Page
April 3, 1909:]
In the month following you paid $6,000 into the Yokohama Specie Bank?—I drew it from the Dutch Bank and paid it into the Yokohama Specie Bank.
Debtor explained with regard to another cheque that he had bought a draft for £500 at the instance of Moosa in order to make a little on the exchange. Moosa had no interest in the business, but he sold goods to debtor on com- mission. Debtor thought he made more than $2,000 in the first
What were your personal expenses P-During the first year my pocket expenses were $100 a month.
year.
You kept no account ?-No.
It might have been $1,000 for all you know? -No, not so much.
Debtor, asked why he drew out cheques to bearer, said that sometimes they were for other people and sometimes for his pocket expenses. Some of the cheques paid to Moosa were after the bankruptcy and those had been paid to the Official Receiver.
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Can you make out any statement as to what you have been spending on yourself during the last two years ?-This year I spent more money because after November 1907 I started drinking and I did not know how many dollars I spent.
You have been spending a lot of money ?-I don't know. Before I never drank. After November I was always thinking about my cargoes.
You know you have been spending consider able sums, in drinking and other things ?—At morning time I was very sorry but at night time I did not know how many dollars I was spending, Where did you get the money from?-Selling the cargo in the shop in business.
•
Have you been in the habit of frequenting disorderly houses?—Yes.
You spent a lot of money there ?—Yes. Have you any family dependent upon you?- No.
Mr. Scott Harston, who appeared for Messrs. J. D. Hutcheson and Company, questioned the debtor.
When did first know you were insolvent ?
you -At the last moment when every creditor wished to take money.
CHINA ÓVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
Do you recollect having an interview with Mr. Pearce of Messrs. J. D. Hutchison and Company in October last when you assured him you were solvent P-No.
Do you deny that you had the interview and that you said that?-I told him nothing.
If Mr. Pearce says you said you were solvent and it was in consequence of that statement he allowed you to have $3,000 worth of goods, he is not speaking the truth? He came to my shop and asked me to give him an order and I him an order.
gave
He never inquired, although your case was reported in the papers, into your solvency -The case was published in the newspapers and he asked me if I was going into bankruptcy and I said no.
You say you had no such conversation. I put it to you that you made a deliberate false state ment to obtain $3,000 worth of goods?—I deny it. You sold this business of yours before the bankruptcy?--Yes.
You were not then really the owner. You had not paid for it?-Yes, I was the owner.
Had you paid for it P-No.
You know as a matter of fact that the pro. missory notes you had given for this business were held by the National Bank of China?- Yes,
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Hypothecated to them for the purpose of financing Moosa E. Vieira who were supplying you with goods P-I gave the promissory notes to Moosa E. Vieria who hypothecated to the Bank. And that the Bank was financing Mossa E. Viera ?—I did not know that. He was helping
me.
You knew he had hypothecated the goods? Yes.
Don't you think that before transferring this business you should have communicated with the bank? -I thought a good price was offered for the business and I sold it.
about this money?—He was not bankrupt when Why didn't you inform the Official Receiver he gave me the money.
up the
With regard to this money which you say Moosa E. Vieira gave you to keep for him. You knew he was in difficulties at that time ?—Yes.
You knew that shortly afterwards he went bankrupt? Yes.
He was bankrupt before you delivered money?—Yes.
steps to give up the money? He told me to You knew he was bankrupt and you took no keep it for him.
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it aside.
Do you call that honest ?-He told me to keep
can't say.
Do you call that honest on your part ?-I
I suggest to you that the whole of these drawings of yours and this complication with Moosa E. Vieira was a system of jugglery?—No, it was not.
Why didn't
you draw the cheques in an honest way with the man's name on them P-Well he asked me to give him cash.
You have not kept proper books of account ? Only a ledger.
You have been guilty of extravagance in living ?--I did not know it at that time. The public examination was closed.
SAILORS' AND SOLDIERS' HOME.
RENOVATION SCHEME.
We have pleasure in complying with a request to give publicity to the following appeal and Soldiers' Home:- for funds towards the renovation of the Sailors
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Hongkong we would point out that the Home In placing this appeal before the public of in Arsenal Street has for eight years filled a great need in the life of the Colony. It is difficult to realise the full blessing its attrac. tions and influence have been to our sailors and soldiers. Men of all creeds have been welcome to its advantages, and by their abund- ant patronage have shown their appreciation thereof. It perhaps will surprise some to learn that during the past year more than 12,000 men have slept in the comfortable, clean beds of the Home. When it was opened it was the only place of its kind where sailors and soldiers could sleep for a night. Not only has the Home provided for the temporal welfare of the men, but also it has been a centre of vigorous activity in temperance and religious work.
If this worthy Institution is to continue its past successful work it is absolutely necessary that the interior and fittings should be thoroughly renovated; that the sanitary arrangements should be brought up to date, that the rough walls should be plastered, electric light installed and in other ways so to improve the interior as to ensure its being an attractive Home.
