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Exeoutioa of Ali Chong.
-
I ' '? (S. M. Btrald of Wed»ad<tf.) i |
On Tuesday morning, at a few minutes past
nine o'olook, the last dread sentence of the law
was oarried out in Darlinghurst gaol on the
body of Ah Chong, a Chinaman, for the mur-
der of Po Tie, also a Cninaman, when eaoh was
a prisoner in Parramatta gaol. Ah Chong was
tried for the offdooe, and sentenced to death by
his Honor Mr. Justice Fuuoett, at the last sit-
tings of the Central Criminal Court, in Feb-
ruary. Tbe oiroumstanoes of the orimo were
that on the 18th January last, at the ordinary
dinner hour, in Parramatta gaol, the prisoners
of the gaol were together in the gaol yard, sit-
ting down to dinner, and suddenly Ah Chong
stood up, soized a knife with hia right hand,
and thrust it into the right breast of Po Tie,
who was sitting near him, wounding him so
severely that ho died about a quarter of an hour
aftorwards. At the trial a plea of insanity
waa raised in Ah Cbong's favour by the
counsel assigned to defend him, but it was not
sustained, and after' some delay his execution
was fixed for today, the 18th instant Ah
Chong was 5 feet 7¿,inohcsin he'-ght, nnd about
9jf stono weight. He was bom at Maoao in
1838, and arrived in this oolony about twenty
years ago, sinoe which timo up to the beginning
of 1874 he has followed the occupation of a gold
minor. Before leaving China he worked on a
farm. His parents are dead, but ho h&B two
sisters living in China. He never married.
He was first oooviuted at Mudgee Quarter
Sessions on the lOih April, 1871, for attempt-
ing to commit suicide, and he was sentenced
to six months' imprisonment. His next con-
viction wat at the Mudgee Circuit Court, on the
17th April, 1874, for wounding with intent to
do grievous bodily harm, for which offence he
was sentenced to five yean' hard labour on the
roads ; «nd this sentenoe be was serving in
Parramatta gaol last January when ho com-
mitted the crime for whioh he suffered yester-
day morning. Ho was a heathen, and oould
not speak Eoglisb, but with the assistance
of a Presbyterian Chinese interpreter,
who has recently left the oolony, ho
was brought to a knowledge of his condition
and impressed with the necessity for him
to use the few remaining days ho had to live in
seeking forgiveness for his crime. When too
Chinese missionary left here the Rev. Mr.
Milne, the gaol Presbyterian chaplain, and the
Rev. W. Ridley interested themselves in the
ouudemned man's behalf, and they suooeeded in
finding another Cuincse interpreter, with whose
assistance, though ho was a Roman Oatholio,
Ah Chong WÛB ministered to uutil he was
brought to understand that there was Divine
uieroy_for him; and for somo days paBt ho has
been penitont, and professed a belief that there
was a God, and that ho would bo forgiven for
his crime. He expressed sorrow fur having
oommitted the crime, and said that when he
wounded Po Tie ho did not think that the
wounded man would dio. Tbo oondemned maa
was very weak and ntrvou*, and it was feaicd
that he would give way when OH the scaffold,
but be did not do so. He is the only man,
the gaol officials say, who, for fifteen years past,
has not slept well on the night previous to his
execution. Ho did not sleep till 2 o'olook in
the morning, and was awake again at 6 o'clock,
soon after whioh time ho was visited by the
Chinese interpreter and by the Rev. Mr. Milne,
who remained with bim till the last. He ate
little. At eight o'olook the irons were knocked
off his legs, and an hour aftorwards preparations
were made to oonduot him te the soaffold. The
procession consisted simply of the prisoner,
olutobed by tbe two hangmen, with the Rev
Mf. Milne leading the way, and the Chinese
interpreter and some warders of the gaol follow-
ing Having. reached ,tbo icaffold, the oon-
demned man wat placed under the drop, and Mr.
Milne offered np a tolemn and earnest prayer
'At ita «loae.the rope fal placed around the neok
of the Chinaman, and ¿be'White «p over his fice
A moment ^ore,, and without a word or a sign
.from tbehum'an being about t» die »violen t deat b,
the bolt».w*i<«hoV lb* trap doprf,opened, and the
Chinaman fell through.' .There,weremuscular,
contractions .observable »boat the?; body for a.
minute or two, but 'after it ba$ hang the usual
time Dr. Aaron, the gaol dootor, found that life
wai extinct, and the body wat lowertd into a
?bel^ prepaicd to receive it and labelled on the
lid" Ah Chong." ' Mr."Thurlow, Under Sheriff,,
Mr. Read, Governor of the Gaol, some of the
gaol warden, and a few private spectator«, in-
cluding the1 representatives of the Pratt, were
present.
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