; upon her return. she assumed
innocence and asked what was
the matter. The DOCTORS on being sum
moned, pronounced the case homeless. and
the sufferers died about three O'Clock the
following day. The rest of the family sus-
pected W anR Jeh- -chang's wife of being the
nurderess. The case was reported to the
N agis strate, Ku Sse chang, who held all in
guest and found the verdict: poisoning.
Ihs family delivered the woman to the
maglsirate, who held lc+4s trial, and
Ing on it he referred the case to the Pro-
vincla Judge al, who after a patient in
vestigation confrme the verdict of wilful
murder, and sentenced the culprit to death
by the sicing process. The murderess was
duly executed according to the sentence of
requires that the murderer of husband
and brother be beheaded. the woman was
beheaded as we'll as sliced.
Outside the TAPPING gate of Nanking are
the imperial tonbs of the Ming dynasty.
Ihe site Is a very large one and was once
covered with palaces and other costly
buildings. When the present dynasty took
possession Of Marking. the place was kept
strictly up, Every article, even to the
bricks and tiles, were preserved Repairs
were occasionally made, and the tombs
were often visited by tourists who wished
to examine the style of the Ming dynasty,
by scholars and by lovers of antiquity. For
over 200 y ears not q human hand ever did
sacrlloge within the precincts of the walls
that surrounded so sacred place. But at
last the rebels came. In their rayages
nothing was held sacred and nothing was
spared. The tombs suffered terribly. The
palaces and the buildings were burned to
the ground. Even the walls were thrown
down. and only heaps of bricks remained.
Only the immovable stone images of men
and horses are left in solitary silerc, to
guard the remains of emperors wto once
reigned all over China. The traveller on
TINS road now sees only ruin and devasta-
acn. Pendlng the czarevltch's visit the
acting vlceroy intended to put the place
int lts former grandeur and magnificence,
as the Russian helr apparent might wish to
see the tombs. An expectant taotai and
general were despatched to examine. sur
vev and report as to the time and money
needed. They made up two plans with
sketches for the palacs and buildings One
was to restore the place entirely on mag
nihcent basis, which would cost about
100000 taeis. The other was to make
some repairs simply, which cannot be done
for less than a lskh or SO OF money. But
in nt Iarf
yLceroy expressed much regret, and the
Ming tombs will have to wait for another
visit of some imperial or royal parsonage
before having something done to them.
The stories hon Europe and America
about the bodies of buried people turned
in japan. In the Saga Prefecture there
lives one Sureyoshi kumakichi. mer-
chant. whose grandfather Sobei. born i'll
the year 1906, died in 1873 and was duly
inferred, the corpse being placed in
pine wood coffin one inch tn ok. On the
llth OF last month it became necessary,
for some unexplained reason, to remove
the body to another place. The grave was
opened for that purpose, when it was
found that about one-half of the coffin had
been decayed from i'm lmersion III water that
had drained into the grave. part of
the corpse thus exposed looked curl
ously white and undecayed and felt as
hard ns stone. The exhuming folks,
muoh astonished, removed the lid of the
tub in which the
corpse had beeh placed sitting. after the
ordinary Japanese fsshon--and saw old
Sobei just as he had appeared twelve
wears previously. the day after his death n
chaper of beads about his neck. and his
body perfectly intact, except that IL had
turned To stone, and seemed as though cut
out OF solidihed lime. After long wonder
ment, tho removal of the corpse was pro
ceeded with, but ere it could be transported |
to tho new burial ground, crowds of people
sscmbled to wtneSs tine strange spectacle,
and Su rey oshi found 1t eNpadient to give |
the neighboys n few days to satisfy their
curiosity before ie-,ntorlng the petriied |
body. Some of those who came to look are |
said to- have worshipped as If in tho face of !
a miraculous manifestation. From the |
waist downwaids the corpse was blackened |
by the action of water in the grave, but the |
upper part was quite white.
Last yearR deputy from the bureau of
tho citypoiice Of Parking mistook an iuno-
cent man Tor n thief, and using torture to
eNtract II confession caused hi, death. The
matter Wss brought by tho victims family |
TO tho notice of tho higher authorities, who
had tho deputy locked up to await M OK
smination. When ii. H. Sheu took over
The scala of the viceregal office the affair
WI 8 presented to him for decision. III. T..
ordered The deputy to be cashiersd, stripped
him OF Nll his rank by mcmorialiAing the
throne on tho otiense and handed him over