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328
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND more easily. As it convicted on Monday-end to two and a half have been dealt with years' imprisonment for the second offence, the was he would have to go to gaol for nine latter sentence to take effect after the expira-months with hard labour. tion of the former. The younger prisoner was sent to gaol for six months.
A MEAN TRICK,
Fred Kielman was charged with obtaining $15 by means of false pretences.
Hon. W. M. Goodman (Attorney-General). instructed by Mr. H. L. Dennys (Crown Solicitor), prosecnted, and the prisoner was undefended.
Prisoner, who is a German, pleaded not guilty. Mr G. P. Lammert acted as interpreter.
The following jury was empannelled.--Messrs. J. Edwardes, K. R. Roberts, A. Howard, H. E. Oldorf, G. Eckley, E. W. Terry, and H. J. M. de Figueredo.
p.. on
The case for the Crown was that at 7 the 21st September, the defendant, who had been admitted a few days previously into the Sailors Home at the request of the German Consul. and who pretended to be a shipwrecked sailor from Singapore, showed Mr. Percy Harman, the assistant superintendent of the Home, a document purporting to be an order drawn on the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corpora- tion for £15, and asked him for a loan of $15 for a day or two, when the order would be cashed. Mr. Harman, thinking the document to be a genuine one, advanced him the money and made him write an 1. 0. U. for the drawn on the Bank in favour of the de- fendant, so the document he produced was false. The defendant, when asked what he had to say in defence, made the following ex- traordinary statement. was a sailor on a ship that got wrecked in the Java Sea several months ago.
When we arrived at Sonrabaya the German Consul there gave each of us a draft on the owners of the ship in Germany for whatevor amount was due to us as wages. I told him I had no intention of returning to Germany and requested to be sent on to Adelaide. where I have a wife. The Consul did not comply with my request, and I sent the draft to Germany to have it exchanged for one on Hong- kong. I then proceeded to Singapore and stayed there for a time. I worked any passage here on the German Lloyd steamer Bayern and upon arrival called at the Post Office and found a letter awaiting me there in which was enclosed an order on the Hongkong & Shanghai Bank- ing Corporation for £15. I showed this to Mr. Harman, the assistant superintendent of the Sailors' Home, in which I was admitted an inmate by order of the German Consul, aud asked him to lend me $15. I promised to repay him the amount when I cashed the cheque. When, on the following day, I presented the order at the Bank, I was told I could not be paid on it as there was an inaccuracy and I must send it back to be rectified. On my
amount. As a matter of fact no bill had been
return to the Sailor's Home I met Mr. Harman. who pressed me for the money I owed him, and even threatened to have me arrested unless it was instantly repaid. I got so frightened at the threat that I immediately left for Chinese Kowloon and trudged along for quite a long way. At length I came to a telegraph station when, faint and completely worn out, I was forced to apply to the people there for assistance. I was informed I had got over about half the distance to Canton, and I then requested to be directed to that town. When I reached Canton I told the German Consul tlere I had run away from a French ship, and he sent me back to Hongkong with $3. Remembering the threat made by Mr. Harman I did not dare to remain here, and elected to go to Macao where unfortunately I could find no employment owing to my not being able to speak either English or Portuguese. Being by this time at the end of my resources, 1 was forced to some back to this place, and was arrested. I have to state in palliation of my fault, if fault there be, that I was altogether unaware the document was not a genuine one till 1 showed it at the Bank.
His Lordship then summed up, and the jury, without retiring, returned an unanimous verdict of guilty.
His Lordship, in passing seutence, said the defendant had been guilty of a very mean trick and he tried to defend himself by telling a lot of shameful falsehoods. if he had put forward a fairer and more honest defence he would
* an- The Attorney-General said there was other similar case against the defendant, but this would not be proceeded with. Counsel also mentioned that defendant was at the present time undergoing a sentence of six montba for a theft committed in a house in Gage Street,
His Lordship said that the sentence he had passed would take effect at the end of the six
months.
22nd October.
COLLAPSE OF A CASE.
Three men were charged with robbing a man of 840.26 with violence.
[October 27, 1897.
of the Regiment, opened the proceedings Père la Victoire," which with Ganne's march " was loudly applauded. A quartette entitled A Sad Disappointment" was the next item, and this was rendered by Messrs. Mirow, Hill, Grace, and Barrett in excellent style, the voices The blending well together and in good time Band then played Gounod's "Faust" in masterly fashion and their efforts were promptly and Mr. A. C. Van enthusiastically applauded. Neirop next claimed attention with the song "Oh! How I love thee " Mr. Van Nierop was in grand voice and he had to respond to a hearty demand for an encore. A piccolo duet, "Les oiseaux de Passage," gare Corporal Harper and Musician Lytton an excellent opportunity for displaying their ability, and their performance was most realistic and had to be repeated: A very pretty quartette entitled "The Evening Bell' was the next contribution. Musician Seaborne following with a serenade on the cornet. which was also encored, Mr. C. H. Grace can always rely upon a warm The song of reception and his rendering of Hybrias the Cretan" fully justified the ap- plause which greeted his appearance on the The Attorney-Geveral explained that the stage. The first part of the programme con- cluded with Chopin's Valse Brillante (Op. prosecutor lived in a village near Kowloon City 18) by the Band. After a short interval and it was his custom to come to Hongkong the audience settled down to listen to the from time to time for the purpose of buying
second part of the programme, which con- provisions. On the 22nd September he left his village with the intention of going to Yaumatisisted entirely of the grand military potpourri, "The Battle of Waterloo." This very fine to take a launch for Hongkong. He spent the descriptive piece has been previously given in night in Kowloon City and on the following Hongkong by the Regimental Band, but it will morning proceeded on his way to Hongkong, always bear repetition, and on this present When near the boundary fence he was accosted by occasion the audience immensely enjoyed this
Hou. W. M. Goodman (Attorney General), instructed by Mr. H. L. Dennys (Crown Solici- ter), prosecuted. The prisoners, who were un- defended, pleaded not guilty.
