. . . Koong Wan-deh having affirmed this, Judge Dee had this fact duly recorded by the clerks. He knew that if Shao proved to have this black tooth, then all possible doubt would be removed. He hastily filled in a slip for the warden of the jail, and told two constables to fetch Shao Lee-huai.

When Shao was kneeling in front of the bench, Judge Dee shouted at him:
"You villain, yesterday you obstinately protested your innocence. Now look up and see who this man is!"

Shao immediately recognized the hostel keeper of Six Mile Village. He knew then that there was no hope and began cursing violently. His black tooth was there for all to see.

Shai continued cursing Djao Wan-chuan and Koong Wan-deh, and screamed in a blind rage:

"You think you have caught me, but I shall rather die than confess!"

Judge Dee banged his fist on the table, and shouted in a thundering voice to the constables to apply the "great torture."

They brought in an iron pan with glowing coals, and thereon laid several feet of thin chain. When these chains had become red-hot, they picked them up with a pair of tongs, and threw them on the floor. Then they stripped off Shao's trousers, and holding him his arms, made him kneel on the chains.

Shao emitted piercing shrieks of agony. The stench of burnt flesh filled the court hall. Then his screams changed to moans, and he fainted.

The constables dragged him aside. He sank in a heap on the floor. Their headman brought a bowl of vinegar and sprinkled it over the glowing coals. A penetrating smell dispelled the bad odor. Gradually Shao came to his senses again. His face was ashen and his features contorted. Two constables had to support him when he was made to kneel in front of the bench. Judge Dee said:

"If you don't confess, I shall subject you to other tortures. It is now in your own hands."

Shao Lee-huai's spirit had been broken, and at last the full truth was revealed. . . .

. . . .

[Shao's confession]. . . This is the whole truth. I crave Your Honor's leniency since I still have my mother to support."

Judge Dee shook his head, and said:

"Also Liu Guang-chi and the carter Wang [the victims] had parents to support. I rule that in this particular case this circumstance shall not be considered."

When the clerk had written out the confession, the senior scribe read it out in a loud voice. Shao Lee-huai confirmed that it expressed accurately what he had said, and affixed his thumb-mark to the document. He was led back to the jail to wait for the confirmation of his sentence by the central authorities. . . .

page created by Hallie Fader, ORIAS, July 2004.

Sponsored by the University of California at Berkeley Office of Resources for International and Area Studies (ORIAS), Institute of East Asian Studies, Center for Latin American Studies, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Institute of Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies, Center for South Asia Studies, Center for Southeast Asia Studies, Institute of European Studies. 

Funding is provided by Title VI grants from the United States Department of Education.