A FATAL HONEYMOON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20130, 15 December 1928, Page 2 (Supplement)

A FATAL HONEYMOON.

THE STRANGLED BRIDE.

CHINESE HUSBAND'S CRIME.

DEATH SENTENCE PASSED.

I DID NOT KILL MY WIFE."

With tho protest on his lips, "If this Is my last moment, I did not kill my wife," a young Chinaman of culture and talent was sentenced to death at Carlislo about six weeks ago for tho murder of liis Chinese br:do of six weeks. From Christian marriago .in America they came, on. honeymoon in England, and in the wild, rugged beauty of the lakes and fells ho strangled her with string and picture cord. The motive tho Crown Submitted was possession of tho woman's' costly jewels, for she inherited' greai wealth , from her father, and her life had been one of luxury. Against a formidable chain ; of circumstantial evidenco the accused, bridegroom went into the witness-box and solemnly swore that ho was innocent of tho murder. Ho suggested that his wife was waylaid in his absence, killed for tho rings she wore, and carried to tho isolated spot whero.tiio body was found. Jewels from the East—wonderful pearls, 'diamond rings, amethysts, rubies, jades dazzled tho eves of tho crowded court. .Valued at nearly £4OOO, these gems, nestling in a little brown leather case, played an important part in this drama. I" 1 " portant both for tho prosecution and for the defence, they entered as silent'witnesses into tho trial of Chung Wi ; Miao, aged 27, a" graduate of- Doctor of Laws at Chicago University. •; • - '; ~ Chung \Vi Miao was charged with wilfully murdering, by strangulation, VVai Cheung Miao, aged 29, his wife, and the daughter of a rich Chineso mandarin, . - ■ • Love at First Sight.' " ' • Prisoner smiled and bowed to judge anil jury, and, in quite good English, entered a formal plea of "Not guilty. Miao, with his sallow faco and raven hair, brushed back over his forehead, is a typical-looking modern Chinaman of high degree, and obviously a man of talents. For six years ho was a law student' in the United States, with an allowance of £4O a .week from his father in China. He graduated at Columbia University, and took the degree of doctor of laws. ■ It was while studying for the law in 'America that Miao met Miss Wai Cheung Siu, who was one of 22 children, and the daughter of her father's principal wifo. He had five wives and died four years ago. He was a wealthy merchant, who 'possessed an almost priceless collection oi antiques and jade at Macao, a Portuguese island near Hongkong. Sho was called to his deathbed when she was attending the'Empiro Exhibition, at which she had charge of some of her father's antiques. After his death-, as the eldest daughter, sho was appointed trustee of 'the fortune. Her share of the family estato was not less than £2O,(XX). The murdered' woman had been undergoing a course of instruction at a teachers' college in New York, and it had been her intention to dispose of somo portion of her jewellery, believed to havo been worth nearly £SOOO, in order to facilitate the distribution ol her father's-estate among the .family. It was a case of love at first sight, and a few months later they were married in the Protestant Episcopal Church in New York. During a visit to England in connection with tho Empire Exhibition, where her father, one of tho threo Chineso Commissioners, showed a priceless collection of porcelain, Miss Wai Cheung Siu formally changed her faith and embraced the Christian religion. J Fifth Week of the Honeymoon. . Miss Siu, or Mrs. Wai Miao, as sho became, suggested an English honeymoon, and her husband, who had not been to this country, agreed. On.May 12 tho couplo were married, and following an American tour, they arrived in Glasgow h from Montreal on Juno 11. From Glasgow they went to Edinburgh, and on Juno ' 18 turnod up at the Borrowdale Gates v Hotel, at Grange, one of the picturesque •• spots in the Cumberland Lake Country. The day following, and in the fifth week of her honeymoon, the wealthy little Chines© wife—sho was not moro than five feet high—was found by a farmer 1 ' strangled near a footpath in a fissure of y ' rocks, 50ft. from the edge of the River Dehvent, and about 130 ft. from tho highWay. Mr. J. E. Singleton, K.C., who, with r Mr. Maxwell Fyfe, prosecuted, said that '' three pieces of cord, or string, had boeri 1 tied tightly round tho woman's neck, and • counsel dwelt on tho fact that, in addition to the valuable jewels with which sho - travelled, she had a letter of credit, issued f in America, for about £2OOO. In Glasgow '' she obtained an exchange slip for £387, which she subsequently cashed for £137, and a travelling letter of credit for £250 in favour of both herself and her husband. Discovery of the Body. ')■ The dead woman, Mr. Singleton went on, was passionately fond of displaying her jewellery, and when sho arrived ai, Uorrowdale she woro on her left hand two romarkably fine diamond rings—ono a. diamond and platinum wedding ring, and! the other her engagement ring. When tho -murder was discovered, it was found that tho glove from the woman's loft hand had been pulled off, her fingers were bruised, anil the rings were not there. On the day of tho crime prisoner and his wife loft the hotel together in the afternoon. Tho woman wore a valuable fur coat, and several people noticed them ■walking along the countryside. At 2.3(J they were seen by Mr. and Mrs. Fairbank near a memorial fountain. No ono, • however, apparently saw the unfortunate woman alive after that hour. At four o'clock Chung Wi Miao was noticed walking alone carrying a camera, going in the direction of Borrowdalo Gates Hotel. Here, at five o'clock, ho had ten, explaining that his wifo had gone to Keswick, four miles away, to buy somo warmer underclothing for herself and some medicine for him. Later that night, his wifo not having returned, prisoner went to bed. At 7.45 tho body, with an open brown umbrella over tho head, was discovered, "" find about 11 o'clock Inspector Graham called at the hotel and saw prisoner in bed. " What do you want mo for ?" Miao asked. When told what had been found, accused just asked whether his wifo had certain underclothing on, and also her necklaco and rings. Formally charged with murder, Minn replied: " No," and shook his head violently. In a subsequent search of tho luggage, no key could bo found for the locked jewel • case. Over Fifty Crown Witnesses. A subsequent examination of tho contents of a black bag belonging to Miao jeVealed a bunch of seven keys in tho folds of a dress shirt. One of those keys fitted tho jdwel case. Tho fwo valnablo and ■missing diamond rings dropped out of two used spools of camera films. Tho suggestion of tho prosecution was that those rings wero pulled off the (load wife's hand after prisoner had strangled her, and then placed in the film cartons, where •" they woro found by tho merest accident. Over fifty witnesses were called to support tho case for tho Crown, but it was '• not until Inspector Graham got into the . witness-box that the crowded court received its first dramatic thrill. Witness > that when ho told prisoner in his . bedroom ho would be detained on sus•.'picion, Miao replied, " What do you say? My wife dead Suspicion! What do you mean by that ?" s; '>" " How did ho seem when ho was saying "~"--that ?" queried counsel, and tho inspector ' repliod, Very emotional." At Keswick * Police Station, when ho was being searched, Miao exclaimed: V'She. had ono necklace on,. Sho had Situs. white one on yesterday afternoon.