The jurors were Messrs. H. A. do Rozario, E. E. Hill, A. Howard. F. Lieb, A. J. V. Ribeiro, H. J. M. de Figueiredo, and A. H.
Skelton.
three men, one of whom said he was an excise of-
ficer. He then expressed his intention of search- ing the prosecutor for opium. No opium was found, but the men took $40.20 from the prosecn- tor, who endeavoured to get back his money. He was then stabbed three times in the abdomen and was seriously injured, reported to the police and the prosecutor was afterwards found in Kowloon City. wounds were bandaged and he was conveyed to the Government Civil Hospital. Later a knife
was The occurrence
His
was found near to the scene of the occurrence and the prisoners were afterwards arrestel.
At the The prosecutor then gave evidenes,
Bum D Magistracy be said the priste :* who attacked him. but he told his Lordsaip the he was now not able to identify them. case therefore broke down and the jury were directed by His Lordship to return a verdict of not guilty. The prisoners were thereupon dis- charged."
This concluded the business of the Sessions.
THE BENEVOLE NT SUCIETY'S CONCERT.
X
musical treat. The Band was under the con-
ductorship of Mr. W. G. Bentley, A.R.C.M., who also scored the accompaniments for the songs in the first part of the programme, while the quartettes were prepared under the leader- ship of Mr. A. G. Ward.
HE LOSS OF THE "NAMOA,”
FINDING OF THE MARINE COURT OF INQUIRY.
On 20th Oct. the Marine Court of Inquiry resumed its inquiry at the Harbour Master's tfice respecting the circumstances attending the loss of the British steamer Namoa, of which Mr. T. P. Hall was the master, in the Haitan Straits on the 3rd October.
The Court consisted of Hon. Commander R. Murray Rumsey, R. N. (President), Staff Com. mander C. R. H. Robinson, R. N., H.M.8. Tamar; Captain Pybus R.N.R., Empresa of India; Captain W. H. Watton, Phra Nang and Captain E. J. Buller, Chunsang.
W. F. McIntosh, the chief engineer, said The Benevolent Society's concert is now -I hold a chief engineer's certificate issued at looked upon as the opening of the musical sea- Glasgow and have been on the Namoa thirteen son in Hongkong. This is a most appropriate years, all the time as chief engineer, I was in beginning. The laudable objects of the Society my room when the ship struck and I at once richly merit the cordial support and sympathy went on deck and on going forward I saw the of the public, and it is only right that charity carpenter sounding the well. I looked over the should command the first attention of the com- bows and saw that she was settling by the head. munity. The concert had to be postponed I went aft and shouted to the captain that the twice owing to unfavourable weather, but we vessel was going down by the head. He told me question whether the Society suffered finan to get the pumps on. The second engineer had cially as a consequence. It is probable that already put a man to do this. I told the more people assembled at the Volunteer Head-second engineer that it appeared likely the ship quarters on Tuesday night (19th Oct.) than would have been the case had the concert been held on either of the two previously arranged days, as while the Volunteers were in camp they naturally attracted a considerable number of friends over to Stonecutters' Island, whereas on Tuesday there was no counter-attraction. So after the forced postponements perhaps
beneficial than disastrons. There was a very large attendance on the Volunteer Parado Ground, which is undoubt- edly the most suitable site in the colony for a promenade concert. Strings of red and white lamps encircled the enclosure and made the scene a very bright one, while the stage, which was erected in front of the headquarters, was also decorated with fings and lamps.
all
more
were
The concert was a conspicuous success, and, thanks to the untiring efforts of Mr. C. H. Grace, an excellent programme of music was presented. The band of the West Yorkshire Regiment, whose services were kindly lent by "Lient-Colonel Gordon and the Officers
would go down and told him to go to his room if there was anything there he wished to save and I would watch below. The second engineer went away and returned shortly afterwards. I remained below till the ship struck a second time. 1 went on deck after the engines had een put astern and then stopped. While I was below the ballast pump was put in the forehold and it worked satisfactorily. It was set going two or three minutes after the ship struck. It can pump from 70 to 80 tons an hour and was kept working at that rate until I left the engine room. This was the only pump in that part of the ship. There was no connection with the bilge injection outside the engine room. Owing to the weight of water in the forehold the propeller was right out of the water, and the ship was so far down by the head that no connection could be made with the bilge injection by means of the sluices. I went ashore in the last boat with the captain. We made for what appeared to be the best place to land. To me it seemed safer to run the waterlogged