324
CASE AGAINSTA COMPOSITOR.
In the Summary Court on the 30th ult. Ming King, a compositor, sed Messrs. Kelly and Walsh for $15, being his wages lor September. Mr. C. T. Leiton, manager of defeudant firm's printing establishment, was in
Court.
Mr. Justice Wise, who presided, pointed cut to Mr. Letton that the money had been paid into Court, which was practically an admission of the claim.
Mr. Letton explained that the paying of the money into Court was done under a misappre- hension, He wished to contest the case.
Plaintiff stated that he was employed by the month, He left on the 2a Uctober because he was ill.
Mr. Letton deposed that plaintiff left, without giving any notice, on the 30th September. He did not appear on the 1st October. On the 7th he came to the office after business hours and asked for his wages. Witness refused to pay them unless he would give month's notice, and told him to come bac and work for month and be would get his wages.
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His Lordship said that plaintiff was entitled on this action to succeed. Defendants should have brought a cross-action and then the one might have been set against the o her.
Mr. Letton-But if he wins this case he go away to Canton.
will
His Lordship-Well, I cannot help that. Mr. Letton added that under the new Ordinance they could take the plaintiff before the Magistrate, but generally as soon as the writ was served in such case the men ran off to Canton. Employers had no rem-dy at all.
His Lordship-Yes, that is an inconvenient effect of the situation of the Colony.
Judgment was given for the plaintiff. On the plaintiff Ming King leaving the Court he was arrested by Sergeant Murison under a warrant taken out by Mr. Letton and was escorted to the Magistracy and put on his trial before Mr. T. Secombe Smith on a charge of leaving his employment without giving notice.
He pleaded that he left his employment on the 2nd October because he was sick; his eyes
were sore.
Mr. Letton stated in evidence that the defendant was engaged by the month from the 1st of the month to the last. On the 30th September defendant asked for leave for seven days, saying he was sick. He then asked for his wages for September. The firm did not usually pay their men until the 7th of the month. Defendant cold him that if he was not paid then he would leave, as he wanted to go to Canton; he had no money, and that was why he wanted his wages. Defendant went away and came back on the 7th. Witness refused to pay him his wages and made it quite clear to him that he must come back to his work next morning and give a month's notice. He did not come. He said nothing about his
Next eyes being Bore when he asked for leave. time defendant came to the office was on the 7th after business hours, when he came to ask for his wages. Witnes: told him that if he came back to his work he would pay him the 14th. He did not retura to work. When he asked for leave defendant said he was sick, but did not say what was the matter with him.
On
Defendant stated that he left the office on the 1st October. He had been to Canton; he went there on the 3rd and returned on the 8th. Between the 8th and the 14th he did nothing. On the latter date he went to the office for his wages, but did not get them. That morning he had recovered his wages in the Supreme Court. On the 15th he told Mr. Letton that his eyes were better, and that he could work, but he was told to go away. Under cross-examination by his Worship defendant admitted that he had been to the office of the new Euglish paper that was going to be started and had got work there at $16 a month if his workmanship proved satisfactory.
His Worship said he saw perfectly well what the position of matters was. Dufendant had run away from his employment to get this He had heard about this new newspaper starting and gotan offer to go there, probably getting better wages than at Messrs.
other work.
billet at once.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND Kelly & Walsh's; therefore he threw up his That was the view his Worship took of it. He must try to put a stop to this sort of thing & man throwing his job at a moment's notice. If he did so Sentence--350 he would have to suffer for it. fine, with the option of three months' imprison-
ment.
CURIOUS CASE AT BANGKOK.
