366
CANTON.
(FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT).
Nov. 20th. ARMED FOREIGNERS AND CHINESE MOB.
"It is reported that about I p.m. yesterday, while the Captain of one of the I. M. Customs oruisers was passing through the Po Shui Street, Honam, he took from a shop a little pet dog in spite of the protests of the owner, who said he would not part with it at any price. The fokis followed the Captain and a threaten- ing mob soon gathered around. The Captain sought shelter in Mr. Johnson's house. while, a demonstration was made by the crowd, which numbered over 1,000 men and op-n threats made that the house woull be set on
Mean-
fire and the foreign devils in the neighbourhood would be killed if the dog was not returned. All the foreigners turned out and kept the mob at bay with rifles and revolvers. The situation. was becoming very serious as the first shot fired would have started a general riot. For- tunately for all concerned, police aid came in time, 100 men arriving on the scene armed to the teeth and dispersing the crowd. It said that the Kaifong and the police have sent a report on the matter to the Viceroy.
OFFICIAL CHANGES.
The local authorities received an Imperial Edict that the Tartar General Shan and the two Lieutenant Generals Hing Cheun and Chun Ling have all been ren sted to return to Peking to take up officiui positions there. Tartar General Sing Fan has been ordered to proceed to Kwangtung to relieve Shau.
MACAO.
(FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.)
November 19th.
LEAL SENADO ELECTION.
The election for the Leal Senado took place yesterday and was rather exciting. Altogether 205 votes were placed in the urn, and the follow- ing gentlemen were elected to serve:-Dr. F. X. Pereira, 192 votes; Mr. A. A. de Mello, 185 votes; Conde de Senna Fernandes, 175 voter; Mr. F. F. Leitao, 167 votes; Mr. F. F. Maher, 165 votes; Mr. F. X. dos Remedios 159 rotes.
GONSALVES V. MORGADO.
This assault case was tried on the 14th inst. before the Chief Justice. The Court was crowded by all the inmates and boys of the St. Joseph's College to hear the result. Mr. Basto was the counsel for the plaintiff while the defendant had the advice of the Attorney General and Senhor Gravicho. After evidence Senhor Morgado was convicted and sentenced to five days' imprisonment, with the option of paying a tine of 200 Reis per day, Reis 1600 or say $1.85.
ELECTRIC LIGHTING AGAIN.
Apropos of street lighting I hear that very soon we will have the third attempt made to light our streets by electricity. I hope that the Company will be successful this time.
TYPHOON COMMITTEE.
STATEMENT TO DATE.
At a Meeting of the Committee of the Typhoon Relief Fund held at the office of the Chairman, Sir Paul Chater, on the 20th instant, the following statement was submitted by the Sub-Committee:--
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
THE GERMAN AND JAPANESE AFFRAY AT SHANGHAI
|
C THESE DOGS HAVE KNIVES,
The N.-C. Daily News was supplied with the following details of the trial of certain German sailors concerned in the Hongkew affray of
October 13th.
$6.50.
"The following are the facts which the German Naval] Court considered proved by the evidence given by the different witnesses: On the evening of October 13th, 1906, the two prisoners named Mane and Frischke, together with three other sailors from S.M.S. Ilti«, ¦ named Heppner. Schmidt, and Oehlmann, went to the restaurant of the Japanese Yamamura at the car. er of Scott and Fearon Roads. There they consumed fire d shes of eggs, 10 small bottles of beer and a dozen of cigars. When they were going to pay, Yamamura asked for payment of 15 bottles, the whole amounting to The sailors, who had taken ouly 10 bottles and did not want to be cheated, got angry and said they would not pay anything. Four of them left the restaurant, but the fifth, Mane, was retained by force by three Japanese, Yama- mura Noguchi and Matsuo, these latter being assistants of Yamamura, who gripped Maue'sarm. One of the Japanese jumped on the sailor's bick and seized him by the throat. When his comrades heard the noise in the room they went to his assistance and freed him. Thereup on the Japanese rushed after the sailors; Matsuo tried to snatch Frischke's cap from him and Noguchi tried the same on Maue. Frischke struck Matsuo with his fist and succeeded in getting back bis cap.
