September 13, 1902.]
ALLEGED ATTEMPTED FRAUD ON
THE HONGKONG AND
SHANGHAI BANK.
Before Mr. F. Hazeland at the Magistracy on Wednesday, the 10th inst.. Saul Levy, a Jew, and his twelve-year-old daughter, Moz. zelle Levy, were brought up on remand од a charge against each of being in unlawful possession of forged bills on the Hongkong and Shangbai Banking Corporation; against the first defendant there is a second charge of uttering the bills, knowing them to be forgeries.
The circumstances of the case, as reported by us at the time, are as follows: Saul Lery, a native of Bagdad, residing at 11, Staunton Street, went to the Savings Bank department of the Bank on the 3rd ins, and handed over, for entry in his pass-book, two $50 bills and one $10 bill. The shroff took the bills, and, after examining them. passed one 850 note over to Mr. Ardron. the European in charge of the department. with a request that he should look at them. The latter pronounced the bills to be forgeries, and just then Sergeant J. J. Watt happened to come in on business. The matter was explained to him by the Bank officials, and he questioned levy as to the circumstances under which he came into possession of the notes. No explanation was given, however, and Sergeant Watt detained the suspected man while he got out a warrant to search his hou e. He e, in a box belonging to the girl, the Sergeant found thirteen $50 notes, which were afterwards pronounced at the Bank to be forgeries. The man and girl were consequently
arrested.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
cond defendant was implicated, and therefore the amount of her bail must be decided by consent.
Mr. Master said ho was agreeable to bail of $25, and at this amount it was placed. In decided to refuse bail. the case of the first defendant his Worship
The hearing of the charges against, Saul Lery was resumed on Thursday.
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it had been asked two or three times, "I don't know; 'God knows."
Mr. Master-What was the first question on put to him?
Mr. Hastings objected generally to evidence being given of questions put to a prisoner by the police and the answers given by him, except under the proper circumstance of his having been cantioned.
The question was disallowed.
This concluded the case for the prosecution, George Henry Ardron, the European in
and Mr. Hastings briefly addressed the Court. charge of the cavings Bank department of
The defendant, he said, was charged under the Bank, said he did not necessarily see
S.ctions 13 and 14 of Ordinan e 6 of 1865, and the cash or notes received from depositors;t was an essential element of the charges that that was the duty of the shroff, Wai Ying the defendant should have known that the notes Fo kuew the defendant as a depositor in the
were forged. The onus of such proof lay Savings Bank; his pass-book showed that ho had 8344.70 to his credit. The $344 was money
with the prosecution. The case for the defence was this:-The defendant, a hawker, residing deposited between 15th April, 1962, and 7th
at 12. Staunton Street, bad been living ugust, 1902, inclusive, and the 70 cents was
in the Colony for about eighteen months. the amount of interest; nothing had been drawn
He had a family of several children, one out by the defendant. At 10.30 a.m. on 3rd
of them the little girl who had been September witness saw the defendant standing at the counter of the Savings Bank. Tcharged with the defendant and another a shroff came to witness with a 850 bill purporting various public-houses and sold flowers. On one little boy, ten years of age, who went round the to be issued by the Hongkong and Shanghai particulr day he went out, as usual, at 6 30 in Bauk, and drew bis attention to it; the colour was
the evening for the purpose of selling his flowers. a very pale heliotrope, like that of the thirteen
In Queen's Road he saw a lakong holding a notes in Court." The defendant was standing at the counter, where witness left him whilst he Chinaman in arrest, and stopped to look. In the Chinaman's hand he noticed a small parcel, took the note to the cash department. When he went back the defendant was still there, and later in the evening he returned by the same route and at th s identical spot saw a little and witness afterwards heard him say to, the shroff something like "Fassoon
bundle lying on the side-walk. The boy picked Le shroff replied to the effect that be was busy. About it up, examined it, and found that the contents twenty minutes afterwards word were again father, who was then lying sick in bed, and exchanged between them. but what they were
witnesses would be called to prove that when he witness could not say. Subsequently witness
reached home the boy burst into the house went round to the defendant and asked him what he wanted, and he replied. "I go Sassoon: shouting out that he had found some bank-notes I come back one o'clock." Later, the defendant left the Bank with Sergeant Watt, who return- afterwards with thirteen notes, also parpor- fing to have been issued by the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank.
Mr G. C. C. Master prosecuted on behalf of the Bank and Mr. J. Hastings defended. On the representations of the latter, the charges against the accused were heard separately, thated against the male defendant being taken first. Sergeant J. J. Watt, the first witness, gave evidence as to the part he had played in the affair. As soon as he entered the house in Staunton Street with the defendant to execute the search warrant, the girl commenced to cry and opened the box in which the thirteen foged $50 notes were found.
Mr. Hastings-She didn't cry immediately, did she?
Witness-Yes, as soon as I entered the house. Six of these thirteen notes, witness continued, bore the same numerals as the two fifty dollar notes banded in at the Fank by the defendant, and the other seven also showed the same figures, with the addition of a numeral prefixed in some cases and affixed in others.
