THE CHING TRAGEDY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 90, 29 November 1911, Page 5

THE CHING TRAGEDY.

(Received 29, 9.33 a.m.) Brisbane, November 29. Police Court proceedings commenced at Mackay against George Silva, the Cingalese charged with the murder of Agnes Clung and her five children. Accused was employed on dung’s farm.. The arresting constable detailed a. conversation with prisoner, who said that when Clung left homo he went shooting hawks with dung’s gun, and afterwards went to sleep. Wnen near the railway he met Cuing returning, and told him that lie had not seen thefamily. After the victims were discovered, prisoner went to inform the police. He carried the clothes he had been been wearing during the day in a parcel, but as lie had a galling at tllo knee he threw them away. Witness said: “You’re fooling—you knew wlio murdered the family.” He replied: “God knows, they were good to me. 1 never'murdered them.” When the bodies of two of the missing children were found, prisoner broke down and cried. Tracks near where they were found were compared with prisoner’s boots. Another police witness declared that prisoner admitted burning the clothes ne was wearing on Dm ft - / of the murder. Witness found in the remains of a fire a portion of clothing, a gold watch, a razor, and a medicine bottle, which, prisoner claimed. Prisoner told witness he and a neighbouring Hindoo farmer, Dooley Khan, and a white man, conspired to murder the family a few Sundays before. Ho added: “Dooley shot the mother and killed the baby beside her. I shot Maudie and Hughie, When Eddie and Dolly returned from school I told them that their mother was waiting for them in the back paddock. We went there together. Hon ley Khan was waiting with a pea-rifle and shot them. Khan wanted to marry May, Clung to get the farm. I wanted Maudie, but her mother objected.” Prisoner admitted having used a revolver and shot Maudie and Hughie. After searching the cane paddock the police found the wcauon.