281
THE POST OFFICE PROSECUTION.
William Nattall, on remand, again appeared before Mr. J. H. Kemp at the Magistracy on Mar. 30 on charges of fraudulently removing stamps from nine parcels.
Mr. F. B. L. Bowley, Crown Solicitor, pro- secuted, and Mr. P W. Goldring (of Messrs. Goldring, Barlow and Morrell) appeared for the defendant.
Mr. C. Mol. Messer, Postmaster-General, deposed to going into the Registration Office on Friday, March 19th, after tiffin. Mr. Martin was absent at the time. He then noticed that Mr Britto and a coolie were opening a London
Parcels parcel box. were placed in the parcel room, but, after being packed, nailed and sealed, were placed in the back of the registration room. Witness re- turned with Mr. Martin later to look at the box mentioned, and was shown one parcel with an embossed ten cent stamp on it, but no postage stamp and no postmark. After seeing this parcel Mr. Messer ordered the rest of the parcels to be taken out of the box and examined. Three were found deficient in postage, and all bore signs of having had stamps on them. Witness then ascertained that the defendant had received these particular parcels. He summoned Mr. Nattall before him, found that he had not entered certain insurance rates, and informed him that the deficiency had to be made up. He did not see defendant put ‣ repacked and saw that the stamps were on. After the stamps on, but subsequently saw the box seeing the box stamped witness wrote a memó calling for an explanation, and received a reply from defendant. On receipt of this he suspunded him.
After he had left a report was made by Mr. Martin, and witness afterwards found that four London parcels were deficient in postage. In an examination of the Australian box he found other parcels deficient in stamps. other clerks on that day was correctly done. If. As far as witness knew the work done by the
a clerk picked up a stamp on the floor of the Post Office he ought certainly to hand it over to Mr. Martin, or in his absence to the next senior
man.
boxes opened on the 19th instant. Those boxes Cross-examined-Witness did not have all the
which were packed he did not have opened. deficiencies in postage occurred very seldom.
In reply to his Worship witness stated that
on
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visiting the Post Office on the afternoon Detective-Sergeant James Watt deposed to of March 19th. He observed that the stamp one parcel he examined had a damp, oily, dirty, second hand appearance. From the Post Office he went to St. Francis For this purpose'a sum of $10,000 is urgently Yard with Inspector Sullivan and Mr. required, a portion of which amount, it is hoped, Martin and saw defendant on the street. He will be obtained from England. During the told him he was arresting him on suspicion eight years of the Home's existence no appeal of removing stamps from the General Post has been previously made to the public of Hong-Office, and cautioned him. Afterwards he kong, and it is therefore with confidence we earnestly solicit the generous help of those who have at heart the highest welfare of our sailors and soldiers. Inspection of the Home by those interested in its work is cordially invited.
Donations should be sent to-The Rey. J. A. A. Baker, 2 Morrison Hill, or to Captain F. A. Brown, The Hongkong and Kowloon Godown Co., Kowloon.
A CALLOUS CHINESE BO TAN.
An unusual case came before Mr. F. Hazeland at the Magistracy on Mar. 30, a Chinese boatman being charged by Inspector Langley with failing to observe No. 7 of the Harbour Regulations which requires a boatman or other person to render every assistance possible to a drowning person. It appears that on Sunday afternoon a boat capsized in Hunghom Bay and the occa- pants were left struggling for their lives in the water everal boats in the vicinity rendered assistance, and rescued a number of the struggling seamen. Defendant's craft was in the vicinity at the time of the capsize, and, had he taken prompt measures, he might have saved the life of a man who was drowned. But he did not attempt to lend a helping hand, not- withstanding the fact that some Europeans on the foreshore offered him a reward of $30 to rescue the drowning man. The hearing of the case was adjourned.
asked permission to search defendant's boxes.. Defendant consented, and later when witness attempted to search his person, defendant pulled certain stamps out of his pocket and handed them to him. He said at the time that he had picked them up on the floor of the parcel office, and that he could explain to Mr. Messer. Witness took defendant to the Police Station where he was charged and made the following statement: "I did not remove the stamps off the parcels, but picked them up from the floor of the Post Office after the mail (English parcel mail) had been packed.
This closed the case for the prosecution. Mr. Goldring submitted that the prosecution had not made out B case, the evidence in support of their case being entirely incon- clusive. It was clear from defendant's books, which were before his Worship, that the de- fendant had been working hard on that day, and the evidence adduced by the prosecution only showed carelessness
His Worship considered there was a case to meet, and Mr. Goldring decided to put the defendant in the box.
William Nattall bore testimony to the effect that he did not on the 19th instant, or any other date, remove stamps from any parcels. Most of the stamps he had in his possession when arrested he picked up from the floor of the parcel office. Other two he bought from a shroff. Witness noticed