-May 5, 1900.J
yot be seen. However, these are only rumours and an 'ship's clearances are supposed to limit and show where she has been, there may be no truth in them.
[Our correspondent's lotter reaches as a little late owing to its having missed the boat from Manila to Hongkong the week before last. A telegram appears in to-day's issue which an- Bounces that the Belgika has been released on payment of “a thirty thousand dollar fue.”,
25th April. MR. SPITZEL IS ACQUITTED. THE JEWELRY IS RETAINED,
After a three days' trial in the Provost Court Manila, Lonis Spitzel was acquitted of the charge of smuggling brought against him by the United States Government. The jewelry in question was not returned. It is retained by the Custom House Authorities for future disposition and will be used as evidence in the coming case of the United States against Levi, who was at one time employed by Mr. Spitzel and who brought the jewelry into Manila without manifesting it or paying duties. The case has excited an unnsual amount of interest and many persons who scarcely know the location of the court are now quite familiar with its handsome ceilings and solid, comfortable fur- niture.
,'ז
ure. The trial occupied three days and was stubbornly fought, point by point, by both prosecuting attorney and counsel for the de- fendant. Numerous witnesses testified and were subjected to severe cross-examinations. Ob. jections were frequent and many squabbles aross between the lawyers. Mr. Spitzel himself was put upon the stand and developed his side of the story. He is a lively, easy talker, whose gestionlations emphasize remarks; he has a good head for dates and figures, and he keeps the run of his subject as well as the court stenogrpaher. Mr. Bradley, the prosecuting attorney, sought in complex questions with great rapidity, but Mr. Spitzel proved equal to the test. The weakest point in his story was brought out by Judge Hull, who took up his testimony to the
to confuss him in the cross-exmination and seat
effect that in the year 1888 he had done gold $2,000,000 'worth of business in six months. He also testified that his agent in Chins, Mr. Levi, had sold out five houses in North China for the paltry sum of some 2,000 dollars, or thereabouts-this in 1899. As Mr. Spitzel assured the court-that his business was in good shape the two statements seemed hardly
compatible.
The counsel for the defendant laid great stress on the fact that the total amount of the dunes on the jewelry could not exceed $47 Mexican currency. He pointed to the defen- dant's enormous business interests and offered a letter from the "China, Limited." directed to Mr. Spitzel in the United States and concerning the matter of £200,000, In addition he figured 呼的 cable-talls and showed how it would be! Impossible to arrange for such a case of smug gling without spending more money than the amount of the dues. The evidence showed that hir. Spitzel was in America, and knew no thing about the bringing of the jewelry to Manila, and papers were offered to prove that Levi, the man who brought the jewelry Manila, was not acting as his agent. Under these circumstances there was nothing to do but render a decision of acquittal. “Ou Monday night the lawyers closed the case and on Tuesday evening at five o'clock the presiding judge, Major Hull, called the court to order and gapa his decision, making Mr. Spitzel a free man.
Levi was in the court and the prosecuting attorney immédiately moved that his trial be taken up. “This case will be decided chiefly on the evidence as brought out in the Spitzel case.
number of points of law have been on countered which are very hard to decide. There is but little familiarity with Spanish law even this date, and statutes though clearly set orth in one place may be found to be curtailed and limited or rendered very elastic by some partionlar clanse that has been overlooked. Thus ordinary procedure is full of surprises, A person sees American lawyers in an Ame-
Court, proceeding according to Spanish lay, which they can only read in translated form, and citing rulings of American Courte and referring to test cases threshed out in the United States in fupport of their Spanish
|
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. -
Louis Spitsel claims to be a very much wronges man, amounting almost to persecution at the hands of the Americans. He has been hounded and shadowed in every move and the detectived and secret-service men have made no attempt to conceal themselves, but have openly followed him, and by so doing have been the cause of much annoyance. He was twice arrested and released. A few days ago a very handsome, well-dressed Filipino woman knocked at the door of his room in the Hotel Oriente and asked to be admitted as she had something very im- Spitzel let her in and portant to give him. Mr. noticed that she was carrying a small package, she turned about to close the door. Spitzel Instead of producing the important something" suspected the game and immediately ordered her out. He reported the matter to the clerk, and was told that the woman had said she knew Mr. Spitzel, and had described him accurately, saying she had business of importance with him. Naturally the clerk directed her to his room. Spitzel considers that he narrowly escaped an attempted blackmail,
of the trial, and during his absence he was The British Consul was present during most represented by the vice-consul.
FORMOSA,
[FROM A CORRESPONDENT.]
Tainan, 25th April: PROGRESS IN FORMOSA—RAILWAYS AND-
ROAD8.
