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a woman named Lam Hiu, the boy's mother- Wong Kin-being on the ground floor. The mother was awakened by the door being smashed open by some men armed with revolvers and carrying torches. They seized her und threatened to shoot her if she made a noise or resisted them in any way. They then smashed open a box belonging to the old lady and took out $174 in money and a quantity of clothing. They then went upstains, seized the people there, and ransacked the boxes. Alto- gether they took $700 in money and a consider able quantity of clothing of all sorts. When the robbers had left the house the complainant alarmed the neighbours, and meeting a Euro-
pean
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
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The Attorney General said the first prisoner was a lukong or Chinese constable, the second prisoner being the master of U Pak. The prosecutor. Li Sing, rented a floor at 39. Hillier Street, which was used as a tailors shop, and a lot of gambling appeared to take place among the tailors. In addition to this workshop, Li Sing rented a floor in a family house at 19, Circular Pathway. It appeared that on the 25th March the first prisoner went to No. 39, Hillier Street, when the tailors were engaged in gambling. He was stationed at Wanchai. and had no business there. He wanted to join in the game, but he told that strangers were not allowed to do He insisted and he was told he had better have a cup of tea. He was offered 15 cents but that was not enongh for him, and he got 40 cents before he would go away. U Pak seemed to have lost some mony at gambling. and Li Sing advanced him money on a watch to enable him to pay his debts. On the 26th March the prisoners went to 19. Circular Pathway, and asked Li Sing for the watch belonging to U Pak. the first prisoner producing his trun- cheou and threatening him, subsequently knock ing him about. Not content with that he searched him and took 815 from his pockets. the second prisoner preventing anyone from leaving the room. The watch was also taken from the prosecutor, but not content with this the prisoners took Li Sing to the Police Station and there the first prisoner charged him with illegally acting as pawnbroker. After investi- gating the matter the Inspector thought it his duty to prefer a change against the lukong.
So. Police Sergeant informed him of the rob- bery. The Sergeant telephoned to Shaukiwan. telling Inspector Robertson what had occurred, and the Inspector telephoned to the other police stations. Lance-Sergeant Lacock, of No. 2 police station at Wanchai, calculating that the robbers would be bringing the plunder to Hongkong, made for the direction of Quarry Bay, and when near Jardine's Sugar Refinerery at about half- past five in the morning he met the first and second prisoners carrying bundles. He stopped them, and found them in possession of some of the stolen property. He subsequently met the third prisoner coming' gaily along in a ricksha with a bundle. The sergeant stopped him and found him in possession of some of the stolen property. The evidence given at the Majestracy was re- plated.
His Lordship having reviewed the case at great length. the jury returned a unanimous verdict against the three prisoners of guilty on four counts and not guilty on the fifth.
His Lordship addressing the prisoners said— It is quite clear that you committed this robbery. It seems to me very likely that you came down from the mainland of China in order to perpe- trate robberies of this kind. When these things take place and whien ruffians who come from the mainland of China to perpetrate these robberies are caught, we must show them that they cannot do this with impunity. You must be put up for a long time to let others see that a severe punish- ment awaits acts of this kind. Each of you three prisoners must undergo imprisonment for seven years with hard labour, and you must each be whipped once within one week from this date with twenty strokes.
May 21st.
SUMMARY JURISDICTION.
BEFORE HIS HONOUR SIR JOHN CARRING- TON, KT.. C.M.G. (CHIEF JUSTICE).
INDECENT ASSAULT.
To In was charged with (1) defilement of a girl under 12; (2) defilement of a girl between 12 and 16; (3) defilement of a girl between 12 and 16*(4) indecent assault upon a female.
Mr. Slade (instructed by Messrs. Wilkinson and Grist) appeared for the prisoner. He said that the prisoner had been communicated with and also his father. The prisoner, with the full consent of of his father, consented to plead guilty on the fourth count. He understood that the learned Attorney-General was willing to accept this plea of guilty.
The Attorney-General (the Hon. W. Meigh Goodman) said he had come to the conclusion that as the prisoner was under 16 years of age the ends of justice would be quite satisfied by accepting his plea to the fourth count.
The Attorney General entered a nolle pro- sequi as regarded the first three counts.
Mr. Slade addressed a few words to the count, laying stress upon the tender age of his client.
The prisoner was sentenced to four months hard labour.
SERIOUS CHARGE ́AGAINST A LUKONG.
Ching Fat Lam. Li Sing, and U Pak were charged with (1) robbery from the person; (2) larceny; (3) assault, occasioning bodily harm.
The Attorney General entered a nolle prosequi in respect of the third prisoner, for whom Mr. Robinson appeared, and he was ac- cordingly not placed in the dock. The other two prisoners pleaded not guilty.
The jurors were Messrs. Robert Henderson, Walter King, J. H. Oxbery, A. M. Philips, Richard Hamilton, H. Varrelmann, and A. F. Williamson.
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The evidence given at the Magistracy was reported.
The prisoners were found guilty, and the lukong was sentenced to three months hard
labour and the other mau to one month's hard labour.
BEFORE HIS HONOUR T. SERCOMBE SMITH (ACTING PUISNE JUDGE).
. THE ARMED ROBBERY AT CAUSEWAY BAY.
