The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-01-11

Campbell, surgeon to the English
Hospital at Ming Pc. there hang
many scrolls and tablets which have
been presented to him by grateful pa
tents whom he has relieved OF sick
ness and disease. The most highly
priced OF them all is the one which
hangs directly over the mantel and
bears the inscription in golden char
acters:
He gives his skill and wisdom
To save the lives of men"
1t is a painting on silk, by one Of
the famous old artists of the early
days. and consists of a Chinese land
scape, with a venerable white bearded
figure in the foreground and a water
fall and cloudy mountains in the back
Just how It came to be presented to
the doctor and just how his skill once
saved a human life. is one Of the most
curious and interesting of the many
experiences he has had in his Eastern
life.
The Hong Kong Daily Press" Of a
date not SO many years ago, contained
the following item:
REGRETABLE INCIDENT IN THE
COLONY.
I'VE are sorry to have to record the
killing of a British seaman by some
of the mourners in a funeral party
yesterday. All the particulars are not
yet at hand, but as far as can be as
certained at present, it seems that
Hugh Mclean. an able bodied seaman
of H. NJ. collier Ben Lomond,' at
tempted to cross the funeral process
sion of our esteemed citizen. Mr.. TAX
Hoy Gate compradore of the Ming Pc
Rice Company and stumbling against
the carriers of one of the banners. was
knocked down and beaten or choked to
death before he could be rescued.
THE jin-rik- sha coolie who was
pulling him escaped and gave the
alarm and all the parties concerned
were apprehended by the police. who
are giving the case their careful in
vestigation. Such unfortunate occur
rences were not unknown in the early
days of the white mans residence here
but it has been many years since any
thing So serious has happened to dis
turb our usual friendly relations with
our Chinese citizens. We trust that
on investigation it will be found that
there was some misapprehension on
the part of the funeral party and that
there was really no intention on their
part of inf1icting fatel injuries"
We'll, Brownlow." said Inspector
Wallace to his Assistant, the following
evening, as they were going over the
case at Headquarters, what have we
got SO far? You see. it's a little diff
ferent from a merchant vessel; this
was a naval collier and SO the officers
and sailors on the station are all
stirred up about it and swear they'll
have justice done and all that sort of
thing"
Yes, old Collins the skipper stopped
me on Queens Road this morning and
said it was one Of the most brutal
murders he had ever heard Of. and, in
his opinion. they ought to hang the
whole funeral gang as he called
them
What did you get out Of the rik-sha
man? I suppose. as usual, he was SO
scared he wouldn't say a word %
NO, Sir, he Gained down all right
after we assured him they weren't go
ing to harm him and gave US the story
all straight. It was just this way: you
see, they were marching along with
Bongs and firecrackers and all that sort
pf thing, and about twenty coolies were
"arrying the big long life box with
Did TAX Hoy in it. when they reached
the cross-road down beyond the Happy
Valley. Mclean had hired the coolie
to pull him all over the island on q
kind of a spree and he turned up there
Just as the chaps carrying the silk
banner, In front OF the coffin got there!
and, as he cried Get across quick,
joint the coo1ie tried to pass in front
Of the box and of course they bumped
into each other and then the trouble
began. The rik-sha upset and the
banner fell down and then the pro-
cession all stopped and they piled on
top of the sailor and beat him and
yelled all sorts Of curses at him-you
know how superstitious they are about
crossing a funeral-and then, not con-
tent with that. they rammed sand
down his throat and choked him to
death. Now that's the plain truth of
it, Sir. I don't suppose they really
intended to kill him, but when they
get wild and excited like that, they're
as bad as the Malays running amuck,
and they don't stop to think Of the
consequences
Can you find out exactly who did
the choking"
You see, Sir. we've questioned close
ty the boX-bearers ana they ali agree
and this is the strangest part OF II
ALL Sir-that 1t was old TAX Hoy's own
son. It seems he's a kind Of half
witted chap, that's only been down
here from the Ming Pc country a short
time"
II suppose he felt It his duty to
avenge the insult to his dead father,
didn't he? That seems TO be the Chi
mace idea