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Wairarapa Standard, Volume I, Issue 31, 5 August 1867, Page 3

Chinese Resurrectionists in Victoria.—• “ Resurrection men," associated with such horrible ideas in the European mind, seem to be members of a recognised profession amongst the Chinese. Prom a Sandhurst contemporary, we glean particulars of the exhumation of the body of a Chinaman at the White-Hills Cemetry, which may be interesting or revolting, according to taste. It appears that the “ man was named Quang Yang, who had only been in the colony about a fortnight at the time of his death. From the appearance of the skeleton he was about five feet seven or eight inches in height, and he was nearly twenty years of age, and a native of Canton. The first business was the opening of the grave, and as soon as this was done, a Mr. Kindle, who, in company with four deputed Chinamen, travels round the colony exhuming the dead bodies of Chinamen whose friends wish to have their remains interred in China, went down and opened the coffin. The Chinaman had been buried in a complete suit of clothes of Chinese fashion, including a Chinese hat and pair of boots. Every particle of flesh had disappeared, but the skeleton and clothes were’quite perfect. Mr. Kindle first took up the skull, then the vertebra and the ribs, and then the arms and hands. The Chinese, of which there were about a dozen around the grave, very carefully counted the bones, and were quite delighted to find that none were missing—not even a tooth, every one of which were firmly set in the jaws. The legs and feet were then removed. During the process of removing the skeleton a couple of Chinese were busy wiping the bones and arranging them in their proper places. They were then spread out in the sun, and as soon as they were quite dry the hands, feet, &c., were tied up in different parcels and labelled. The whole skeleton was placed in a small oblong box, about four feet long, inside which had been placed a quantity of paper with a lot of mysterious signs stamped upon them, and a pack of Chinese playing cards, in case the deceased wished to amuse himself on his voyage to China. The box, with its strange contents, was then taken to the Chinese Camp at Epsom, where there are some dozen more skeletons ready for exportation, one or two of which, having the flesh upon them, are preserved in gin. During the ceremony the Chinese kept a quantity af peculiar paper mid incense burning to keep away his Satanic Majesty ; and any amount of fruit, &c., was there in case the deceased should feel hungry after his Rip Van Winkle sleep. The bodies are sent down to Kong Meug, and he forwards them to China. In a day or two, we believe, some more bodies are to be taken up." “ Comb here, my little lad," said an attorney to a boy abopt nine years old. “ A case is lietween the devil and the people—which do Jyou think will be most likely to gain the action ?” The hoy replied, “I guess it will be a hard squeeze; the people have the most money, but the devil has the most lawyers."