Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1896-03-20
First stabbed HIS Victim to the Heart
With Big Knife Cause OF
the Tragedy.
spokane, wash. March 4

One OF the most horrible murders
ever committed in Spokane occurred at
$50 last evening In III Gees big Chi
nese Joint" on First avenue, opposite
No. fire station.
Chin Pong, large Chinaman whom
the other Cinnamon all despise and
fear. literally chopped Leo Tung,
small Chinaman against whom he had
a grudge, to pieces with a Ratchet,
or two hatchets. rather. as he used two
at once, one in each hand. Before chop
ping his victim to pieces with the
hatchets he had stabbed him to the
heart two or three times with large
butcher knife.
After killing Lee Tung, Chin Pong
went backto his room and cut his
throat with Manaller knife. He only
gave hisyffff6At One slash and did not
sever the jugular, and it is thought he
will recover. It Is believed he did not
intend to kill himself, but inflicted the
wound on his throat in order to make
the authorities believe Lee Tung did it,
and that he was compelled to kill him
in self-defense. He told officer Hern-
don, who was the first to arrive on the
scene, that Lee Tung cut him, but this
was disproved by several Cinnamon
who were present, who said that Lee
pi1Eg was unarmed.
The first news Of the tragedy was
stelephoned to police headquarters from
the fire station across the street. Of
ficer Herndon jumped on his wheel and
was the first officer to arrive. He was
shown up stairs into what proved to be
a veritable slaughter pen. There was
no light in the hall, where the murder
occurred, and the officer struck a
match when he reached the head of the
stairs
There lay Lee Tung, breathing his
last, amid q scene of carnage that was
awful The murdered mans head was
literally hacked to pieces, the skull be-
ing split wide open in several places,
on the top and on the left side, which
was the side exposed to the murderer
after his victim had fallen over on his
right side from the force of the blows
on the top of his head, being then par"
TALLY dead.
Lee Tung was covered with blood
from head to foot, and his left hand
was almost cut in two across the palm.
The blood was standing in pools on the
floor. The officer proceeded at once
to the room occupied by Chin Pong.
He was lying on his bunk, the blood
streaming from the cash across his
throat. He at once informed the Of
ficer that Lee Tung had inflicted the
injury.
A physician was summoned and Chin
Pong was sent to the hospital BY this
time Lee Tung was dead. Both the
murderer and the murdered man were
released from the county jail Friday
night. They had served a term of go
days for fighting on the same Identical
spot where the tragedy of last night oc-
CURED. On that occasion Chin Pong
had gone into Lee lungs room and as
saulted him with q club. Lee seized
case knife and made pass at his as
sailant, cutting deep cash in his head.
Both were arrested and sent to the
county jail
Several Cinnamon witnessed last
nights tragedy, in the dimly lighted
hall, and the following is the account
of the murder as gathered from them
Lee Tung and Chin Pong occupied ad-
joining rooms. Lee went down stairs to
get pail of water. Chin was watching
for him from his own door.
When Lee came back with the water
and started to pass Chin's door the lat
ter stepped out and confronted him with
large butcher knife. Lee dropped the
bucket and started to run back toward
the head of the stairs. Chin ran after
him and caught him, and plunged the
knife two or three times into his breast.
Lee sank down on the floor, with his
back against the wall. Chin left him
and ran back to his room, where he
got two hatchets and came back. Two
or three Cinnamon who were in the
hall, and who had unsuccessfully tried
to stop him when he was after Lee with
the knife. stood in the way and tried to
prevent him from assaulting his help
less victim with the harchets.
Chin raised the hatchets threatening-
ly. and the other Cinnamon stood aside.
He then attacked Lee, and did not de-
sist until he had chopped his head to
pieces. 1t is presumed Lees hand was
cut by the knife, which he grabbed hold
of when it was plunged into his breast.
After completing his work, Chin went
back to his room. Some one told him
he had killed Lee, and he then said he
would kill himself. He called out to an
other Chinaman to write a letter to his
cousin in San Francisco, and then pick
ed up a short, keen-bladed knife and
drew it across his throat, This knife
was afterwards found on the shelf of a
low cupboard, where he had thrown it..
The body of the murdered Chinaman
was taken to Gilman's undertaking
rooms, where it will probably be visited
today by as many persons as yesterday
called to see the body of the dead burg
lar Chin is said to be San Francisco
highlander.
The trouble that led up to the murder
originated over a trivial affair. Chin
Pong was writing New Years cards,
and Lee commented unfavorably on his
penmanship. This made Chin mad. He
said since Lee had said he wrote badly
he would have bad luck the entire year.
This started the trouble. and Chin brood
ed over It until he finally entered Lees