The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-05-07
Life and Hereafter as Regarded
By a Chinese Woman.
WHY Ii SEE COURTED DEATH
A Tragedy and the Ethical Side of
It-A Western Crime an Eastern
Virtue-InQuest.

| Marshal A. NJ. Brown finds in the
death by opium poisoning of two Chi
nese children, with the attempt of the
mother at suicide, about the most re-
markable and peculiar case encounter
ed in the whole of his experience as
Chief of Police for the group. The
woman appears to be somewhat weak
of mind but unhesitatingly tells a
story that in dramatic setting and ac-
tion is almost without parallel even
in the fiction of tragedy. Here is the
translation of the statement of the
widow:
My name is Ii See and 1 am 80
years of age. My husband died about
ten years ago. He was a very good
man. l loved him very much and be-
cause he loved me and because L had
small feet he was very affectionate to
me. l have not forgotten him at all,
but [ have mourned for him and
taught the children to weep for him
and burn prayers for him. Nobody
else remembered to have love for him,
though he had been good to every
body.
"Since l have been a widow 1 have
lived with Aswan, who is the brother
of my husband. Aswan has been very
kind, but l have thought that he was
doing too much to care for my child
ren and myself He always gave us
clothing and food, but it cost him
much money to keep the family of his
brother 1t was too much for him to
do and 1 could not work at all and the
children were too young to help. L
worry very much because we are a
weight to Aswan, but he did not com
plan at all and he said that it was all
right.
About ten days ago, 1 think that
we had better all three die and leave
Aswan by himself, for he could not
send us to my relatives in China and
besides my relatives in China are poor.
L think of myself that it will be a good
time for us to die when the full moon
comes. l spoke to the boy and to the
girl and tell them that we had better
all go to their father and after they |
listen they say that it will be good, |
cIothe us any more at his own ex-
pense, which is too much for him to !
do in these hard times The boy and |
the girl are good to say they will do |
just what their mother advises.
Il send the boy for opium and he |
buys a little and brings it to me. l |
mixed the opium in bowl with water. |
Then 1 ask again the children if they !
their father and both of them say that |
it will be good indeed to do so. We |
dress in our good clothes and the boy |
drinks first and then the girl. And |
then right away l drink myself and |
we all lie down to sleep and die
The boy was 10 years of age and the |
girl II. Marshal Brown, who is much |
with the woman's story be- |
Iieves, from his knowledge of Chinese |
character, that she gives an account |
of the affair that is most likely absO- |
lutely correct in every detail. The !
woman told the story first to Deputy |
Marshal Chas. Chillingworth and in
repeating it to others varied very lit
tie The woman is held as a prisoner,
but the Marshal will not dispose of the
case until it is given further and the
nOSI Careful CONSIDERATION. Al Tie
police station Ii See, pale and weak,
seemed, just as she still averred she
was, quite weary of the world. She
had almost entirely recovered from
the opium stupor, but on account of
her small feet had to be assisted
about.
The inquest of the coroner, Chas.
Chillingworth as the presiding official,
was started yesterday and will be con-
cluded today. The jurors, all well
known Chinese, are: Joe Goo Kim,
Ching On. T. Kat Poo. Chu Gem, Ho
LeOng and D. L. Akwai.
Securing an educated Chinese as
translator commissioner for the Ad-
veTtiseT gained from Ii See an express
sion Of her ideas on the tragedy from
an ethical or moral standpoint. The
little wOman's Redeemed lips parted in
well-nigh a smile when asked if she
did not consider it wickedness to des-
troy her children and herself AS the
interpreter rendered it, she said: