THE MISSING CHINAMAN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10496, 21 October 1895, Page 2

THE MISSING CHINAMAN.

A SENSELESS HOAX,

(From a CoßßxspoxDE-rr.)

Cltoe, October 16,

As you have-already intimated in- your columns, a Chinaman, named Kong Wah Jon, recently disappeared -from Alexandra, and ho traooof his whereabouts conld be ascertained by the most diligent search parties. It appears that Wah Jun had beea on the Serpentine goldfield for a number of years, where -by industry aad-peraevecance he contrived to mtke a considerable sum at gold digging. Having obtained sufficient means to enable' aim to spend the remainder of his life ia comfortable circumstances in the FJowery Laud, he left Serpentine with the intention of proceeding to his native country at an early opportunitf. Wah Jun, having a'brother resident at Alexandra, resolved to pay the latter a visit before proceeding homewards; Wah Juu arrived afc Alexandra^ and banding his money (amounting to about £400) to liis brother, proceeded to Butcher's Gully, whsreheintended seeingsome friends*of his, wbo, ifc is said, owed him v little money.. Since leaving for Butcher's Gully, a distance of six miles from Alexandra, no trace of him has bctn fouud, nor does he appear fco have reached his friend's residence at Batcher's Gully. ' ; "."'*'■;;.

On Monday last the police received information of ,ihe disouvery of .the body of ac apparently drowned Chinaman on the bank of the river ajlittle distance below Alexandra. Constable Pratt'proceeded ta the place where the body was discovered, and there-saw the remains of Wah Jau, with hands and feet tied tightly together and.a hugo stone tied round his neck by means of a stout cord. A. host- aod willing oarsmen were procored from one of ,tho dredges working ne^r, and by this means the constable hod the body conveyed to the township foe tiie purposes of identification and post -KKiW-_tt «x_uiii_afcion, »nd, of course, tho inevitable inquest. Jnrors were summoned to attend, and/in duecodrso aU was in readiness rfor tbe (Commencing of the offic'tai ioquiry iiito the royat-_-.iouaci_cunistaiH.es surrounding the death of Wah: Juu, Chinaman. • Two medic-5 practitioners were; in> attendonce, as medical-evi-dence is, of coarse, a neoe_s_iy matter., in * inquests of this kindj The jury, coroner, and medicos proceeded to the t___po_ary morguo - where tbe body was lying waiting "identification bythe brother of the deceased. A crowd-of sm-11 boys collected outside the- buildiog with anxiety and cariosity depicted on thrir inteiligent f-atai-s, bub the 'cocstabks in attendance managed fairly well to keep hack those prying youngsters. Tho law pertaining ba inquests prescribes that the body- must be viewed by the jurymen, and for this purpoeo the jurymen in the present iustonce stood round with wry faces and highly perfumed pocket handkerchiefs. On ■the cloth covering the face.-.-. of _ the deceased being withdrawn the brother failed 'to identify the features as being those oE his brother Wah Juu. Disinfectants were.largely used, _«the atmosphere was becoming bid, and jurymen and mtdicss felt quite unwell. One juryman found voicst-exp«.ti»te upon tbe cashpaying virtues of the d_ceas_d, but reluctantly asked tbe coroner fco have the cloth "-d?"™ over tho features, as he (the-juiym-m) conld not bear the stony.rigidity of tbststs-e from the left eye of the deceased. By order of the docto-- a little more disinfectant was sprinkled aro-nd, aod an exfceruol examination of tbe remaine commenced. The ban^and feet were loo__d by cutting tbe strings that bound them. Th. police couTuble objected to-fe-tooseii.ng ot the knots, as these very - knots woud be material evidence in .-l*^ *e„ffl tof fche crime of foal murder, «***£* -' *« supposed Wah Juu met his untimely end. On takeoff the trous.« a strange and gruesome sight pre-onted'iteslf to the assemMod officials, for, strange as it may an**, there was no human tody there - nething but a sheepskin, the entrails of some other beast, a few pig bones, a .kidney,, and * set of goat's teeth. The pig^ bones served as. arms; the entrails served a two-fold purpose, and made the use of d.ainfecteni* a necessity. The sheepskin,- nicely tanned and turned maide out, formed the beid and face, and-in this* slit was made for the month, tbe edges of the

elib being drawn back to form ths lips, between which a faultless sat of goat's tenth gleamed with pearly whiteness. The features were complete, nor was the pig-tail for^ot-fcen. Tbe m-ike-up was complete- in every detail, and an English jury mistook it for a Chinimia. It may be remarked here tbat tbe clothing was similar to. that worn by Wah Jun on the day of his departure from Alexandra. Oa discovering their mistake, the coroner,' jurymen, and medicos, looked Rt the constables, aud the constables in tares stared at everything and everyone. The

little boys outside came nearer the windows •with innocence and 'good behaviour gleaming over their happy faces, font were in fact expt essive of all thafc is good and frolicsome. The jurymen walked home, and so did the medicos, and so did the coroner, *nd _o too dsd the police, bnt tho latter in quite a different •mood from the former. The little boys went to play marbles, or some such harmless game, and steaded one of the most remarkable inquests ot the nineteenth century.