Slio had pocket-book with. he?. She had diamond rings on. Has sho these things with her now V >

Among the things found on Miao was a passport showing that he was a native of Shanghai. He wore a gold ring with the dato of his wedding inscribed on the inside, and had about £22 in his possession. Later on that night, while in his cell, prisoner cried; "It is terrible; my wife assaulted, robbed and murdered." Witness went on to describe how, having found the bunch of keys in tho folds of prisoner's dress shirt, ho opened tho dead woman's jewel case. This brown -leather case, with its dazzling content's revealed, was placed on the witness-stand while counsel, took tho prisoner to much moro ghastly scenes amid tho roclcs beside a footpath skirting one of. tho beauty spots of Lakeland.

' Interest, in the trial quickened to some- ! thing approaching excitement when Miao entored the witness-box. . Prisoner allqgod that ho and his wife, after their arrival in England, wero tracked by two strangelooking foreigners—either Chinese : : or .Japanese—and'that those: two men -were • s.een in a motor-car-near the scene of tho, tragody on the afternoon of Juno 19. i Mr.'"Justice Humphreys, in his suniming ■ tip, remarked that many great crimes had been proved •, whero the niotivo remained in complete obscurity. Here a foul murder i had been committed ?; in a very' remarkable way, and by a person or persons who must .have been of remarkable mentality. " The last person seen ip the

company of tho dead woman was her husband,", he continued, " not far from the place where her body was found. The defence suggest murder by robbers. I cannot conceive any circumstances in which robbers could possibly have got so near to the woman, without her knowing it, as to be able to put around her neck a pieco of string and strangle her." Commenting on tho finding of tho dead woman, tho judge said: " Thero is no doubt that tho person who committed tho murder staged tho body." " Miao," the judge added, " is an extremely clever man. It is as consistent with his innocence as with his guilt that ono could not help but observe the extreme ability with which, in the witnessbox, he appreciated every point in the case, and was ready with an answer. Ho is a very able man, indeed." Tho jury were away an hour finding a verdict, and when they returned with ono of " Guilty," a score of women wept openly in court. Asked if he had anything to say, Miao astonished tho Court with his reply. " Yes," lie began, addressing Mr. Justice Humphreys, what your lordship said was right, so far as your point of view is concerned, but I have not had a chance to explain from my point of view. I want to explain the situation, if your lordship will let the jury reconsider their verdict."

Miao went on to refer to some of the evidence that had been .given, but Mr. Justico Humphreys intervened. " Miao, observed the judge, " I am sorry to interrupt vou, hut I do not think you appre* ciatc 'that the jury have convicted you. 1 have no power to re-try tho case, nor have. they. You havo the aid of experienced counsel, who will advise you if there is nnvthing in your interest to be done." M iao: If this is my last moment, I did not kill my wife. If 1 had boon guilty I should havo been nervous. If I had killed by wife I would not bo so quiot and sensible. lam not guilty. Mr. Justico Humphreys, in passing sentence of death, said: " I believe tho verdict of tho jury to bo a right one, and 1 agree with; it. You havo had a most patient, impartial trial. Miao, who listened to tho death sentence with ono hand held trumpet-fashion to his ear, signalled to his counsel beforo leaving tho dock and said, " I will see you later." Then as ho went down the steps to the cells ho cried, " I am not guilty."

Miao was executed on December 6. Tho Daily Express, after the execution asserted that'the tragedy was duo to an incident) in 'Jong warfare which is common in China.