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NOTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN AT THE SUPREME COURT OF HONGKONG,
IN THE CASE OF
REGINA v. CHAN A LI, LAM A WONG and LI A KUK, charged with Piracy.
Criminal Sessions, January 1883.
Before Sir G. PHILLIPPO, Chief Justice and a Jury.
Attorney General for prosecution.
Mr. FRANCIS for prisoners.
Plea not guilty.
24th January, 1888.
*
CHEUNG A SI, master of Kum Hop Hing Junk, a little more than 400 piculs capa- city. At end of November or beginning of December I engaged my junk to take cargo for Choy Heung Chai from Nam Pak Hong. It was to be taken from here to Swatow. He has two names. I loaded a cargo of saltpetre for him on 25th day, 9th moon (5th November), 62 piculs 124 bags. It was on the afternoon of the 5th. I took 5 bags of rice on board. I started on 6th November, at 8 o'clock and arrived at Lápsápwán at 10 o'clock. There was very little wind. When off Lápsápwán a steam launch which had followed after us came alongside and the three prisoners came on board armed with guns. They took away rice, money, $10 and 5 10-cent pieces and a blanket, They did not use any violence to me, but hit one of my fellow workmen and we were driven down to the hold and were confined there. They were armed with swords. They took 5 bags of rice and all the saltpetre. There were 7 men including myself. I only saw the 3 prisoners before I was driven to the hold. I recognized the 3 prisoners. They had lamps and were searching for goods and money. They were armed with swords and waving them and told me not to resist. I recognize the 3 of them very well. After that they had removed the goods they went away, and then we sailed back to Hongkong Praya West. Next morning I was on the Praya. I saw some saltpetre there and I saw some guns there, and the three prisoners removing them into a shop, ́ and when they saw me they ran away, I called for Constables to arrest them. A Con- stable arrested the 3 prisoners. The 1st and 3rd were arrested first, and the 2nd on board the cargo boat. He was running away. The cargo boat was at the Praya. The 2nd prisoner ran away into the cargo boat and the Constable arrested him there, Saltpetre was in the cargo boat. I could not say how many bags.
Examined by Mr. FRANCIS:-My junk. belongs to Soochow district-Yau King district. I came to Hongkong in the beginning of the 8th moon (middle of October). I have never been in Hongkong before. My junk is an old junk. I handed my clearance paper to an Officer when the prisoner was arrested. (Clearance put in of the junk Hop-fat). My name is CHEUNG-A-SI. The information was given by one of my fellows. That is my clearance. The name is HOP HING not HOP FAT. I did not get out the clear- ance. I am the master of the junk. LUM SING is a partner of mine, we both own the junk, he used to manage the junk, but on this occasion he did not come to Hongkong. It must have been a mistake. The junk was a little over 400 picyls; clearance has 600 piculs, junk is a little over 500 piculs, but she did not usually carry more than 400 piculs. A boatman named LUM took out the clearance, I was first spoken to about taking saltpetre to Swatow on the 4th November, and it was sent on board on the 5th about midday. I took out the clearance on 1st November. We remained at Yaumáti on account of a head
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