Lan Cloi, Hung Sing, Hang (gr, To Sheung, Hung Tai, Wong Tai Wan and Tam Kui were charged with (1) rohlery being armed; (2) receiving stolen goods. They pleaded not guilty. Mr. Robinson appeared for some of the prisoners.
The jurors were Messrs. A Muller. D. Has- kell. K. P. Herbst, E. Kelly. E. Pereira E. S. Joseph, and J. A. Gubbins.
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[May 26, 1900, Station and claimed some of the stolen property as his own, and while there he was identified as one of the robbers by Yeung Yau and his wife and arrested. There was one point he should mention in connection with the identification of the sixth prisoner, and that was the fact that he had some sort of mark on his cheek. The Inspector would tell the jury that prior to the man's arrest the husband said that one of the prisoners had a mark on his cheek. Then the fifth prisoner had a mark on his shoulder, and Yeung Yau made a point of first in his evi- dence. None of the men had coats on when they entered the house. The sixth prisoner was arrested at the Police Court, and five of the others were arrested by Sergeant Lacock and some Chinese lukongs. This robbery took place at about one o'clock on the morning of the sixth inst. The police were promptly in formed, and at about half-past five the police visited a mat-shed at Taian, which was behind the Polo Ground. There was a small foot- path on leading from complainant's house to this mat-shed, the distance between the two being only about half a mile. Here the police found the first. third. and fourth prisoners sitting on a bed, and underneath some of the stolen property was found. The second prisoner was in another room and the seventh prisoner-a woman--was also there.
The evidence given at the Magistracy was repeated.
The hearing was adjourned.
May. 22nd.
BEFORE HIS HONOUR T. Sercombe Smith
(ACTING PUISNE JUDGE).
THE ROBBERY AT CAUSEWAY BAY.
The trial of seven Chinese, including a woman, for being concerned in the robbery at Causeway Bay, was continued. The charge had been re- duced to one of larceny. The case had not con- cluded when the Court rose.
23rd May.
IN ORIGINAL JURISDICTION.
BEFORE HIS HONOUR SIR JOHN Carring- TON, KT., C.M.G. (CHIEF JUSTICE), AND HIS HONOUR T. SERCOMBE SMITH (ACTING PUISNE JUDGE).
THE SHELL-COLLECTING CASES-CHAU KWAI
CHIC AND LAI KOK TSUN V. WONG SHING.
In this case the plaintiffs as lessees from Her Majesty the Queen of a certain piece or parcel of land covered by the sea on the eastern shore of the island of Lantau, in the colony of Hong- kong, claimed from the defendant the sum of stud as damages for the wrongful acts of the defendant in trespassing upon the said premises and taking therefrom certain shells and corals, the property of the plaintiffs, and the plaintiffs also claimed the costs of suit.
Mr. Pollock said there were two counts against the prisoners in this case. In the first count they were charged with armed robbery on the 6th April at the Coffee Plantation in this colony, and in the second count they were charged with receiving certain goods previously stola at a ploce called Taian, well knowing at the time they received the goods that they were stolen. The evi- dence against the first, second, third, fourth, wyd possibly the seventh defendants was more or less of a circumstantial character as rewarded the first count; that was to say that the jury The petition said—(1) the planitiff are mem- would not have before them any evidence of any bors of a firm called the Lee Hing and carry on person absolutely identifying these people as business within this colony and its dependencies as having been present at the time of the rob gatherers of corals and shells for the purpose of bery: but as regarded the fifth and sixth agriculture and the manufacture of manure. (2) prisoners the jury had direct evidence against ¦ The defendant is the owner and master of a junk them that they actually took part in the rob-registered at the Harbour Office at Victoria, in bery. One of the complainants in the case--a this colony as No. 126 S.H. (3) By an agreement man called Yeung Yau-would tell the jury dated the 20th day of December, 1899, the Crown that at one o'clock in the early morning of the agreed to lease to the defendant a piece of 6th April he and his wife were in a room in a ground covered by the sea and registered in the wooden house at the coffee plantation behind Land Office at Victoria aforesaid as Lantau the new cotton mill of Jardine. Matheson | Marine Lot No. 3, for a term of five and Co.. when three men entered. Young years from the 31st of October, 1899, at an would tell them that he could iden-annual rent of 3300. Once of the conditions of tify two of them-the fifth and sixth de feudauts-but not the third-and that each of these prisoners had a revolver in his hand. He would also tell the jury with regard to the sixth prisoner that he carried a torch, and that all the men had their faces whitened. They took away various articles belonging to Yeung Yau and also articles belonging, to his wife Lam Lun, and to another person named Tam Wan, who was in a shed close by. The wife could identify the sixth prisoner but not the fifth.
Yau
In addition to the men who came into the room were some men who remained outside, all going away together after the place had been ran- sacked. With regard to the sixth prisoner he might mention that he went up to the Police
the said agreement was that the plaintiffs should use the said premises for the purpose only of searching for and obtaining corals or shells from the bed of the sea. (4) That on the 12th Jan- uary, 1900, the defendant trespassed upon such promises, taking therefrom certain coral and shells, the property of the plaintiffs, converting the same to his own use and wrongfully depriving the plaintiffs of the possession thereof. The plaintiffs further pray (1) that the defendant may be ordered to pay them the sum of $100 damages for the said trespass and conversion. (2) That the defendant may be ordered to pay them their costs of suit. (3) That the plaintiffs may have such other relief as to this honourable court shall seem fit,
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