July 15, 1897:1
THE CHARGE AGAINST A GODOWN KEEPER.
INTERESTING EVIDENCE.
At the Police Court on 8th inst., P. Vincent, godown keeper, was charged on remand with atealing two boxes, cups and saucers, a quantity of glass ware, altogether of the value of $12, belonging to the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, by whom he was employed.
Che Tsun said I am a godown coolie in the employ of the Canadian Pacific Railway in Hongkong. On the 11th April last the s.s. Empress of Japan arrived in Hongkong. On the 15th April, at 4 p.m., I saw the defendant wrap up three cups and three saucers in the godown and go out and get into a 'ricksha and drive away. On the 16th April I saw the defendant putting cups and saucers and plates and other things into a box now in Court in the godown. He took it away about 4.15 p.m. the same day. On 17th April, at about 9 a.m., I saw the defendant open the godown and In 8 short time he came go upstairs. down with a parcel and handed it to his
not 'ricksha coolie. I do
know what the parcel contained. On the 19th April, at about 4 p.m., the defendant asked me and an- other godown coolie to take a box downstairs. We did so and the defendant put it into a 'rioksha, and drove away. The godown is in Blue Buildings, Praya East. The leather boxes in court belonged to Chinese passengers. They had been in the godown for a long time. In answer to the defendant witness said The cups and saucers belongedto the Company and not to private individuals.
Ma Siu, 'ricksha coolie, said one after- noon in the month of May he went to the City Hall with the defendant, who carried a parcel. He took the parcel into the City Hall and returned without it. On the following day the defendant told him to take the box in court to a house in Duddell Street. Witness did so. The box, which was heavy, was given to him at the godown.
George Millward said-I am freight clerk in the employ of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company. The defendant was our storekeeper on the 18th May last. On that date, at 6 p.m., I sent the defendant from the office to the Empress of India, at the time lying at her mooring. I asked him to get a purser's receipt the parcels which be took off and return to
for
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
Mr. E. A. Bischoff, clerk to Messrs. Carlo- witz and Co., said-On the 11th inst. I was passing the Hongkong Hotel when I saw three dogs fighting my dog, which is a greyhound bitch. The three dogs appeared to belong to defendant. He was deliberately setting the dogs on mine. The defendant be- came very angry and struck complainant a blow on the face, causing blood to flow.
Mr. L. Spetz corroborated.
The defendant explained to the Magistrate that one of his puppies was struck by the com- plainant and added I did not give him a direct blow, I merely meant to shake my fist in his face.
For the defence Mr. Louis Martel, wine
bish. The glasses and plates that I took I was In answer to the defendant witness said-I asked by Captain Tillett to lend for the Com-struck the dog on the leg. The dog, I think, pany's pienic launch some time in April. was fighting with the dog of my companion, They were put into the launch and never Mr. Bischoff. The dog did not yelp out when returned. I went to Japan for my health. I struck it. At Shanghai I was arrested on the steamer. I met Mr. Hudson, for whom I was working in I met some of his party who Hongkong. asked me if I would bring Japanese tea sets from Japan. I did so and brought them on to Hongkong by the Empress of Japan. I put them into my store until the arrival of Hudson's party from Shanghai. I met them on their arrival on Wednesday morning, about the 14th or 15th May, and brought them with their baggage to Old Pedder's Wharf. me if I would One of the party asked take care of three boxes for them until their departure. They consisted of one big trunk and two small boxes. I kept them in the godown until the 7th May. I then took the big box to the City Hall. I took the two small boxes to Stainfield's Hotel, where my friend was staying. The box in court was at the time being used as a dust box. I made use of it to pack a Japan- ese tea set which got broken on the way down and I took it to Stainfield's Hotel. I handed it to the person for whom I had brought it, They unpacked the tea set and asked me to take the box back, but as I was not going to town at the time I told them I would send for it. I forgot to do so and it remained there. The deck chair for the stores. prosecutor sent me with chit for 8 We sent to the office for it. On making enquiries at the office I found that this chair, not being the property of the Company or the prosecutor, was sent to his house. He has on several oc- casions sent chits to the chief stewards of the company's steamers for stores supplied for the use of passengers and crew, and these stores have been packed up and handed to me in the steam launch to take to the office for the pro- secutor. The stewards have remarked at the time that the Company was not aware that these stores were being supplied to him.
8
To the Court-My reason for leaving Hong- kong without notice was on account of finan cial difficulties. It had nothing to do with the crime with which I am charged. The large Saratoga trunk was the one I put out of the store оп account white ants.
were eight tumblers Tillett's launch. I keep the record of articles Captain
The
in
ionice, He did not return. On the follow. issued. I did not enter the issue of the trunk
He
morning, as he did not come to the office, asked the first witness where he was. said the storekeeper was sick and would not be at the office. On the following day I heard that the defendant had gone away. I got the keys of the godown from the defendant's house in Wanchai and kept them. Two days later, in consequence of what I heard, I went to the godown to take stock. From what the first witness told me I went to the Police Station and took out a warrant. I found that three oups and saucers, eight tumblers, one large Saratoga box, one Chinese box, and other articles were missing, of the value altogether of $15. This was all that was missing out of the whole stock, which is worth about $34,000. The Chinese box in court is one of the missing things. The defendant has been in our employ for about a year. His salary was $80 a month. Our last stocktaking was in December, 1896. He had no business to leave our employ in the way he did.
