The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-06-29
THE CHICKEN OATH.
Unusual Ceremony in q Court
of Justice.
SWEARING BY THE LIGHT"
Truthful Testimony Secured From Chin
amen by = Solemn Function
Fear OF Wandering Ghosts.

An event of unusual interest took place
| in the municipal court yesterday after
noon during the trial OF Chin Chew on the
charge Of assaulting and robbing Chin Gee
Long in the Wa Chong block June Is. The
truth was obtained through the assistance
of ]. +. Gardner. the missionary. who
speaks Chinese as fiuently as he does
English, and who is well known on the
Pacific coast as having been Chief OF Police
CrOwley's right bower in breaking up he
San Francisco organized hlghbinders.
Mr.. Gardner introduced the chickens
head oath" under which no Chinauan
dares tell an untruth under penalty OF be-
coming a walking ghost, the greatest OF
Chinese horrors. The binding effect of
the oath may be judged by the action of
the defendants principal witness, who
arose aud declared that he would not
swear by the chicken head for SO, 600,
and Immediately left the court.
Clerk Crawford learned that Mr.. Gard
ner, who is now living at Victoria, was in
the city in connection with the Lee Fook
Bow case, and persuaded him to appear in
the municipal court as interpreter in the
case previously mentioned.
The defendants, Chin Chew and Chin
Dong. demanded separate hearings. and il
was decided 10 proceed with the case of the
former. Mr.. Gardner was first sworn as
interpreter and then as witness to testify
to the oath necessary to bind Chinaman
to tell the truth. Mr.. Gardner told the
court how the truth was extracted in
China from witnesses. He said there were
three methods in vogue. one called swear
ing by the light which consists in burn
ing a paper at the same time repeating
the oath; the second was breaking sau-
Ger, but the best and most binding con-
sisted IN having the witness cut off a
rooster chickens head. at the same time
taking an oath calling on all the gods they
know to curse them. their children and
their children's children if they fasify.
Judge Glasgow inquired why it was that
the oath was specially binding and Mr..
Gardner replied that Cinnamon think a
great deal of being honored after death.
According to the oath not only they die if
they falsify, bnt their children and their
chiidren's children. This leaves no one to
worship them and they become wandering
ghosts, the most horrible thing a China
man can think OF. Once in a great while a
Chinaman win falsify, but as rule not
one out of ten. He then spoke of a case in
British Columbia where Chinaman took
the oath, falsified and in less than q month
died from worrirnent.
Chm Gee Long. the prosecuting witness,
was anxious to have the oath admin
istered, but Chin Chew, the defendant. re-
fused absolutely to take 1T. 1t was discoy-
cred that All Kim, the states important
witness was missing and Detective Cor
bett was sent after him with a bench war
rant. In the meantime tall smallpox
SCARED Chinaman, who had been called
by the defense. arose and informed Mr..
Gardner that he would not take the oath
proposed for $40, 900, and then stating that
he knew nothing of the case left the room.
After the detective returned with All
Kim Mr.. Gardner said it was necessary TO
administer the oath in the open air, so the
prosecuting witness All Kim and All Gar,
another states witness, were taken into
the alley at the back of the city hall and
the ceremony performed. All Kim didn't
want to swear. but finally concluded he
would. Chickens were brought forth. josh
sticks lighted. oaths written IN Chinese
characters on long strips of paper and
knives with keen edges. The oaths were
taken separately, but without variance of
manner. The Chinaman took the chicken
in his hands and as he cut its neck re-
peateu the oatn. lhen ne burned the
paper and ate some kind of Chinese food.
After everything was over and the chick
ems all killed the defendant suddenly came
TO the conclusion that he was not afraid to
take the oath. 1t was not given to him,
however. as he will have an opportunity
today
Chin Long told his story of how Chin
Chew entered his room and hit him with
an iron bar, then robbed him of $50. Mr..
Gardner translated SO rapidly from one
language to the other that the story did
not take long. When All Kim took the
stand it was different. He tried to evade
direct answers. but was in SO much fear of
telling an untruth under his oath that he
would finally admit after ten minutes
questioning what he could have answered
in five seconds. In the end he admitted
seeing man leaning over Chin Longs
body and man at the door of the room,
and also to hearing cries, Save life, save
life" befor he reached the scene of the
trouble. He was sure the men were
Cinnamon. but when il came 10 Identify
ing Chin Chew positively as one OF them
he hesitated and said the room was dark
and he was very uncertain. 1t took an
hour and half 10 get the bare truth.
minus any voluntary statements. Finally
he told the court through Mr.. Gardner
that he had told the prosecuting witness
that he did NOS want 10 testify, as his lie
would be in danger, and that the bes.
thing FOR the prosecuting witness to do
was TO drop the case. At this point Judge
glasgow adjourned court until this
morning