Formosa in progressing rapidly since the Ja
It is undoubtedly a fact that the island of panese occupation of it. Though natural cir súmstances in the last few years have of course looked that it is the work of the Japanese Go- contributed to this, yet it should not be over- verament which have promised the island Prosperous future. In South Formoss, railway Takow Port to Tainan, and it is expected that construction works are going on steadily from
September, or at the latest in October of this this thoroughfare will be open to the public in
year. Even now locomotives are running so from the port, and the line is utilized by far as Akaution, a town at about sixteen miles
Of course road-construction works have advanced those who are in the Government service. far north of the country town, but some special difficulties have to be overcome in bridging over stream at about half a mile north from that place. It is reported by an engineer connected of the operations connected with the line and with the work that this is the most difficult part it requires a few months more before the work throughout the length of the island, and avail- oan be finished. As to the track passing able for transportation of goods, etc., it is the Government's intention, we are told, that after the railway is opened to traffic shall be used the track materials which will become useless to facilitate the connection of some of the inland towns with the main system of communi- cation. It is needless to say the sugar and other impotant plantations will get a strong stimulus by this new, system of inter-con-
nection.
TAKOW HARBQUE.
As for the long-disputed harbour construction at Takow, we know nothing except that fourteen hundred thousand five hundred yen are provided in the Budget for the current year as a fund in connection with harbour works in the island.
CANTON
[TROM OUR JAPANESE HOURCE:].
Canton, 28th Chinese tour came to Cidten from Some youn”. Siamese ✨pridded
on the 26th alt. nnd, accompanied and a retinus, exiled upon HE Li Hung-ching The were 68! and whered into the large Vico room, seated according to seniority were treated to tes and baker att fashion, and siter 8 pretty departed. On their way through the surprised at seeing the large numbers of hope winding streets of Canton they Wore and stores stocked with unique curiós, deries, blackwood porcelain, and okinaware
which are really well worth seeing,
*
す
It is reported that the English Government
has chosen a suitable vite at Whohow to walld
« British Conkulaté ön,'; and that all the building. materials to be transported there will pala tau Customs free.
Tor some considerable time Canton häs flooded with ödünterfeit coTBL. ° OR TIMESKU | ult. generalTM Li; of the Kwong Hip gatris
upon the information of a detestivë, töök
oldiers with him, and went to the 100 soldiers ward of the Western suburb“ nền Ha. They surroundell & certain homa some sight or nine persons were !! in coining ten and twenty dont' } night, and arrested thein A lot of mac and tools were also seized, add it was to the Viceroy as to how they should be dise posed of.
The pirate chief Wong, otherwise known as "Wong, the Flat-nosed Fish," together wit his comrades, has
has been a souras of great trouble people of the locality which they infeated as to the juuks and passenger-beats, and to the well. For a long time they have been levying blackmail, and have escaped apprehension and alt. as a boat laden with matting passed by Low- defied the action of the mandarins. On the 18th
about twenty persons in all, went on board and Chung, "the Flat nosed Fish" and his comrades,
exacted blackmail to the amount of 100 tuoli. day, as he had to go to the owner of the boat The captain of the boat told him to come next
the matter to the nearest guard-house." He got to get money. Meanwhile he went and reported about two dozen well-armed soldiers, who went on board in disguise and concealed themselves in the hold below: Next day when Wong and his comrades came, on a signal the soldiers. rushed up from the hold, and seized him and escape and one being killed. some of his comrades, others having had time to
As was said before, fantan was farmed ont to General Li of the Kwong Hip garrison, who on the amount to all the civil and military of- pays $1,200,000 per annum, besides 2 per cent.
have been receiving the fantan squeeze before; ficials, to the yamen runners and others who but as this amount was evidently not enough to pay them, they were not satisfied; so they allowed gambling to be carried on in places where there are no licensed gambling houses. The gentry and neighbours who had not received their customary squeeze naturally became indig. nant and occasionally smashed these bouses and gave trouble to the mandarins. Some merchants have proposed to the Viceroy to take away the monopoly from the General, and are willing to pay a further sum of $300,000, anuually in addition to the above amount.,
ter,
new
TAINAN IMPROVEMENTS.
With reference to the attempted assasination In Tainan the authorities have successfully of Lao Hok-shon, described in my last pulled down houses to widen the main streets. there is is a rumour going about, which may or which are very narrow, as-is always the case may not be true, that the old and th with old Chinese cities, to meet the daily opium farmers are ligitating on the matter of increasing need of easy communication, and license-fees, and that most of the opium smokers also some necessary sanitary work has been un-(principally rogues, and vagabonds)“ar" di dertaken. We further expect to have in a few satisfied and, hearing that Lao Hok months the benefits of telephone service. The about to take a monopoly of the opium regulation for it has been, gazetted a few weeks planned and paid for the attempt to ago and some appointments of engineers and him. staff for the purpose have been made.
A big banquet was held on board the new Hamburg-Amerika lier Hamburg at Singa, pore on the 16th ult. The proceedings seem to have been most cordial. The first toast was the German Emperor, the second Het Majoit
On the 20th alt, cattle reached Mauila, and month disease fined in the owner mys this was estagory of
corrala,
Hfecte