:
150
ANOTHER ROBBERY CASE.
Tse Bin, a young-looking Chinese, was brought up on a charge of having ou 18th August, at Cheungshawan, assaulted Wong Lai Wing, a returned emigrant from California, and his wife U Fang, in their house there, and robbed them of $100, a pair of bracelets, and a pair of ear- rings.
A plea of not guilty wak tendered, The same jury sat as in the first case, The Attorney-General in his opening state- ment Baid that the prosecutor and
his wife were in their house at одо o'clock in the morning in question, the min asleep and the
woman sitting up mend ing clothes, when a gang of four robbers, of whom prisoner was one made, their entrance through the roof. The robbers seized the two oconpants of the house, bound them up, and then effected their purpose of robbing the place, and got
clear away. Some time elapsed before the prisoner was identified by the old woman and arrested at the cement works. The question in the case was whether or no the identification was sufficiently established.
Evidence was then taken, after hearing which the jury by a majority of six to one found the prisoner guilty.
His Lordship remarked that this was a most cowardly robbery and sentenced the risoner to five years' imprisonment with hard labar and
to receive 24 strokes of the birch within the first week of his imprisonment.
A SERIOUS CHARGE.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
to Sheungshui Police Station, where it died shortly afterwards. On a post-mortem examinı tion it appeared that the child's stomach wie absolutely empty. Dr. Hunter would tell them that in his opinion the child's death was due to neglect. When the constable met the male prisoner the latter was going in the direction of a stream, the Crown suggested that he was taking the bundle to the stream to put it in. is explanation was that his nephew was about to be married, and that as the presence of a dying child on such an occasion was contrary to Chinese custom they had therefore to dispose of it. The mother said the child was very weakly from its birth and subject to sores, and he gathered from her statement that she meant this-that the child was not able to be brought up and so they let it die.
Evidence was then called. Three relatives of the prisoners who had been subpoenaed to give evidence as to the birth of the child were absent and their bail was estreated. Evidenc was given by the Indian constable who arrested the male defendant; by Sergeant Gerrard of Shengshai Station; the Chinese doctor, Lau Lai; Dr. Hunter, who made the post-mortem examination; and the sergeant-interpreter, who took the prisoners' statements.
Th mal prisoner when asked if he had any. thingsy, stated that his wife gave birth to the call on 6th January. Three days after its birth some sores come out on it and it could not tak milk on the seventh morning. They
calle an old woman to come and see it.
he told her it WAS a six-months' chill. The old woman said there
Mo Yeung, alias Mo Ng, was brought She asked him how long it was born and up on a charge of having on the 25th and
26th January criminally assaulted two girls aged 13 and 15 respectively.
He pleaded not guilty.
The following jury was empanelled :-Messrs A. C. Moore, H. W. Merrill, J. L. R. Cotter W. E. Schmidt, J. O. Hughes, C. H J. Thus, and C. E. B. Herst,
Mr. E. H. Sharp. KC., barrister-at-law, conducted the prosecution for the Crown.
Was
The evidence was recapitulated in the same strain as already reported, when the case was committed by the Magistrate to the Sessions
The prisoner had no real defence, but remarked that if he did what he accused of " may my bones lie at the bottom of the sea and my flesh float on its surface!" His Lordship then summed up the evidence, and pointed out how the law bore upon the question. and the jury, after but a short consultation, without retiring brought in a verdict of guilty. and Mo Leung, the prisoner, was then senteu- ced to two years' hard labour.
Saturday, 20th February.
IN CRIMINAL JURISDICTION,
BEFORE HIS HONOUR SIR WILLIAM M. GOODMAN (CHIEF JUSTICE).
CHARGE OF INFANTICIDE.
Pang Lung and his wife Cheung Kam Fang were brought up on a charge of having on 14th January at Fanling, in the Sheungshui district of the New Territory, killed their female infant child, aged eight days.
Į
FAH 1) use
WW
of lookin at it; that its destine
fixed, as it had not ben carried for the full period of gestation. The child diel on the night of th 14th. When he was intercepted by the constable he was carrying the body to Shekfu market-town They in the cou try did not know his Lordship's laws; if they had known them they would have got the necessary permission and there would not have been this trouble.
'The female prisoner hal nothing to say.
Dr. Lauai, re-qalled, stated that thị chill was a fully born child.
His Lordship in charging the jury asid that there was nothing different between the law of | Chins and the law of England with regard to
infanticide.
Thors was
u ovides on that point, however, and therefors is would ask them to dismiss that from thir minds; but at the same time the prisoners were rather suggesting that according to the Chinose law it was all right. It was nothing of the kind. There had been repeated proclamations issued by the Chiness Government against the custom of infanticide; he had read translations of thes himself. There certainly was & prevalent custn on the part of parents that if they get a superduous baby, especially if it was a female, they thought as little of it as of a puppy and allowed it to die.
The jury without retiring returned an unanimous verdict of guilty, but recom nended the prisoners to mercy.
