The Mysteries of a Chinese Oath.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7788, 27 November 1896, Page 4

The Mysteries of a Chinese Oath.

« An unusual scene was enacted in the office of Mr J. Lawson, official nHsignoe iv bankruptcy at Auckland, when a meeting of creditors took place in tho estate of Ah Chong, market gardener, of Epsom, a bankrupt. A number of Chinese creditors were present, including Pon Hing, a secured creditor. Tho total debts unsecured were stated to be L 250 16s lOd ; secured creditors, Ll2l lls. A squabbling in » corner of the room revealed the face that a couple of fowls were, tied there in a kit ready for the slaughter necessary for the taking of a Chinese oath. T. Qua acted as interpreter. It was proposed lo examine Pon lling, n secured creditor, on oath, and Mr Hesketh asked that ho should be put on oatli in tho orthodox Chinese style by the cutting oil' of a cock's head. Mr Cotter objected to this under section 25 of " Tho Oaths Act, 1890," and asserted that his client had a right to select any particular form of oath which he considered binding on his consience. Mr Hesketh claimed that tho chopping off of a cock's head was the only oath which was binding on the Chinese conscience. He considered that the Oaths Act did not apoly to Chinamen, and lie had urave doubts if it oven applied to naturalised Chinese. Pon Hing, a Chinaman of a comic cast of countenance, whoso risibility seemed to be frequently aroused by the novelty of tho proceedings, was then asked if he would be sworn by the cutting oil' of a cock's head, lie replied "No," that he was an "Englishman," and had been in New Zealand many years, and would like to be sworn in " English style." The assignee said the question was how to swear the Chinamen. Would blowing out a match do ? Mr Hesketh considered it would not do, and although he could not object, yet thought that it would bo a farco to swear a Chinamau on a Bible or tho bluwiug out of a match. The cock's head was the only proper form. If this Has not done it would be no use taking an oath at all. Pon Hing, in reply to another question, said lie would " likce blow match out." Mr Hesketh said that was not "English style." The interpreter, on being questioned by Mr Cotter, said the usual mode of swearing Chinese in Court was by the blowing out of a match, but this was not an oath in China at all. He said the cutting off of a cock's hoad was a sorious oath, and it Chinaman would rather " bo poor all his life than tell a lie on a cock's head." Eventually Pon Hing was sworn on the Bible, but, in reply to a question, he said he knew nothing about the Bible, and didn't know what the Bible meant. Me Hesketh (to witness) : " What will happen to you if yon don't tell the truth ?" Mr Cotter objected to the question as irrelevant. After some further discussion the meeting adjourned, the Assignee undertaking to unravel the mysteries of Chinese oaths in the interval.