MURDER OF A BRIDE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 49, Issue 50, 10 December 1928, Page 5

MURDER OF A BRIDE

SENSATIONAL STORY.

CHINESE CRIME IN BRITAIN. INCIDENT IN TONG WARFARE. (United Press Association—Copyright.) LONDON, December 8. A startling story of the murder of the bride of a Chinese named Miao, the motive for which was not revealed at the dramatic trial, is published in the "Daily Express" from an exceptionally reliable source. The statements were all carefully investigated, and have been borne out by all the ascertainable facts. Chung Yi Miao was executed yesterday. The statement is that the grim tragedy was an incident in the deadly Tong warfare that is rife in China, and that Miao strangled his bride in obedience to the Tong's orders. Two mysterious Chinese were repeatedly mentioned at the trial, and several independent witnesses gave evidence that they saw such meni in the district, but there was undoubted evidence that Miao was the pei-petrator of the deed. The facts, as related in the "Express," show that the girl was of a high class. She had received a Western education and was the daughter of wealthy parents, and had managed her father's exhibits at Wembley. She was a frequent visitor to London night clubs. At the conclusion of the Wembley Exhibition she proceeded to China, where she met Miao, the son of a wealthy Chinese Government officer, who had returned from Chicago. His education appealed to the girl and they were constantly in each other s company at Hong Kong. Later the girl joined Miao in Chicago. Miao was a member of a (powerful Chinese Tong and was horrified to learn in Chicago that the girl's father was an enemy of his Tong. ■,'■.* +W Miao was summoned berore tne Chicago members of the Tong and was instructed that he had been specially selected to carrv out vengeance. He was bound to obey—he protested, but the Tong wore down his resistance. Miao gave his reluctant consent and eventually quietly married the girl. They then secretly left Chicago tor London, in the hope of avoiding the Tong, but two Tong members were ordered to watch their movements, and! traced them to the English Lake disTho facts strangely square up the evidence at the trial, where the absence of motive was stressed most strongly. Chung Yi Miao, a Chinese law student, was sentenced to death on October 24 for strangling his wifo at Borrowdale, in the Lake district, during their honeymoon last June. Miao heatedly protested his innocence after sentence but Mr Justice Humphreys intimated that ho believed the .verdict to be right. Summing up, the Judge said that It was evident that the murderer had staged the affair. The clothes of the woman were torn, suggesting outrace, but there was no sign of a bruise on the body. He added that Miao was an extremely clever man, who always had a ready answer. The defence suggested that two Easterners, either Chinese or Japanese murdered the woman for the jewels she carried worth £3OOO The Crown, however, showed that the Orientals were not within three miles of the scene of the murder.