AH SUE (2)

Description

Biographical informationAh Sue (2) was born in about 1858 in China.

He worked for Donald Macpherson on Carnamah Station in 1889. He had a theft from his hut. The thief stole jewellery (a gold albert chain and a plain silver chain, square links), dark tweed trousers, a dark coloured Crimean shirt, a butcher's knife, a razor, scissors, a cigarette machine, tea and sugar. The good were not recovered. In May 1889, while in Carnamah, he donated £1 to the West Australian Chinese Famine Relief Fund.

He commenced employment as a shepherd for Cecil Vaughan Foss at Arrino Station, Arrino, in March 1890.

Ah Sue was working at Eastwood Station, Geraldton, when he fired a shot at John Connelly after Connelly had kicked Ah Sue's dog. Connelly was a teamster working for Foss. Ah Sue was found guilty of shooting with intent to maim and sentenced to 8 years imprisonment.

He commenced his sentence at Fremantle Prison on 21 January 1891. While in gaol, he was responsible for cleaning. Ah Sue frequently spoke of visions in which spirits of deceased Chinese visited him at night. He committed suicide by strangulation on 21 January 1893 (C).

The Daily News reported on Monday 23rd January 1893 that ""Early on Saturday morning a Chinese prisoner named Ah Sue committed suicide at the Fremantle Prison. Warden Kenny last saw him alive when he (Kenny) went into his cell on Friday evening. When cell was opened on Saturday morning Ah sue was lying on his bed quite dead and the body was cold. He had strangled himself by attaching a pair of braces to the hammock hook which was about 3ft from the ground and tying the braces to a leather strap put around his neck. He then apparently threw the weight of his body on to the strap and strangled himself and died without any struggle. The cause of his doing away with himself was no doubt the fact that ever since the execution of four Chinese murderers several months ago, he had been troubled with hallucinations. Ah Sue had been received into the Fremantle Prison in January, 1890, and was undergoing a term of eight years penal servitude for unlawfully wounding in the Champion Bay district. An inquest was opened at 2.30 o'clock Saturday afternoon, when a verdict of suicide was returned."Other nameAh Sue, 1858- (differentiated name)Date of birth1858Date of death21st January 1893

Document

AAC-Box-004-Binder-1-0220

AAC-Box-004-Binder-1-0265

AAC-Box-007-0079

AAC-Box-007-0130

AAC-Box-007-6-0367

AAC-Box-007-6-0368

Attempt to Murder Victorian Express 13 December 1890

Person

Cecil Vaughan Foss

Donald MacPherson

SUE Douglas Roy

Significant place

RelationTravelled toPlaceArrinoDate[date unknown]

Significant place

RelationTravelled toPlaceGeraldtonDate[date unknown]

Employment

Job titleShepherdEmployerCecil Vaughan Foss

Employment

EmployerDonald MacPhersonDate employed1890

Connections

Subject (person)Cecil Vaughan FossJohn ConnellySubject (organisation)Eastwood StationFremantle PrisonCarnamah Station, CarnamahSubject (place)ArrinoGeraldtonSubject (topic)Chinese heritage in Western AustraliaSuicideMental health issuesRelated collectionAnne Atkinson Collection

Item information

ContributorSchool of Social SciencesSource of informationAsian immigrants to Western Australia, 1829-1901 (Atkinson, 1988)

UWA Collected

AH SUE (2)

THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA