Port Adelaide: The Ghost of Lee Pao Sung

Port Adelaide: The Ghost of Lee Pao Sung

In October 1944 Mr Lee Pao Sung was found floating in the Port River, he was wrapped in a red blanket with a hessian bag over his head. Upon removing the bag, police found two 3-inch nails, driven into Mr Sung’s skull. His body was badly beaten, and around his neck, a coil of cord had been tied. Tied to his body was a small, oblong piece of bone.

Mr Sung and another Chinese sailor, Mr Wu Su-ling, had “jumped ship” in September 1944, and had been reported missing. The only clue the police had to identify Mr Sung’s killer was the expertly rolled coil of cord, which detectives believed only a seasoned sailor could tie in such a way.

An autopsy revealed that the nails had been driven into Lee's head after his death.  The cord around his throat was coiled twice, knotted, coiled another four times, and tied in a reef-knot.

Lee Pao Sun - source: Truth (Brisbane newspaper 1944)

 Two Chinese Seamen, Mr Wu Su-ling (the ship Engineer, from Tientsin in northern China) and Mr Low Yung-fui (the Captains’ Boy, from Hong Kong) were reported for the crime.

In 1944 Port Adelaide homicide detectives became the first in Australia to extradite the two suspects for the murder of Lee Pao Sung. Both men, who worked as sailors had left South Australia, with one moving to Newcastle in New South Wales, and the other to Sri Lanka (known as Ceylon in 1944).

During an interview with Detective Sergeant Gill, Wu Su-ling pointed the finger at Low Yung-fui. He claimed that Lee Pao Sung had threatened Low Yun-fui with a knife, and he had killed him in retaliation.
 When Low Yun-fui was told this story, he denied it, and then said it was the other way around, Wu Su-ling had committed the murder and that he, Low, had helped dispose of the body into the Port River.

"I did not; it was the other way round. Low killed him and forced me to help. When I woke up at 3.30am he was in my cabin, and the body was there. He threatened to put me in trouble if I called out." Low stated.
Low also claimed he had seen three nails in Wu’s possession and heard him say he was going to kill Lee Pao Sung.

After intense interrogation, and the dismal of Low’s claims, both men were eventually cleared of any wrongdoing.  The death of Lee Pao Sung took an interesting twist when it was revealed in The Advocate (a Tasmanian newspaper) that the three nails in a triangular pattern had been seen before in other murders in China.  It is believed the pattern was a sign from a secret Chinese political party that used an equilateral triangle as their secret symbol.

Lee Pao Sung was buried in the Cheltenham Cemetery on Friday the 6th of October 1944. The Rev H. C, Cuthbertson, chaplain of the Port Adelaide Mission to Seamen, presided over his funeral.

His funeral rites were provided to those pertaining to the Church of England (Mr Sung’s religion was unknown).  His funeral was attended by Detective L Bond and by Mr M McLennan, a representative of the Melbourne Steamship Co.  The Melbourne Steamship Co also paid for Mr Sung’s funeral expenses.

Since 1944 many people have claimed to see the spirit of the Chinese Sailor Lee Pao Sung at Port Adelaide. Sometimes he is seen near the Birkenhead Bridge, and other times walking along the pier near the lighthouse. Descriptions of a Chinese man roaming the pier, sounding in pain have been numerous in recent years.  Weirdly, the reported sightings do not have Mr Lee with a bag over his head, rather they report a sailor-style of clothing and a neat appearance.

Have you experienced the ghost of Lee Pau Sung at Port Adelaide? Let us know over on Facebook at The Haunts of Adelaide

If you are interested in learning more about Hauntings in Port Adelaide and doing a free tour, please visit Ghosts of the Port – Self-guided walking tour – written by our own Allen Tiller for the Port Adelaide Enfield Council – find it here: https://www.portenf.sa.gov.au/page.aspx?c=51325

Or on Facebook here:

 

Ghosts of the Port - Facebook

Bibliography

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1944 'CHINESE SEAMEN CHARGED WITH SHIPMATE'S MURDER', The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), 21 December, p. 4. , viewed 01 Aug 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11375795

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1945 'Two Chinese For Trial For Murder RIVER FIND', Truth (Brisbane, Qld. : 1900 - 1954), 7 January, p. 18. , viewed 07 Mar 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article203756833

1944 'BIZARRE THEORY IN CHINESE MURDER', Truth (Brisbane, Qld. : 1900 - 1954), 8 October, p. 19. , viewed 07 Mar 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article203757634