REPORTED MURDER OF A CHINAMAN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 81, 18 February 1862, Page 2

REPORTED MURDER OF A CHINAMAN.

We have received a, letter from A Wong, a China-

man/ residing at Jembaieumbene, whose complaint, so far as we can make it out, is that his cousin, a

We have received a letter from A Wong, a Chinaman/ residing at Jembaieumbene, whose complaint, so far as we can make it out, is that his cousin, a Chinainan, named A Kay, has been killed by two Europeans, and that he has been unable to obtain redress. As it would be almost useless to publish the letter as it stands, English correspondence being clearly not one of A Wong's accomplishments, we shall give a statement of the case as we understand it, bespeaking the attention of the Colonial Secretary to the circumstances detailed :— A Wong dates his letter from Jembaicumbene,_ on the 30th of December, 1861. He says that he is an interpreter, and that a coroner's inquest had recently been held upon the body of A Kay, the cousin of A Wong. The coroner was Mr. G. P. Codrington, and there was a jury of eleven persons, who chose no foreman until more than half ,the evidence had been heard. A Chinaman named Ang Yong seems to have been examined, and our correspondent's statement is, that the first two interpreters did not understand his evidence, or interpreted it wrongly. A third interpreter was then employed, and stated that the first two had given erroneous interpretation ; nevertheless, that part of Ang Yong's evidence was not taken over again. The evidence, really given, according to our correspondent's statement, was that A Kay was riding along the road when he was overtaken by "two Irishmen" on horseback, one of whom (Cullen) galloped up and laid hold of A Kay's bridle, while the other struck the horse three times, then struck A Kay twice on the head, which knocked him off his horse upon a stamp, causing his death. The evidence as understood by the jury was that the " Irishmen" had chased A Kay on horseback ; that M'Cabe had merely struck the horse, which caused him to throw his rider on the stump, and that he died of his injuries half-an-hour after he had been taken home on a cart. The Coroner havingintimatcdhis intention of examining M'Cabe as a witness, one of the jury, Mr. Cooke, warned him that M'Cabe outfit'to. be tried for manslaughter. His evidence, however, was taken, and he deposed that the deceased was galloping ahead andhe galloping behind, when tho former fell off his horse. The tore-r man of the jury expressed an opinion that M'Cabe was guilty of manslaughter, but the Coroner said, " You must give a verdict of accidental death." Mr. Cook subsequently insisted upon the same, but ten of the jury had then agreed to find a verdict of accidental death, which seems to have been recorded. The "Tievauce of which our correspondent A Wong-, complains is this: He intimates that a desire was shown to shelter the person who killed his cousin A. Kay; that, he can bring a Chinese witness to prove that M'Cabe murdered A. Kay with a stick, but that the Coroner said, " the men only did it out of a ) ar k—they did not intend to kill him." And upon this complaint, A. Wong prays us " to cause an inquiry to be made abqut this cruel murder." We have not the power to do this, but haye no dqubt, but that this' Government will deem it a duty to do so, without delay. . ' ' We are not going to jump to the conclusion that the statements'of our Chinese corruspondont are correct, .and thus to, launch into denunciation of, the cruelty and brutality of the Europeans. Neither do we pronounce the story a fiction and suppress it. If wrong haa been done to the deceased, Ills surviving