Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-14
WAN Jury PICKED,
TRIAL UNDER WAY
Gordon Opens Prosecution OF
Chinese Student, Charging
WiIlfuI Murder.

The second trial Of Zians Sun Wan.
! charged with frst-degree murder In
| the death Of Ben Sen WI of the
! Chinese Educati Onal Mission. at 2223
! kalorama road. January 20, 1919. got
under way in Criminal Division, No.
! ., today when the selection OF
| jury, after three days of eNamlna-
| ton of talesmen, was completed ana
! the presentation of the Government
| opening statement started by United
| States Attorney Peyton Gordon.
The selection of a jury was ac-
| cOmplished shortly before noon after
| IL talesmen had been excused either
by the court or The prosecution and
! defense on peremptory challenges.
Mai Gordon, for the prosecution,
| twice announced contentment with
the jury ii then was constituted
shortly after court opened, but Will
ton J. Lambert. chief defense coun-
sci. continued TO exercise his chal-
lenSes until he was satisfied with
the II men in whose hands the fate
of the young Chinese student rests.
When the jury was completed. Mr..
Lambert had one challenge left, while
the Government had three still To
he used.
Jury Then Sworn.
Gordon arose 10 present the case
which he expects to prove by about 30
witnesses to be introduced for the
Government. Taking position before
the IL men and speaking in calm
low voice. the prosecuting attorney
outlined the case as follows:
The defendant is indicted for muir
der in the first degree and on four
counts We are concerned only with
the fourth count. which Is that the de
PENDANT deliberately and with malice
killed Ben Sen WI. January %. 1919.
by shooting. The body was discovered
January 81, with two bullet holes. one
in the head and one in the chest. Two
other bodies We're found in the ba Sc
ment of 2023 kalorama road. head
quarters of the Chinese Educational
Mission and used as Offices and resi-
dences Of the Co-mission.
The mission was sent over from
China to assist young Chinese TO get
an education in this country. Dr.
| Theodore r. Wong was the director.
c. H. Hsie was the secretary and
treasurer and Ben Sen Wa was the
clerk.
Out Of Funds and Work.
Wan. the defendant. had been the
guest of Mr.. WI for the week pre-
! ceding the homicide. Wan came here
from Shanghai in 1915 to get an edu-
cation. In September, 1918, he re-
ceived $4,000. which he deposited in
the United States Mortgage and Trust
Co. of New York City. He used this
I in the movie business in Brooklyn,
paving 81 900 cash and giving note
for $500. This was unsuccessful. and
he lost all he had in November. He
was in debt. out of funds. out Of work
and seeking employment.
He received an invitation to spend
Christmas holiday here with Wa,
but did not come here until January
30. 1919. He had received check for
$50 on January 10, from Wa and cash
ed it at a trust company. He arrived
| here as guest of WI and remained
until the eth. announcing he was go
ing to return to New York. Mr., WI
then gave him "A check for $40. In
stead OF going TO New York. he regis
| tered at the Harris Hotel near the
Union Station. He sent telegram
to his brother, Van. in New York. re-
questing he come to Washington. This
! was sent al minutes after u o'clock
on the nth.
-Four hours later he again tee-
raphed his brother To give up all his
business and come at once.
Arrived Immediately.
Van arrived before midnight and
was seen to go to the Harris Hotel.
The day before Wan, the defend
ant, left the mission house, he APP
peared at second story window and
called to furnace man on the
street telling him he need not attend
to the furnace for the next three
or four days az all were going to
New York.
"A Chinese student living across
the street, named kang Ii. went to
| the mission house on the 10Th at I
| pm. and the bell was answered by
| the defendant, who was I'm street
| clothes. Ii inquired for DR.. Wong
| and was told he was out. He then
asked for Hsei and WI. but the de-
| PENDANT said they all were out. WI
| and Hsei We're students at George
| Washington University, WI attend
| ing daily from to s, and Hsei every
| other evening. On this particular
evening WI dined with two Chinese
at the Oriental Cafe on Pennsylvania
| avenue. He left at pm. and they
accompanied him to Fourteenth and
+ streets. where he took Mount
| Pleasant car. stating he was going
| home. That was the last seen of him
| alive.
DIR. Wong and Hsei dined from s
until 10 pm. at the Mankin Restau-
rant, on Ninth street. Wong left with
! one Of the party and took a Mount
/ Pleasant car at Ninth and + streets
/ He dropped off at Connecticut and
| Florida avenues and accompanied his
| friend to the Cordova Apartment and
| babe him good night, and started
| toward the mission. That was the
| last time he was seen alive. Hsei
accompanied his guest in the neigh
| bOrhood of the educational mission,
| q little after 10 O'Clock. The bodies
of these three were found in the
mission.
Wan Goes to Union Station.
Wan. the defendant, was seen to
enter the elevator at the Harris
Hotel January 30. The next morning
he and his brother Van went to the
Union Station, employed a taxicab
and Van directed they be driven to
Fifteenth and Pennsylvania avenue
| The car stopped on the west side OF
Fifteenth street, in front of the Amer.
! lean Security and Trust Co. and Van
! got out, leaving the defendant in the
car. He went towards Pennsylvania
| avenue and the cabman accompan
him to the door Of Riggs Bank. He
| entered and was there half an hour
or more.
| van p'escHleu To the paying teller.
| Mr.. Dent check drawn on the
official fund Of the mission to pay to
the bearer $1,000. The check was re
ported to have been signed by Wong
] and Hsei
! ''fhe paying teller becam suspicious
and compared the signatures with
| those on Cancelled checks. Van nro.
| duced a letter on the missions sta.
| ti0nery requesting the bank to pay
this check to the bearer. Dent, being
| uncertain, called the educational mis-.
| sion. but got no response
HE took it up with Mr.. Eass, vice