Teo Beng Kim (Bukit Brown)

The moss grown marble tomb of Teo Beng Kim held its secret for many years. I can barely make out the name " Teo Beng K??" as the lead etching for "Kim" is peeling off, but fortunately the date of death, 29 April 1924 and plot number 48 on the headstone helped me to confirm that the person buried here from the burial registrar is indeed, Mr. Teo Beng Kim. Unfortunately i could not make out the name of his wife at this point of time. [Update: 26 March 2022 ] The name of his wife is Chia Poh Neo and a daughter; Teo Bok Lan. 

Suspicious Death of Chinese 

In a coroner enquiry report, the Straits-born Hokien by the name of Teo Beng Kim of 45 Emerald Hill Road was described to be sick for some time and was alleged to have taken no less than 8 corrosive sublimate tablets on 29 April 1924. He asked his wife to buy some mangoes and while she was away, he swallowed the poison. When she returned and while he was eating mangoes, he had a spell of serious vomiting. While attended by a Dr. Clarke, the wife showed this tablets to him. Teo Beng Kim succumbed to the poison on the 29th itself. It was mentioned that the taking of half a tablet of corrosive sublimate is sufficient to kill a man. Teo Beng Kim was an assistant storekeeper to Messrs. Boustead and Co. I could not find the final verdict, but it seems to be suicide. 

From the burial registrar, Teo Beng Kim was 36 years old when he died on the 29 April 1924. He was interred in Bukit Brown on 4 May 1924.

 

Teo Beng Kim

Location of tomb 

Block 1 Division D, plot 48 

Teo Beng Kim tomb (26 March 2022)