The defendant, in his defence, said-When I took over the stores from the freight clerk, Mr. Measor, he took me down to the stores and told me he thought everything was correct. Not being satisfied I went over the stores my. self. I found several articles deficient and several in excess, reported the matter to the freight clerk. He asked me to make exchange with the stewards of the Com- pany's steamers with the articles in which I was in excess for those in which I was short. I did make exchange with some of the articles, but some I could not exchange. Some of the articles which the prosecutor has charged me with stealing were amongst the articles un- changed. As to the American trunk, it was full of white ants. I had authority from Mr. Brown to destroy all articles so attacked. I turned the articles out of it and it being other- wise broken I turned it out of the store as rub.
I
or Chinese box, not did I enter the issue of the articles I gave to Captain Tillett because I knew they would be returned.
George Millward, recalled, said-It was only the three cups and saucers that I discovered missing from the stock book. The Saratoga trunk and Chinese box were on the office list of unclaimed passengers' goods. It was in that way that I discovered their loss. They have been unclaimed for eighteen months at least. After the lapse of six months they become the property of the Company.
Detective Sergeant Hall, who arrested the defendant in Shanghai, said the defendant had been in custody for six weeks.
His Worship said the defendant's explanation seemed to fit in with the facts of the case, and he discharged him.
ASSAULT IN QUEEN'S ROAD.
At the Police Court on Tuesday, before Hon. H. E. Wodehouse, Frederick Lowell, bailiff of the Supreme Court, was summoned for assault ing Alexander Thaler,' a merchant, on Sunday
last.
Mr. Master appeared for the proscution. Complainant said-I am a merchant and carry on business in Vienna. I am passing through the colony and stay at the Hongkong Hotel. On the 11th inst., about noon, I was passing near the Hongkong Hotel when I heard a noise behind me. I saw three dogs fighting with a dog which belonged to my friend, Mr. Bischoff. I thought the owners of the dogs were going to separate them. I tried to separate them by gently putting my stick near them. The defendant immediately struck me a blow on the nose with his first, causing blood to flow. I gave no provocation to my knowledge. I gave no actual blow to the dogs.
merchant, was called. He said-I saw some dogs barking and fighting. I saw complainant hit one of the dogs with his stick, but I cannot say whether the blow was severe or not. I could not see properly. I saw him strike out and the dog, yelped after the blow. All the dogs were yelping at the time.
In answer to Mr. Master witness said-I cannot swear that the blow caused the dog to yelp. I saw complainant's nose bleeding. The defendant appeared to me to be shaking his fist and in doing so it struck the complainant's nose. I did not see whether the complainant provoked the defendant.
Defendant said he very much regretted the occurrence.
The defendant, at the suggestion of the Magistrate, made a public apology to the com- plainant, and the Magistrate inflicted a fine of $10.
THE DIAMOND JUBILEE GYMKHANA,
After two or three irritating postponements on account of the weather the Diamond Jubilee
Gymkhana was held on Saturday afternoon at the Happy Valley, and even on this occasion the event was almost choked off by the rain. The meteorological forecast indicated "showery anxious doubt whether the fine intervals would weather, fine intervals," and residents were in
be longer than the showers. Fortunately the conditions were fairly favourable and the showers that fell during the afternoon were only of short duration. The Grand Stand and the Jockey Club stands displayed innumerable flags to great advantage. The attendance was exceed- ingly good, amongst those present being His Excellency the Governor. Sir William Ro- binson, G.C.M.G., His Excellency Major- General Black, Commodore Holland, Hon. C. P. Chater C.M.G., the members of the Jubilee Committee, and all the leading residents. The pony races were the source of much enjoy- ment, but the bicycle races were poor stuff. In one of his books Rudyard Kipling, in contrasting the hundreds of pleasures to be found in London with the few entertainments provided for resi- dents in the East, talks of gymkhanas as "dolorous dissipations." Bicycle races such as those witnessed on Saturday must have pro- voked him to use that term. Two cups were offered for competition amongst bicyclists and although one of the prizes was worth nearly $200 there was a lamentable lack of competition for them. However there was a large number of entries in each of the pony races, although as a mark of respect to the late Mr. D. K. Sliman the Hon. J. J. Bell-Irving and the other mem bers of the Ewo hong cancelled the engagmenta of all their ponies. Of course the ground was in a very heavy condition and this fact militated against good times being recorded. The mens- gerie race was not brought off, only a monkey, which was in charge of a bare-footed soldier, and a chow dog turning up for the contest.
The following is a list of the officials.— Patrons H. E. Sir William Robinson, G.C.M.G.; H. E. Major-General Black, C.B.; Commodore Holland, A.D.C.
Committee -Messrs. A. Babington, Hart Buck, P. G. Davies, R.A., R. M. Gray, V. A.C. Hawkins, T. F. Hough, Hons. J. J. Bell-Irving, T. H. Whitehead, and F. H. May, C.M.G., Com®