His Lordship in passing sentence said the prisoners had behaved very badly. Even the animals took care of their little off spring. They were human being; that little child never asked to be brought into the world.
The
|
.
[February 22, 1904.
REVIEWS.
The Directory and Chronicle für 1904 Hong. kong: Daily Press Office.
The Directory and Chronicle for 1904 bas boon issued, and the bulk of the pressa í editio is no doubt a good excuse for its some what tardy appearauo. The work not only covers the whole of the Far East. and is constantly including new ports and paces, bat swells yearly with the grow of the various foreign communities, The task of collecting information aud the work of revising these requiring the greatest care, and the attainment ever growing lists is one of accuracy must necessarily be difficul; owing to the changes which take place even whilst the book is in process of publication. The present edition seems to have been compilal with great care, and fully sustains the high reputation achieved by this now veteran vade mecum, DOW in its forty-second year of publication. As we have hinted, it has gained considerably in bulk, being some three hundred pages larger than last year's edition. The Directory alone, not counting the advertise ments, fills upwards of 1,150 pages. Amongst the additions to the "Chronicle ray be mentioned the Commercial Treaties made by China with The revisad Japan and the United State,
came into Customs Tariff of Japan, which force last year, is given in a form which saws the changes ma le in the formar tariff as well as the conventional or Treaty Tariff rates where these exist. In addition to the usual maps and plans, which have been corrected and brought up to date, a plan and description of the new Russian port of Dalny have been added, and these will prove of exceptional interest
!
at the present moment, when this city and the neighbouring one of Port Arthur are likely to be the soues of historic and epoch-making events. No effort has been spared to inclu le changes in the Directory to the end of 1903, and so far as it is possible the lists are brought up to that date. It may be noted that in the lists of ships and officers of the Russian and Japanese squadrons the most recint additions to these fleets are included, a fact that will assist reference in connection with naval engagements now taking place or impending, Advertisers appear to be every year more large- ly recognising its value as a medium, and the pictorial pages are growing numerous. From the readers' point of view one could wish that these thick pages could be relegated to the end of the book, but advertisers know their busi- ness, and, like the lovers of the play, are evidently alive to the desirability of securing good places.
SPORTING NOTES.
(Daily Press, 13th February.) Hongkong to-day as usual.
There is not so much in the way of sport in Perhaps the war and the approach of the Races combined make the interest taken in oricket, football, etc., more languid temporarily. The Cricket Ground is given over to a League match and the chief football ground to a Bagby game of not the highest importance. Morever, there is no yaoh- ting, so thi day altogether is uneventful "com. pared with recent Saturdays.
The
They pleaded not guilty, The following jury was empannelled:-Messrs.
The League cricket to-day comprises the fx- T. Hunter, J. I. Andrew, H. A. Siebs, C. F.prisoners brought it into the world and it was tures between the A. O. C. and the Parsees, the Grey, T. Arnott, S. Swart, and N. K. Davidson. their boundea duty to tak car of it and tend it. Civil Service and the R. E., and the H.K.C.C.
The Attorney General in his opening state- The law of China as well as the law of England Reserves and the Craigeogower C. C., ment said the charge against the prisoners was throw that duty on the parents. He knew that last mentioned should be the best game, for the that they so neglected their infant child that it in some parts of China there had been custom! Club Reserves are making a good bid for died; of having treated it so negligently and of getting rid of superfluous female bibies by fourth place and are not quite out of the run- improperly contrary to the duty imposed upon drowning them. For many centuries past the ning for third if they can defeat the Craigen- them by nature as parents that it died. It Emperors from time to time had issued pro-gower men. The table, arranged slightly appeared that the woman gave birth to a female clamations forbidding such a custom under diferently from the usual style, shows the child in Fanling village at her husband's house severe penalties. Therefore even according various teams' positions to be as follows:-
laws the about the 6th of January. Fanling was just to the Chinese
prisoners had
Pi'd To Play Pts within the borders of the New Territory. On no EXO1180 for what they had done. His
mind Lordship bore in 14th January an Indian constable while on his
that they patrol met the male prisoner about half-a-mile very ignorant people, but he must from his house carrying a bundle of matting. some sort of example of them so as to warn peo The constable stopped the man and on examin-ple round their neighbourhood that they must ing his bundle found the little child wrapped not do the same thing. Taking into osusidera- in it. The child had no clothing on it The tion the jury's recommendation to mercy he body was extremely emasiated, covered with would pass sentence on each of the prisoners of sores, very dirty, bleeding at the right eye, and six months' imprisonment with hari labour. bruised in several places. The child was taken
were maks
The Court adjourned till to-day at 10 a.m.
11
A.0.0... Civil Service C.C. 10 CraigengowerC.C. 11
R.E
H.K.O.C.Reserves 10 H.M.8. Tamar.......... R.A.M.C.
Parsees C.C.
9
80
8
4
15
The Craigengower can make themselves fairly sure of third place by winning to-day
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