The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1875-05-29 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

THE MURDER OF MR. MARGARY.  From Hong-Kong the mail has brought news to the 15th of April. The papers give some additional details respecting Mr. Margary's murder and the- action taken in that matter by Mr. Wade, the British Minister at Peking. The China Mail says : A Peking correspondent of the Courier thus tells the story :—"The true, i.e. official, version of the massacre is as follows. Mr. Margary, accompanied by his teacher and two boys, had ridden on about an hour ahead in order to make arrangements at what he supposed to be a friendly Yamen. On arriving at the door he was admitted without difficulty or delay, and as soon as he had got inside he was seized by order of the mandarin, bound, and summarily. decapitated. The same outrage was then perpetrated upon his followers, and the four bleeding heads stuck in a row upon the city wall. Two or three thousand soldiers—at least so runs the story, here, however, palpably exaggerated—then went to attack the rest of the party ; but it appears that they got scent ~cif something wrong, made a running fight of it, and escaped • across the frontier. Two of the black servants were wounded, though not dangerously. The version given by the North China • Daily News adds that the rest of the party escaped with the loss of all their effects, but that three of the Europeans were wounded. What makes the murder additionally atrocious is the factlhat the mandarin who ordered the execution was the brother of one who had shown Mr. Margary much kind. ness in former years. It is also noteworthy that, in a letter to Mr. Medhurst of the 28th of January, recording his safe arrival at Bhamo, Mr. Margary mentions this very town of Manwyne, which by the way is a town in Yunnan at the foot of the Kakyen Pass, where he is said to have been murdered, as a locality where he had spent a week in comparative quiet and enjoyment, while his man Liu went in advance to communicate with Colonel Browne, at Bhamo. The attack is stated to have happened near Momein, in the Chinese jurisdiction of Teng-yuela-chow. Teng-yuch-chow, says the News, is a town duly mastered in the " Tsin-shen," or Chinese Civil List, as a residence of a " Ting" magistrate under the prefecture of Yung-chang foo, in the province of Yunnan. Taking the whole of the circumstances together, there can be little doubt that the murder was, in every sense of the word, official. Mr. Wade, as we previously understood, has, it seems, taken up the matter very warmly, even going so far as to threaten to haul down his flag unless immediate steps . in satisfaction were taken by the Chinese. An interview was held with Prince Kung on the 24th of March, in whilh it was promised that all demands would be complied with Mr. Medhurst, H. B M.'s Consul at Shanghai, has received a despatch from Mr. Wade, dated the 31st of Marcia. confirming the news of Mr. Margary's death, and stating that passports had been obtained to enable two English officers, accompanied by a Chinese official, to proceed to Yunnan to investigate the affair; and Prince Kung has given a positive assurance that no one accused of participation in the outraee shall be sentenced until the officers sent by Mr. Wade shall have an opportunity of hearing the evidence against them. The China Mail, in its summary of news, states that Admiral Ryder has-proceeded to Peking to support Mr. Wade's demand respecting the murder of Mr. Margary. It is stated that China has agreed to pay 150,0U0 taels to Ar. Mar,gary's family, and that a Commission of one Chinese and two British Comular officers will immediately proceed to Yunnan to bring the guilty parties to justice.