In the meantime Maue struggled with Noguchi for the cap, which the latter pressed hard on the ground with his hand. Mane, while thus engaged, was suddeuly attacked by Yama- mura from behind, who gripped his feet and stabbed him with a long pointed kitchen knife (hotcho) into the right calf. Man, who ha succeeded in getting back his cap, bent down, seized with his left hand Yamamura's right hand, forced him down and pulled out of his right trousers' pocket a knife, with which he twice stabbed Yamamura who all the time vehemently tried to attack him from below. Frischke, who in the meantime had got rid of Matsuo, heard Maue shout "Au!" and "These dogs have knives" and rushed against the crowd surrounding Mane in order to assist him. suddenly Noguchi seized his feet from behind and tried to throw him down. Frischke in order to keep off his assailant struck Noguchi with a table knife which he had taken with him from the restaurant to be prepared for eventualities and inflicted upon him five wounds, none of which was serions. The Japanese then left the sailors a moment alone and the prisoners taking advantage of this opportunity ran away. Already in the beginning of the fight witness Heppner had been stabbed in the right arm by a Japanese and had run away in order to have the wound dressed. followed by Schmidt and Oehlmann. Close behind Maue and Frischke a Japanese, apparently Noguchi, was pushed aside by Мане. Yamamura died the following day from the wounds he received. Noguchi died two days later from dysentery; the doctor who had attended him stated that his organism was too much weakened by the loss of blood to be able to withstand the supervening illness. The evidence given by the Japanese witness Matsuo differed from the above in essential particulars, According to him the sailors immediately, when being asked for payment, assaulted Yamamura, Mane having first stabbed the latter and
wounded then
Noguchi. Thereupon the sailors dragged Yamamura into the street and further illtre ted him, Mane wounding
Matsuo. No Japanese had used knife; all of them, being terribly fright- ened only tried to escape. The Court did not believe this statement as Matsuo continually contradicted himself. In the preliminary examination he had said the stabbing had taken place within the house; at the trial he maintained that it occurred outside. In particular he formerly stated having received his wound in the restaurant, whereas he now deposed that it had been inflicted on him in the street. It was clearly proved by the wounds received by the sailors that, contrary to his
Payments already made to owners of 820 boats $103,715.00; to destitute widows and orphans $1,107.00. Grants agreed to but not yet paid to owners of 163 boats $16,783.00;
In addition to the above the sum of $15,665 | also has been spent by the Tung Ws Hospital and in relief to Europeans.
Applications for relief have been put forward by fishing boat and junk owners amounting in all to some $33,000. It has been decided that small fishing boats will be granted assistance from the fund calculated at $10,000.00.
An additional amount of $90,000.00 has been asked for by fishing junks and this matter is now under consideration by the Committee.
But
He was
[November 26, 1906.
statement, the Japanese had made use of knives. This was borne out by the evidence of fireman Farrel of U. S. S. Galveston, who imme- diately after the occurrence had seen Matsuo close to the wounded Noguchi, holding, a long knife in his hand.
The Court considering the agreement between the statements made by the prisoners with the evidence on oath of their three comrades and with the result of the investigations carried out ind pendently by witness Guenther came to the conclusion that the Japanese were the first who took to knives, and that therefore the prisoners acted in self-defence. It was admitted by the Court that they exceeded the exact measure of self-defence necessary to ward off the unlawful attack of the Japanes; but it was counted in their favour that the two prisoners who alone remained after their comrades had gone had to deal with a superior number of Japanese and acted therefore in a state of high consternation and excitement. According to the German Penal Code an excs of self-defence committed under such circumstances is not punishable. prisoners were therefore discharged.
MINING RIGHTS IN SHANSI.
The
+ or
MORE SWARMERY," Letters from Shausi of date, October 30th. indicate that there has been a time of consider. able excitement in the provincial capital. some time there has been great dissatisfaction with the Government for having granted mining rights in the province of Shansi to the Peking Syndicate. An impression has gone abroad that a monopoly of mining rights in the province has been given to this company and that even natives will not be permitted to work their own coal mines, but must perforce yield their property to the foreign speculator,
In the early part of this year the students from this province now studying in Japan appointed one of their number to return to China and attempt to influence their home Government against granting the rights sought for by the Syndicate. On the eve of his departure from Japan the young man delegated to this work learned by a telegram from Peking that the Foreign Office had already conceded the rights asked for by the foreign fira. In despair of accomplishing the task assigned him the student, after the manner of Chen Tien-hwa who drowned himself as a protest against the Japanese proposed restrictions on Chinese students residing in Japan, cast himself into
the sea.
News of this event having been received in Taiyuaufu the students in the city, to the number of 2,000, gathere in mass meetings and for three days discussed ways and means of carrying to a successful issue the protest to emphasize which one of their number had just given his life.
A great funeral ceremony was held in memory of the aforesaid student, and his action was so lauded as a glorious example, that it seemed at one time as if the whole 2,000 might at one fell stroke commit suicide.
The first proposal made at the mass meeting was that they should declare their opposition to the Government even to the extent of rebellion and civil war.
This was, however, shelved as being impracticable.
The second proposal was that all should abandon their studies and return to their homes in the various prefectures throughout the prov- ince, and there organize public meetings to arouse popular antagonism against the Govern. ment for weakly granting a concession to the Syndicate: also to collect subscriptions and buy back the land already purchased by the company.
The Governor visited the various colleges return to their and urged the students to 8
studies. The principal of the Government University expostulated with the students of that institution and pointed out that as they had no exact knowledge as to what were the terms of the concession granted to the foreign Syndicate by the Government, they ought not to sot hastily and risk bringing calamity on themselves and their provinces. In the end wiser counsels prevailed.
Work in the different colleges is now going no as usual, but there is a good deal of sup- pressed excitement in the atmosphere.
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