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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
in the evening with the wand produced. | The wand indicated mourning. He was not in mourning when he left her in the morning. As he was coming into the house he said, "You all must leave; I'm going to chop." Besides herself there were in the house her lodger, adopted daughter, and her intended danghter-in-law. They went down through the trap door when prisoner told them. He prevented prosecutrix from going down, and shut the door and placed over it two baskets of fire- wood and two pieces of bed board. There was a means of getting on to the roof from the room, there being a sky-light in the roof. There was a ladder there before the trap door was put down, but it disappeared afterwards. Then she saw prisoner pull out a bright knife
with which he stabbed her in the throat. Thou he cut her on the cheek, back of the head, and hands. She tried to ward off the blows. Ultimately she became giddy and fell out of the cockloft, where she lived, on to the second floor, and became insensible. In addition to using the knife prisoner kicked her in the face while she was on the floor. When she regained consciousness she found herself in the Hospital. While in the house she did not see anyone come in by the roof. She came out of the Hospital on the first of April. The kuife which prisoner used had a black handle with a bright new blade. The knife did not shut up. It was sharp-pointed. The wound on her head was not quite cured, but the others were all right now. She did not know a man named Fung Chi Qwang. It would not be tue if anyone said she was living with this man and that it was he who cut her with the knife.
Prisoner said he had no question to ask; he would make his statement by and by.
In reply to the Chief Justice, prosecutrix said she earned her living by cleaning ginger and her daughter worked in a dispensary.
Since Ho Chun's death she had not lived with any other man. There was a pool of blood on the floor after prisoner had attacked her. She became unconscious very soon after prisoner began to assault her. She did not know how prisoner got away. They did not get on very well since he returned last year because he was always asking her for money, and because she did not give him any he used to assault her. Prisoner did not follow any employment.
Dr. Bell said that on the evening of the 16th of last month prosecutrix was admitted to the hospital. If she had not been brought to the hospital and properly attended to she would have bled to death. She had a deep cut across the right thumb right down to the bone; she had two cuts on the left cheek about one inch in length each and nearly through to the mouth; she had a cut on the left eye-brow about an inch in length and a small cut on the left lower lip; she had a severe scalp wouad at the back of the head about an inch and a half in length and penetrating to the bone; she had a small cut on the left hand and on the neck were some scratches which seemed to have been done by the finger-nails. The wounds which he looked upon as most serious were the
one at the back of the head and that on the right thumb. The woman was very ill when admitted to the Hospital. She nearly died during the evening. The wounds had now all healed practically. Prisoner was brought into the Hospital at the same time as prosecutrix with a wound on his head. It might have been caused by a fall or a blow with a blunt instrument. He was discharged on March 28th, as the wound took some time to heal. Another man-Chang-was brought in the same evening, but there was nothing the matter with him. He was scared and knocked out of time. He was discharged the next morning.
In answer to prisoner the doctor said he did not remember him telling him that his wife's sweetheart chased him with a knife,
Pok Wang, prosecutrix's adopted daughter, said she was living with prosecutrix on March 16th at 10, Tung Man lane. Her mother was not well at the time. There was no man with her that evening. She did not know any, man of the name of Foo Chee Qwang Prisoner came to the house at about half-past six in the evening. He struck her and then he struck the prosecutrix. Prisoner then told her to go away, as he was going to chop. When he came in he had a piece of white cloth tied
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[April 23, 1898.
round his head and another tied round his | could squeeze ont of a Chinese doctor a con- waist. They all left the room except pro-siderable sum of money on the ground that he secutrix and prisoner, and prisoner put down gare a prescription which, according to their the trap door. She then heard prosecutrix cry allegation, was of a poisonous character. They out. She tried to push the trap door open, but frightened him into thinking he would be put there was something heavy on the top of it. into gaol on account of this prescription which The intended daughter-in-law went down stairs he had given to some man unless he paid a large and then went on to the roof. Witness went sum of money. As a matter of fact there was into the street, and while there prisoner fell nothing wrong with the prescription. He should from the roof into the street. He fell on to a call the analyst who was alleged to have said man. Her father and mother frequently quarrel- the prescription was poisonons-that was Mr. led when be asked her for money, and every now Browne-and he would say that there was not and then he said that if he could not get her the slightest shadow of a foundation for the money from her mother he would chop her. allegation-that he never said the prescrip Prisoner did not work.
tion was poisonous or anything of the kind. A man went to consult Lai Yung Hong last June. He thought he had not much wrong with him; he thought the prescription was given for a cough. If his recollection was right it was some drug used by the Chinese doctors for a cough. At all events there was nothing much the matter with it. As the man did not seem to get any better or any worse, he went to another doctor and pro- secutor had not seen him since. Whether or no he went to the Hospital they did not know. He was rather inclined to think he did. because soon after that prisoner sent for prosecutor to the Hospital on the 16th or 17th of June. At this first interview prosecu. tor was fairly scared; for prisoner told him that the analyst had said he had "prescribed poison for the man," and that the best thing he could do, if he did not want to get into trouble, would be to pay $600, the sum being ultimately re- daced to $300. On the 18th June prisoner
Prosecutrix, recalled, denied that when he returned from Shanghai prisoner handed her some money to keep. It was not true that shortly after their marriage she ran away with a sweetheart. It was not true that the previous witness was the daughter of her sweetheart.