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The case against A. F. G. Tillake, proprietor of the Siam Observer, and brother of the At- torney-General to the Siamese Government, and Mong Ong, a Burmese clerk to the above-named accused, has at last, concluded in the British Consular Court at Bangkok. The case, as already reported in these columos, was one of receiving stolen property, and the question turned upon whether the receiving was done with a guilty knowledge. In the evidence-in-chief Mr. Tilleke admitted that there were circumstances which led him to lelieve that the goods were stolea property, but he had no actual knowledge. The facts of the case appear to be as follows. The first accused is a dealer in stones, and the second accused is his clerk, the latter also keeping a boarding-house for traders in precious stones, for whom he acts as a broker. One day in June a man named Moug Hla, a dealer, came to board with him, and after some days said he had a large parcel of diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and szecs (inferior rubies or garuets), and asked Mong Ong to help him to dispos of them. The latter promised to do so, and went and consulted his master, the first accused. Thus negotiations were opened On seeing some of the jewelry the first accused, as he alleged, called upon Mr. Graehlert, the original owner of the stolen goods, and informed him that he believed he knew the men who had his jewels, and it was arranged that Mr. Graehlert should come and see them the following day when the men were to bring them to the house of the first defendant. At that interview the first de. fendant declared the stones to be imitation, and after much circumlocution and cross-question- ing, admitted he, with two accomplices, had stolen the things, and they had divided them into three parts. Finding he had been cheated, Mong Hla divalged of his accomplices. It was then arrange that Mong Hla should induce his accomplices to bring their shares of the jewals to the house of the first defendant, and if they refused they would have them arrested, and Mong Hla should turn King's evidence, Mong Hla handed over some of the jewels to the first defendant and left. saying he would see his accomplies. Next day the second defendant learnt that Moug Mong and Mong Po Te were going away by steamer, and on informing the first defen dant of the fact the latter caused their arrest, while at the same time the police arrested Mong Hla and searched the second defendant's house, where the arrest of Mong Hla was effected, but nothing incriminating ws found. From further evidence it developed that while Tilleke was negotiating with Mr. Graehlert for the return of a portion of the stolen jewels to the latter, in consideration of a heavy douceur for himself, he was also playing a double game in order to retain some of the jewels himself. The fatal mistake Tilleke made was to carry on his negotiations by
when, correspondence, and
account of several delays and so on, Mr. Graehlert's suspicions were aroused, and he barded over the correspondence to the police, Tilleke shadowed, and sufficient grounds obtained for his arrest on the charge of receiving stolen property, the list of the jewels he proposed to hand over to Mr. Grachlert falling far short of the list of those he received from Mong Mong, through his clerk Mong Ong, and he was accordingly arrestel. After a hearing of eleven days the jury brought in a verdict of guilty, and Mr. 'I'illeke was sentenced to six months' hard labour, and his clerk to twelve months.' What that means for one who held a prominent position in Bangkok business, social aud sporting circles, and whose brother is Judge of the Appeal Court, and Attorney-General of Siam, it is perhaps unnecessary to dwell upon.
од
WAS
The latest news is that Mr. H. G. Gough, editor of the Siam Observer, has been tried on a charge of contempt of court by making
[November 2, 1908.
certain allegations in a leader commenting on the trial. Mr. Gough was sentenced to fourteen days' imprisonment, it being added in the order of the Court that in the event of defendant failing to give satisfactory assurances for good behaviour in the future he will be deported from Siam. Execution of the judgment of the Court has been stayed for one day.
SPORTING NOTES.
(Daily Press, 21th October) After passing Thursday night in Juuk Bay, where the s.s. Coromandel anchored pro- paratory to entering the Harbour early yes. tordy, six of the victorious cricket team and two reserves have returned to the Colony. The two Hancocks have been left behind, one
suffering from dengue fever; Peirce has also stayed, and Ward has gone on to Japan, while Couper returned on the Athenian. Owing to the early hour at which they were able to land yesterday, no special festivities marked the hom coming of our cricketers. But never- theless, the enthusiasm is just as strong as if it had been openly expressed. By all accounts, a great impression has been produced in Shanghai. Naturally, perhaps, the selection of the losing team has been subjected to a good deal of criticism (after the evout), and the cap- taincy of Farbridge has been severely handled. The captain and tʊe team alike, however, may solace themselves with the reflection that, after all, they are only undergoing the usul fate There Was of unexpectedly beaten sides. much the same criticism freely expressed in Hongkong when we lost the last Interport
match.
As a matter of fact I think a certain amount of the latter was justified; whether the same is true of Shanghai in this recent match I am not competent to express an opinion. Our victory last week was too handsome to be explained away. By the way, Sport and Gossip amusingly remarks on the thought- fulness of the band on the Shanghai_ground on Follow on, the second day in striking up follow on!" as the Shanghai team went in for the second time.
•
The victory of the brothers Hancock in the Interport lawn tennis matches was so complete as to be crushing. Ecores of 4-6, 6-2, 9-7, and 6.1 in the Doubles, and of 6-4. 6-0, 6-1 in the Singles, leave no doubt as to supremacy. Shanghai was of course very unlucky in that both N. B. Ramsay and W. A. Tarnball, the two left in the final round of the Shanghai this year, were not well championship enough to play, for their substitutes certainly not up to their form. But so well did R. Hancock play in the Singles that it does not look as if he need have feared Shanghai's best. In strokes against Baxton Forman he made 89 to 39 in the three sets.
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The Hongkong Rifle Association team's score of 874 in the Imperial Rifle Match on Wednes- day afternoon, though it is a great improvement on last year's inglorious 825, is still a long way bobind the 943 which Hongkong put together in 1901. It is to be feared that 874 will not place our Colony's representatives very high up in the list of competitors for the event. This is the eighth year since the institution of the contest. In 1901 Hongkong was fifth, which was a fine performance, seeing that all corps in the British Empire and teams from any Rifle Association in Ceylon, Singapore, the Channel Islands, the West Indies, and Fiji are oligible
as well as ourselves.
There appears to be no assurance for a good prizs boxing match to be put up in Hongkong again. The exhibi iou given at the City Hall by Jones of the Amphitrite against Sam Newman of Mauila on Thursday night was nothing short
of a scandal. I understand he was well backed by his ship's company, not because his' abilities were known on board (for he has not been seen "working" much there at all), but because of He was loyalty on the part of his mates. knocked out in the third round. It is a pity we have no Sporting Club in the Colony that can judge of a man's capabilities before allowing him to take his corner in an advertised tournament, for the promoters of recent boxing events here