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asked him to call on Friday, at 10.30, to see me, to make explanations.
go
His Worship-What explanations ? Wilness--Shall I into particulars ? His Worship--I think you had better. Witness-We wished explanations in regard to tickets.
His Worship-I think you had better be explicit and say exactly what took place.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND.
Witness-$250 a month, a free house, and free coal.
His Worship-Did you know him privately at all ?
Witness-No.
Mr. A. Sinclair said-I am the marine superintendent of the Indo-China Steam Nav- igation Company, Limited. I have known the deceased fifteen years. I was a friend of his and his family. He would have been forty years of age next March. He was a native of Scotland and was brought up in London. He was a married man with three boys, aged eight, six, and four. I had a letter to me by Mr. Hanson for Mrs. handed Wylie. I gave it to Mrs. Wylie, who re- She said that she did not turned it to me, see any reason why its contents should not be published, but she would leave it in the hands of the Magistrate. I am now acting as a friend of the family.
His Worship-Have you any objection to the letter being read or published.
Witness-I have no objection to the letter being read by you, but I have an objection to its being published. I think it would be in advisable.
Witness-His accounts were not in order. He used to get a stock of tickets from ns as they were required, and give them out to the Chinese conductors, on whom he had to keep a obeck. We of course required him to give in the money and he was supposed to give daily returns of the takings on the tramway. A little more than a week ago he wanted a packet of two thousand first class return tickets. All ..the tickets are numbered and I then found by our books that he ought to have had at least a
in ..thousand tickets hand. I asked him to explain why he required more. He said he had all the tickets in the office, but the packets were broken and the tickets scattered, and in many cases the numbers were not consecutive. I said I would send someone up to bring the tickets down and have them repacked. He went away and I at once sent one of my clerks with a note to. Mr. Wylie asking him to deliv-alive? er up the tickets. The clerk came back with some loose tickets of another kind. What I wanted were the first class return tickets. I then wrote describing the tickets I wanted and sent the clerk back again. He came back with- out the tickets and told me Mr. Wylie would see me. For two or three days he did not come into my office. I wrote to him and asked him to call at 10.30 on Friday morning, the 26th. He came and I then asked him for his explana- tion. He said he had the tickets in his office but they had been used; they had been punched. I then said "Where is the money?" He could not give any proper explanation. He saidh o knew he had done a very stupid thing. He had taken other new tickets, torn them in half, and punched them to make them look like used tickets. I told him that no one would believe an explanation of that kind, and that I would go into the matter very carefully with the Con- qulting Committee, and if he called on Saturday morning at 10.30 I would tell him the result.
His Worship-What money did the missing tickets represent?
Witness-The same day I sent for all the tickets he had at his office. I should say at least $1,500 was missing. Wo went into the matter again and I asked Mr Ewens, a member of the Consulting Committee. to go into the matter with me and we decided it would be .necessary to suspend Mr. Wylie. When he called on Saturday morning, about 11.30, 1 told him the decision that had been come to and that I should send someone to take charge of the tramway. He said he thought the Company might overlook the matter this time, and I told him he ought to consider himself lucky that the Company had not taken further action in the matter. He offered to pay back the money by instalments if he was allowed to retain his position. I told him I did not think We were justified in allowing that. After some farther conversation he got up and said, Mr. Buck, will you shake hands with me for the last time P I shook hands with him and he went out of the office. I took some one up to the Peak tramway station and put him in charge. I inquired at the lower and top terminus if Mr. Wylie had been seen and I was told he had not. I.came down by the 3.45 tram and enquired again with the same result. I then felt rather anxious and went to the Central Police Station, where I saw Inspector Duncan and Inspector Hanson. I told them that Mr. Wylie was in trouble, but it was a private matter and I should like to find out where he had gone. They said they would make enquiries.
*
His Worship--When did you last see deceased Witness-On Friday morning, the 26th inst. He He was passing in a tram at the time.
He never mentioned any of his troubles to me. was a man of sound mind. Until to-day I had not heard of any troubles in connection with his business.
His Worship at this point read the letter privately, and then handed it to Mr. Buck, Mr. Evens, and the reporters. It was couched in most endearing terms and referred affectionately dear wee boys" and also to his wife and three to the great trouble that had overtaken him, He also bade good-bye to the Volunteers.
•
The evidence being concluded His Worship said-I find that death resulted from a hullet wound self inflicted consequent upon mental distress in connection with money difficulties into which deceased had fallen with the Hong kong High Level Tramways Company, of which he had been Superintendent since 1892, and in making that finding I can only say how much one deplores what has taken place. The deceased was in a manner part nrselves. with the tramway He was intimately connect which has become a necessary and e sentia part of our existence here, and I have always! heard that he was extremely obliging and gare great satisfaction in the general dis- Of course now that charge of his duties.
the deceased is no more, it is useless to comment on what he has done. One could have wished that he had taken a more sensible view of the situation, and what I might call a more courage. ous and manly part, and that he might have considered his wife and family whom he has plunged into such distress, and with whom 1 am sure everyone will sympathise in their tron- ble. I think it is right also to add that the evidence which Mr. Hart Buck has given has been most straightforward and that considering the suspicions entertained he could have taken no other action than he did in suspending the deceased from duty. The deceased seems to have been perfectly fairly treated in the whole transaction.