Chenng Sing, the intended daughter-in-law, and the woman lodger, gave corroborative evid-
ence.
P.C. 104 said that on the evening of March 16th he took prisouer to the Hospital in the ambulance. He found him hurt iu Fung Man lane. Prosecutrix and a postman were also hurt and he took them all to the Hospital in due course. Prisoner was laid down in the street unconscious.
Inspector Hausen said that on the night of the 16th March, in consequence of information received, he went to No. 10, Tung Man lane. He found the cock-loft much upset, and there was a good deal of blood about. He went on to the roof and saw signs of someone having fallen down. He sought for the knife but could not find it. The depth from the eaves of the house to the street was 35 feet.
Prisoner-Do you think it possible that I could swallow the knife in the stomach ?
Witness-Certainly not.
The Attorney-General suggested that being a new knife it might have been picked up in the street.
Prisoner, when asked if he had anything to say, made a long statement. Towards the conclusion he said that on returning home on the evening of the 16th March he found the man Foo Chee Qwang in the house Being angry he struck bis wife, and Qwang took up a weapon and attempted to kill him. He after wards fell down into the street and knew nothing after that. He had no weapon and could Lot have inflicted the wounds upon his wife. He had no doubt they were inflicted by Qwang.
The jury found prisoner guilty on the second count of wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm-and the Chief Justice sentenced him to three years' imprisonment.
19th April.
ALLEGED BLACKMAILING OF A CHINESE
DOCTOR.
A student apothecary named Mok Lai Sun was charged (1) with demanding money with menaces and (2) larceny.
The Attorney-General, the Hon. W. M. Good. man (instructed by Mr. H. L. Dennys, Crown Solicitor; appeared for the prosecution and Mr. Francis, Q.C. (instructed by Messrs. Deacon and Hastings) for the defence.
The following composed the jury-Messrs. R. E. Humphreys, C. H. Rogge, J. A. Gomes, J. H. M. de Figueiredo, G. J. Gomes, A. A. H. Botello and F. M. Cama.
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spoke to prosecutor again on the subject, telling him that he must have a present and that all the Chinese doctors were under his supervision, Towards the conclusion of the interview prisoner said, "You may go away, but I must have $300 by half-past eight to-morrow, otherwise I will examine the prescription and send you to gaol.” The man went home not very happy probably in his mind and he communicated his trouble to a man named Mok Shan Nam, getting the latter to see prisoner about the matter. Subsequently on the 19th June prosecutor and Mok Shan Nam saw prisoner, who ultimately agreed to accept $170. Frisoner said, • If you do not pay the money by half-past four I will have you arrested and put in gaol as your prescription was not proper, but if you pay me $170 I will put your pres oription right." The man was so frightened at the suggestion that he had done something wrong and that he would be liable to be sent to prison, that in the course of the day he sent Mok Shan Nam to see prisoner and to pay him $170. Prisoner signed a receipt for the money, signing his name as "Lai Tong." When asked why he did not put "Mok Lai Sun," he said that that was an alias. A little later on there was a further attempt to get money from prose- cutor, who thereupon gave information to the police. Prisoner and his brother, hearing of this, left the colony, and prisoner was subse- quently arrested under a warrant, brought up ut the Magistracy, and committed for trial.
On the first count five of the jury were in favour of finding prisoner guilty and two were against. With regard to the second count the jury unanimously found him guilty.
The Chief Justice sentenced prisoner to in prisonment for 15 months.
15th April.
IN ORIGINAL JURISDICTION.
The Deputy-Registrar (Mr. Seth) having read over the indictment to prisoner, asked- Are you guilty or not guilty? You speak BEFORE SIR JOHN CARRINGTON (CHIEF English, I believe?
Prisoner-I wish to speak in Chinese. The indictment was then read over to him in Chinese, and he pleaded not guilty.
The Attorney-General said the charge against prisoner was that on the 19th of June of last year he obtained $170 from a Chinese doctor named Lai Yung Hong by menaces with intent to steal; the second count was that he stole the money. Prisoner had a brother who was not in custody who was also a student apothecary at the Civil Hospital last June and July. What was alleged against prisoner was that he and his brother used their position to devise a scheme by which they
JUSTICE.)
ATACHIO V. AQUINALDO AND OTHERS. Mr. Francis (instructed by Messrs. Johnson, Stokes, and Master) applied for an injunction on the suit of Isabella Atachio, on behalf of him- self and others interested in a fund in Hong- kong, to restrain defendant, Emilio Aquinaldo, with whom are joined as defendants the Hong- kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation and the Chartered Bank of India, Australia, and China, from parting with the possession of a sum of $400,000 remitted to Hongkong by the 'Spanish Government for distribution among