The Washington times., 1919-12-14

He declares it is one of the most
amazing recitals of police bureauc-
racy since the days Of imperial Rus
sia.
Wan has been languishing in jail
for more than ten months. Most of
that time he was not even under
Indictment. His younger brother,
Van, also imprisoned, was not even
charged with the murder. Finally
when the young student made his
voice of appeal heard through prison
walls and demanded to know why he
was neither released nor indicted,
District Attorney Laskey frankly
admitted that the police had not
turned over to him sufficient evil
dence with which to 70 before the
grand jury. Recently, rs result Of
Laskeys Investigations, the grand
jury returned an indictment of muir
der against Wan and one of forgery
against the brother. At this time
the younger man was released on
q s. 900 bail.
Hard 10 Lmpsnel Jury.
II the difficulty in securing a jury
Is any criterion the triple Chinese
murder case promises to go down In
history as . cause celebre. 1t has
taken six days and panel of nearly
800 veniremen to secure q jury of
twelve men TO pass upon the case.
Unwillingness to agree to death
penalty on circumstantial evidence
proved the great stumbling block in
IN the way of getting jurors and
self-evidems prejudice against a
confession obtained by police meth
DDS prevented dozens of others from
serving.
IL VANS lawyers succeed in
breaking down the confession evil
dence, which is admittedly the bull
wark of the prosecution, the entire
case wiHtace pkore merge into the
realm Of mystefy. mystery so BAT
fling, so-0beeure rs % AScinate the
best investigators of the eountr.
Crin Unk1swn AS Hours.
Right In the heart Of fashionable
Washington. three noted foreign edu-
Gators were done to death with such
skill and such dispatch that not a
single sound or outcry was heard
by the dozens Of residents close at
hand. At least six bullets were
fired at q time OF night when any
one would have wagered that the
sound would have attracted hun
dreds of persons to the scene Yet
the wholesale staying was not dis
covered for forty-eight hours after
the murdered men had breathed their
last, and then only by accident.
II was q Chinese acquaintance, DR..
Kong Ii, friend Of the murdered Dr.
Wong and his associates, c. II. Hsie
and Ben Sen WI. who, failing to see
signs Of life about their residence in
halorama road, opened first floor
window and walked into the hall,
only to stumble almost Immediately
over the dead body Of his friend, Dr.
Wong. Fleeing the place in fright
and alarm. he called in the police
The police found the place a verit-
able chamber of horrors. In addi-
ton to the dead man on the first
floor. the basement revealed two
more dead bodies The slayer had
left no one alive to tell the tale.
Every member OF that formerly
peaceful household had been shot
down by bullets from the same re-
volver The question is, Was it the
same hand which held the weapon
IN each and every case?
Ne Clues Found.
The most minute search Of the
place turned up almost no clue. The
revolver used was found on a table
in the basement kitchen. To further
complicate clues il turned out TO be
the property of one of the dead men
the youn gest of the trio, Ben Sen
WI For a while the police believed
the case TO be one of double Staying
and suicide. and that Ben Sen Wa
was the guilty man.
A more thorough examination OF
his frail. young body showed that he,
too, had been the victim OF an as
sassin- In addition to the bullet in
his heart, another was discovered
buried in the base of his brain.
At once 1t was apparent that ordi-
nary robbery was not the motive.
For hours the police worked In blind
alleys and with no results. Someone
with a knowledge of Oriental ways
and customs furnished the first clue
that pointed to an Oriental as the
murderer.
The faces Of both DR.. Wong and
his treasurer, Hsie, had been care
fully covered from the vulgar gaze.
No such kindly ministration had been
performed In the case OF WI. II de-
veloped that the covering of the face
of the dead is the Celestial's mark of
respect. There is no insult greater
IN Chinese traditions than to leave
the faces Of the departed to the gaze
OF the world.
Events Followed Fast
, Events came thick and fast from
that moment. DIR. Kong Ii, who dis
covered the bodies. told of a stranger
who had been a visitor at the house
Of death. Furnished with his address
In New YORK, Detective Kelly start
ed on his trau on the next train