The Murder of Kum Yung
EducationThe Murder of Kum Yung
Gold was discovered in three New Zealand locations in the mid nineteenth century, resulting as it did elsewhere, with a rush of miners arriving to test their luck. The New Zealand government initially encouraged the arrival of Chinese miners, as they boosted the economy of the newly founded country, and also because the Chinese were prepared to work over ground that had been abandoned by Europeans.
However, as the Chinese became more established and successful, resentment and racism grew. There were public meetings urging the government to stop allowing alien immigrants. In the Otago goldfields and surrounding areas, tensions grew and there were many recorded outbursts of violence. This discrimination against the Chinese continued long after the gold rush days had ended.
Murder in Wellington
On 24 September 1905, long after the gold rush days, an elderly Chinese ex miner, previously from the West Coast mines, was walking home along a Wellington street one night when he was shot in the head from behind twice. At first his cold-blooded murder was a mystery.
However, next morning a well dressed gentleman, Lionel Terry, walked into the Wellington Police Station and announced that he wished to give himself up for shooting a Chinaman in the head. He explained that he didn’t believe Chinese should be allowed to live in New Zealand and that European and Asiatic races should not be allowed to mix.
Apparently on the day of the murder, Terry behaved quite normally. He spent the afternoon with a friend, and had tea at his hotel at 5.50pm. After his cold-blooded murder he then had supper with a group of friends that included several members of parliament.
Terry conducted his own defence in court, arguing that no harm had been done, as he’d chosen an old and crippled man who was only a burden to society. On these grounds he sincerely believed that his deliberate act of murder was justifiable. He stated that he would never recognise any law of the land that protected alien races in British countries and that his act of murder was deliberate. He felt the issue of the presence of Chinese in New Zealand needed to be brought to the public’s attention. Because of this he was prepared to take the consequences, still believing he had done no wrong.
Life Imprisonment
It took only thirty minutes for the jury to reach the verdict of guilty. Although the judge handed down the death penalty the Government intervened and changed it to life imprisonment. Terry was soon transferred from prison to Seacliffe Mental Hospital, where he lived out the remainder of his life.
This event was believed to be the last major act of unprovoked violence against Chinese arising from the gold mining era.
Reference: Opium and Gold by Peter Butler. Published by Alister Taylor, New Zealand, 1977.