Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-12-15
ASSERTS WAN SLEW
TO RECOUP LOSSES.
Assistant U. S. Attorney
Laws Outlines Prosecutions
Case in Murder Trial.

The motive for the triple murder
at the Chinese educational mission,
2O23 Kalorama road, January last was
the desire of Ziang Sung Wan.
young Chinese student. to recoup
financial losses which he had sus-
tanned in an attempt to run moving
picture house in Brooklyn. N. Y. This
was the statement made today by AS
sistant United States Attorney Laws.
who outlined the testimony which the
government expects to offer IN an at
tempt to prove by circumstantial evil
dence that Wan il guilty of the muir
der of Ben Sen WI, an assistant at
| the mission, fer whose death the
| young student is on trial before JUS
! tice Gould and jury In criminal
Division J.
! Wan is also under indictment for the
killing of Dr. Theo r. Wong. director
| of the mission, and of {. III. Hsle. It's
| secretary.
Governments Theory OF Case.
| The governments claim as to the
enactment of the tragedy, as outlined
by Mr. Laws, is that Wan came from
New York to visit at the mission. and
during the absence of the three OH
/ Gals determined to forge the names
| of DR.. Wong and Mr.. Hsie to check
! for 5000, from the proceeds of which
he expected to cover his losses.
| Wan killed WI, it was claimed by
Mr.. Laws. and then lay in waiting
| for the others. WI had returned
! about $50 o'clock and it was nearly
| 10 o'clock before Mr.. Hsie arrived.
After disposing Of the second victim,
| it is claimed. Wan awaited the ar
rival of Dr. Wong. with whom. it is
| supposed, he had struggle before ac-
complishing his purpose.
Defendant Loses Point.
| The indictment against Wan is in
four counts. charging the murder in
various ways. At the converting of
court this morning Attorney James A.
made a motion that the court require
the government to choose on which
count it would go to the jury. Justice
Gould, after inspecting the Indictment,
| overruled the motion. The defense
| noted an exception to the ruling.
First Witness Called.
The first witness offered by the
| She said she conducts a rooming house
at 313 West 10TH street, New York
city, and had among her roomers the
accused and his brother, Van.
| She told how the accused had lived
| for some time at her home except for
| a short period in the fall of 1918, when
| he ran a moving picture house in
Brooklyn. He returned to her house
! after the failure of this venture. wit
ness said, and continued to reside
| there until the detectives came. with
the exception of about a week in
January last. She declared that Wan,
| the accused, left New York for Wash
| ington January %. and on the follow
ing Monday and Tuesday the younger
brother, Van, who had remained at
her house, received kilograms from
| Washington.
| In response to these messages, wit
ness testified, Van left New York
Aanuary %. the night before the homi-
v1ides. The witness told of the return
'of the brothers to her house January
80 and of the visits of Detectives
| Burlingame and Kelly, with whom
Wan returned to Washington Febru-
airy 1.
| At the conclusion of the opening
! statement of Mr.. Laws, counsel for the
| accused reserved the opening state
ment for the defense until the COM
! pletion Of the governments case.