THE FUNERAL,
On Monday afternoon the deceased was buried at the Happy Valley with full military honours. The coffin, which was covered with the Union Jack and a large number of wreaths, was borne on a gun carriage and drawn from members the Volunteer Headquarters by both units. On the
the way to of cemetery the band of the West Yorkshire A large Regiment played funeral marches. number of Volunteers, including all the officers, followed the deceased to his final resting place, and at the grave side scores of private residents assembled to pay their last respects to the deceased. The service was conducted by the Rev. R. F. Cobbold, and at the conclusion a firing party of Volunteers fired three volleys Last Post Was over the grave, and then the " sounded.
His Worship Did he intimate to you that
would take his life? Witness-Afterwards I thought that by *shaking hands for the last time, he meant he would take his life. It did not occur to me at the time. He was rather excited, but not angry, and I should say he was remorseful. He said he had always been fairly dealt with by us and that he was in financial | sin, with sleepers, and to call at one of the Ja- difficulties and had been for a long time.
His Worship-What was his salary?
The steamer Pelican, from Tacoma, to Tient- pan ports for coal, is now considerably overdue. She left Tacoma on October 12.
[December 2, 1897.
DEATH OF M. IMBAULT HUART.
M. Imbault Huart, French Consual at Can- ton, who died on 29th November at the Peak Hospital at the early age of forty, had been employed in the French Consular Service in China for seventeen years, and in the different posts he held had rendered distinguished service. An accomplished sinologue and a member of the French Geographical Society, he was known and appreciated not only as a com- petent diplomat, but also as an author, and his books on the Chinese-language are highly appre ciated by Chinese scholars. He was appointed to the Consulate at Canton ten years ago, and the qualities be displayed secured for him the Cross of the Legion of Honour and that of Officer of He has died in the flower of his the Academy. age, at the time when his completely matured faculties entitled him to anticipate high promo- tion and a career of extended usefulness to his country. His death will be deeply regretted by the numerous friends of all nationalities that he had made, and the deepest sympathy will be extended to his widow and children, and to his mother in France, in the sad loss they have sustained. The cause of death, we understand, was dysentery complicated with disease of the liver.
THE FUNERAL,
At the Roman Catholic Cathedral on the 30th November a high requiem Mass was celebrated by Monseigneur Chausse, French Bishop of Canton, for the repose of the son of Mr. C. Imbault Huart, late Consul for France at Canton. The coffin was placed on a dais in the centre if the church, and was covered with the French flag, over which were laid the Consul's The columns were uniform, sword, and bat. draped in black, and wreaths of flowers sur- rounded the dais. H.E. the Governor was represented by Captain Phillips, A.D.C., and there were also present the Consuls of the different nationalities, the French Vice-Consul of Canton, five officers from different corps of the garrison, a number of French officers from the Comete, and friends of the deceased. The mass was concluded at 11 30 and the remains were then conveyed to the Roman Catholic Cemetery.
A detachment of fifty soldiers headed the procession as a guard of honour and the Band of the West Yorks was in attendance The service at and played the funeral march. the Happy Valley was officiated by the Right Rev. Bishop Piazzoli and at the conclusion three volleys were fired over the grave. The Consular flags were half-masted during the day.
FATAL FIRE IN THIRD STREET.
FIFTEEN LIVES LOST. Just before midnight on 23rd Nov. a fire broke out in a family house at 64, Third Street, and fifteen of the occupants were either burnt to death or suffocated. The houses in Third Street are for the most part of a very poor des- cription. They contain two storeys, in which several rooms are partitioned off into cubicles as sleeping apartments for members of the family and their friends, so that when fully occupied there is very little spare space in the buildings. It was doubtless owing to this crowded condition of the premises and the consequent presence of so much inflammable material that such a serious loss of life has taken place. The fire originated on the ground floor and it is supposed that there were altogether seventeen people in the honse at the time. The flames quickly spread and before the arrival of the Fire Brigade, which turned out promptly under Mr. May and Mr. Howe, two men, uine women, and four children had fallen victims either to fire or smoke. It is thought that most, if not all, these. poor people were sleeping on the first floor when the outbreak occurred, and from the position in which the corpses were found it is probable that ten of the occupants met their death in trying to get out of the burning house by the stairs leading from the first to the ground floor. Five of the number endeavoured to save their lives by running to the kitchen, in which there was a manhole communicating with the ground floor, but as there was no ladder in the man- hole the people were doubtless too afraid to jump down or else were driven back by the smoke. Be that as it may all the five bodies were found close together in the kitchen, and facing the wall, two of them being in an almost
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