【Acrylic Painting by Dennis Tang】
(Paintings and Photos may not be relevant to the incident described)
On 15 January 1857, several hundred European residents in Hong Kong were poisoned by the bread produced by a Chinese-owned store, the Esing Bakery, resulting in three deaths occurred the following year, including that of the wife of Governor Bowring. The incident would be ascribed to its long-term effects. The proprietor of the bakery, Cheong Ah-lum, was accused of plotting the poisoning. The Attorney General, called for execution without a proper trial, but Governor Bowring insisted that Cheong to be tried by jury. Cheong was eventually acquitted in a trial by jury. The true responsibility and intention of the incident or whether it was purely an accidental remains unknown.
The acquittal of Cheong has been described as a symbol of fair trial with the jury system (by the lawful judgment of his peers).