By Mr. Hastings-When witness took the defendant to the police station to obtain a search warrant. he asked him, through an Indian interpreter, if he had any more notes in his possession, and the defendant, after a momentary hesitation, replied. "I don't know; God knows. He did not say he had other notes at home.
Wai Ying, the Savings Bank shroff, said it was his duty to receive and pay money over the counter from and to depositors, amongst whom was the defendant. When the latter handed over his pass-book and $110 în notes for entry therein, witness looked at the notes-two $50 notes and one $10-and as the colour of the $50 notes was different from that of the ordinary note of the fame ralue, he handed oue of them for examination to Mr. Ardrou, the European in charge of the "department, and the other to the second shroff
of the Bank.
This was all the evidenc, taken and the learing was, adjourned till ten o'clock next morsirg.
Mr. Hastings ippled for bail on behalf of the defendants of a small amount in the case of the girl, against whom he did not see how there could be any criminal charge. The bail
n her case might be fixed at $50.
Mr. Master-With reference to the second defendant, I am quite agreeable that she should be liberated on very small bail.
His Worship-What do you say-$25 ? Ar. Master-$25 or $100, just as your Wor- ship pleases.
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The Magistrate explained that he could not of himself fix the amount; the evidence had not yet shown how or to what extent the se-
were bank-notes. He took his find home to his
in the street.
The little boy in question, an intelligent-look- ing little fellow whose head just showed over the rail of the witness-box, was then called, and assured his Worship that he know the pains and penalties that would be visited upon By Mr. Hastings-The defendant was about
little boys who told lies; they would go to jail, an hour in the Bank, waiting at the same place. he opined. His evidence was a corroboration of During that time no steps were taken to pre-what had been submitted by Mr. Hastings. vent him from leaving the Bank, except that he was being watched by the Bank's Chines detective. Witness was of opinion that the defendant did not know he was being watched.
Ho Wing Chun, second shroff at the Bank. said Wai Ying, the Savings Bank shroff, handed bim a note of the face value of Sa which he examined ard passed over to Mr. Sharp, who looked at it and, in company with witness, went to Mr. Peter's desk and ga e the note to him. Mr. Sharp banded the note to Mr. Pater.
Augustus Sharp, cashier, corroborated this evidence, and als said that when he and the
last witness were at Mr Peter's desk some one handed him ( witness) another note similar to the first. He handed both to Mr. Peter.
George Charles Peter, chief accountant, said he was positive that the second shroff and Mr. Sharp handed him a noto each. The notes pr. duced in Court were forgeries.
By Mr. Hastings-The notes were very good forgeries, and likely to deceive anyone without technical knowledge on the subject. The signatures of Mr. Jackson and Mr. Sexton were excellent forgeries.
Hs Worship-Sir Thomas Jackson.
Mr. Hastings-Sir Thomas Jackson. I beg his pardon.
Cross-examination resumed-The two points by which witness knew that the two notes handed to him were forgeries wera the colour was' lighter and that the numerals were identical.
that
Mr. Hastirs (showing wi'ness one of the notes) Why does the number lead you to think that this note is a forgery ?
Witness--Because both the numbers were
the same.
Mr. Hastings-But this one note-would the number of it tell you it was a forgery?
Witness-No.
In answer to another question, witness said the notes were more likely to mislead anyone who had no knowledge of English.
Sergeant-Major Golab said he acted as inter- preter when the defendant was first brought to the Central Police Station by Sergeant Watt. He spoke Hindustani, which the defendant appeared to understand, except when the last question was pat, His answer to it was, after
The notes, he said, were given by his father to his sister Mozzelle, who put them in the box where they were found by the sergeant of police.
By Mr. Master-Witness saw the notes as he was walking along the road. He saw about twenty Chinese passengers at the spot where he picked them up. The Inkong had the China- man by the shoulder, and about fifteen to twenty people were following close behind; witness
waited a little to watch them, and then went away. He saw the bandle in the coolie's hand plainly, and could see it was made up of notes; the crowd present and the lakong could see the notes just as clearly. When he subsequently picked up the notes, he thought they might have been those held in the hand of the China- man. When he gave the notes to his father he did not tell him anything about the lukong and his prisoner. His father did not count the notes; he opened the bundle and looked through it, and then said there were fifteen dollar-.
Re-exan ined by Mr. Hastings-When wit- ness noticed the bundle in the hand of the Chi aman, he could see the contents were notes. The bundle he found was smaller than the one the Chinaman had.
When his evidence was being read over, the witness corrected a statement that he had seen the lukong and the Chinaman walking on the street and then take to the pavement, where the notes were found; they walked on the street all the time he saw them, and did not cross over to the pavement.
After further evidence, the prisoner was committed for trial.
Commenting on Mr. Rivett-Carnao's finan- cial report on the Budget of Siam, the Bangkok Times says:- Perhaps the most significant statement in the Budget is the announcement that a system has been introduced under which the whole of the revenue derived from the Siamese Malay provinces is in future to be expended solely within the provinces in which it has been collected. Siam is wak ng up to the needs of the interior, and the backward Malay States are to have the special attention they require.