THE CHINA MAIL, JANUARY 12, 1940
Moving Court Scenes Mark End Of Eckford Murder Trial ACCUSED LEAVES FRENCH RED
COURT FOR SMOKE DEPUTIES WHILE JURY'S OUT RECANT
(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT)
Shanghai, To-day.
THE PASSING OF THE death sentence on Private David Eckford, of Kirkcaldy, Fifeshire, for the murder of Lance-Cpl. James Davis, provided moving scenes in the British Supreme Court yes- terday.
While the jury were deliberating for nearly three hours, Eckford became increasingly nervous, oc- casionally leaving the courtroom for a smoke, accompanied by a police guard.
When the jury returned just before 7 o'clock it was easily noticeable from their faces what verdict they had decided on.
Some of the jury had tears in their eyes, others were bit- ing their lips, many were
PIRATES ARMED WITH pale. MACHINE- GUN
A STORY OF PIRATES ARMED
When the verdict was announced, accused stood stiffly to attention, look- ed the judge in the eye and said he had nothing to add.
The courtroom was filled to ca-
pacity. Many grow pale when the verdict was given. Apparently the only person not af-
(SPECIAL TO "CHINA MAIL")
PARIS, TO-DAY. FOUR FORMER COMMUNIST
SENT A
DEPUTIES AT PRESENT SERVING AT THE FRONT HAVE LETTER TO M. EDOUARD HER- RIOT, SPEAKER OF THE CHAM- SOVIET RUSSIA.
BER OF DEPUTIES, ATTACKING
The letter reads: "Mobilised since the beginning of the war, we
re-
sponded to the call and are accom-
plishing our duty as soldiers.
"We cannot support a policy which ended in fostering a threat to
·France and to world freedom, and which culminated in the attack on Finland."-Havas.
MR. STANLEY TAKING UP NEW JOB
London, To-day.
Mr. Oliver Stanley, the new Secretary for War, is starting his duties at the War Office to-day.
It was stated last night that Mr. Stanley, who has been suffering from Influenza, le very much bet- ter-Reuter.
OFFICER ROBBED
The residence of Lieut. W. E. Dick-
son, at No. 40, Kennedy Road, was
entered early yesterday morning, and $20 in money, a camera and a leather wallet were stolen.
NAZI AIR WAR ON SHIPPING
LIKE MAD DOG RENDING WHATEVER IS WITHIN REACH
London, To-day.
1
WITH A MACHINE-GUN, REVOL-fected was accused, though the nervous YESTERDAY'S BRITISH PRESS dealt with two aspects of
VERS AND RIFLES, HAS BEEN RELATED TO THE POLICE BY A TRAVELLING TRADER, LEUNG CHOI, OF ROOM NO. 446, GREAT EASTERN HOTEL, WHO WAS ROB-
strain under which he was labouring was plainly discernible.
THANKS COUNSEL After the sentence, Eckford walk-
BED OF $6,000 WORTH OF CARGO ed up to his counsel and thanked him
RECENTLY.
Leung left Tai Kong, in Chinese Territory, for Hong Kong on board in junk No. 1821, with the cargo junk No. 2115. Near Man King Sha, two large sampans approached and Nine robbers boarded, opened fire. armed with a machine gun, four re- volvers and four rifles.
Leung and a crew of seven were kept prisoner till January 6 when they were released.
FRENCH BREAK INTO
GERMAN LINES
London, To-day.
for his defence.
During the afternoon it was gener- ally believed that the jury might pos- sibly decide on a verdict of man- slaughter.
This belief steadily increased --as-the-minutes - want-by and--the--
Jury were still deliberating. An hour later the entire city knew the verdict.-Our Own Correspondent.
WEATHER REPORT The Royal Observatory reports that the anticyclone continues to diminish in intensity and remains centred over south-west Japan.
a distance of two miles.
A German official communique ad- mits that a French company succeeded in breaking through the German out- post defence system in the region of Forbach and to have penetrated for 'Reuter,
The communique claims, however, that they were driven off again.
the technique of aggression → the Nazi air attacks on defenceless shipping and the Soviet war on Finland.
Nazi sea warfare, says "The Times," has justified more than anything else Mr. Chamberlain's contention that the spirit of Nazi-ism is incompatible with liberty and jus- tice. The destruction of the Dunbar Castle might be the latest example of the indiscriminate and unnoti- -fied laying of mines, but that pales beside the calculated brutality of the attacks on helpless fishermen and, now, on the Trinity lightship tender.
This, the paper continues, is not the the world submission attack of a civilized man fighting his would be. enemy for the command of the sea, but rather the brutality and barbarism of the savage determined, like a mad dog, to rend whatever is within reach.
Far from terrorizing us, this will produce just the direct opposite effect. It demonstrates how disastrous to
to
Nazi-ism
INHUMAN BRUTALITY
Both the "News Chronicle" and the "Daily Mail" call the attack on the lightship tender "inhuman bru- tality" and "not war, but murder."
"These methods can only fail," says the "Daily Mail. The Nazis are putting the methods of the gangster against the superior courage of men who refuse to be driven from the sea. Effective counter-measures have been devised by the Navy.
All papers stress the brutality of Soviet Russia's ́invasion on Finland.
A TONIC
The end of the campaign, which was expected to be a walk-over, Is by no means in sight, says the “Daily Telegraph."|_ Although over-optimism would be sheer folly, enough has happened to expose the weaknesses of an army which has become some~~ thing of á bogey and serve as a tonic to other small nations similarly threatened.
History does not record anything braver than that of the Finnish strug- gle 'against- Soviet Russia. There is concrete evidence that the Soviets have suffered a major defeat and their position is daily growing worse.
sponse to the irs whi