The Red Lantern Murder
| Author | H. F. Trew |
| Date | 01 October 1931 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X3100400411 |
| Published date | 01 October 1931 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
The Red
Lantern
Murder
BY
LIEUT.-COL.
H.
F.
TREW
Late
Deputy
Commissioner,
South
African
Police
HE Supreme Court in the Palace of Justice, Pretoria, was
filled with an excited and hostile crowd.
For the
fist
time in the history of the country, four
Chinamen were being tried for the murder of a European, a
well-known farmer.
This
was the first murder of a European by the newly
imported Chinese coolies, and few in the crowd realized that
it
was the first
link
in the chain of circumstances which in the
end was to hurl a British Government from power, see the
grant of responsible government to the Transvaal and Free
State, and end
in
the repatriation of the Chinese. The four
men in the dock seemed to be the least interested persons in
the court-room. The leader of the gang,
'
Chang,' was a tall,
brawny Manchu. Then came two men of middle height,
whilst the fourth man was
a
small, very dark-complexioned
Cantonese.
A
sergeant of the South African Constabulary was the
first
witness.
He described how he had been called from
his
bed, by a
neighbour of the dead man, in the early hours of the morning.
On hearing news of the murder he had despatched a telegram
asking for the District Surgeon. Taking
two
of his men, he
had proceeded to the farm Witkop, and there viewed the body
of Mr. Blank, who had been well known to him. The body
was lying in the living-room. The house consisted of the
living-room and two bedrooms,
a
door at each end of the
living-room leading into a bedroom.
The living-room showed traces of a terrible struggle, and
on the floor were a number of burnt matches.
T
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