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FORGERY GANG BROKEN UP?
JURORS' LONG DELIBERATION OVER $50 BANKNOTE CASE.
DEFENCE PLE* OF REAL LIFE COINCIDENCE
LONG SENTENCES IMPOSED.
After a protracted bearing, lasting five days, the four Chinese one of whom was a woman, were yesterday convicted on charges "of uttering, and the possession of forged $50 bank notes purport- ing to have been issued by the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. The juriora paid very careful attention to the caso, and their verdict was arrived at after and a deliberation, lasting over an hour.
เร
THE HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6th, 1929.
HONG KONG & SHANGHAI BANK'S WARNING.
SEEN.
KONG.
BAR MANAGER UN" OUR “QUIET" COLONY.
Taking the whole of the circum FORGED $100 NOTES. 45 YEARS IN HONG stances of the case, Counsel asid, it was more than coincidence. Prisoner knew Chan Wine and gone to house where the scheme was hatched, and also went there with a forged note in his possession. THE BEST IMITATIONS YET The only conclusion one could ar- rive at was that he was a party to the conspiracy,
The Hong Kong and Shanghai Dealing with the first prisoner Banking Corporation issue a warn who was indicated on another counting that some extraordinarily good of being in possession of plates and forgeries of $100 notes bearing the other apparatus which could be date, January 1st, 1991, and signed used for forgery, Counsel anid that A G. Stephens, are in circulation. all the jury had to remember was
So far only one such note has that that prisoner was a printer been sent to the Bank but the for and knew the use of the apparatus gery is so excellent that it is feared and the plates. He was also in a number may have been priated off. possession of plates with which At a casual glance there is no notes of the Central Bank could be difference between genuine forged. Prisoner's only excuse was forged notes, but if one is on the that the plates were given him to look-out there should be no dif keep bý a man named Georgs the coat of arms on the top left Sculty in detecting the "duda." In Sunico. That man was a seaman hand corner the genuine notes show and was not in the Coicmy. The & mountain, elenrir engraved be scanian was more likely to be can. jury would have to find whether a ship. This mountain is not visible hind the gib-sail of a sailing on the forgeries.
licenced printer. versant with the plates, etc., than a
With the 'conviction of these four persons, the Police is of the opinion that the gang has been broken up. This, set of forgers have been ander police surveillanes for over a year, but they had been an elusive and careful that no evidence to justify arrest could bà brought against them. It was only on November inät, that a trap was laid for them, but when the four prisoners were appre-- honded the alleged ring-leader, Chan Wing, made good his escape. The case for the Crown was con- The Fourth Prisoner's Case. ducted by Mr. H. Somerset Fitzroy, Addressing the jury on behalf of and the fourth prisoner, Chau Hoi, the fourth prisoner, Mr. was defended by Mr. Leo d'Almada, d'Almada said that the only evi- Leo jas, instructed by Mr. Leo dence of conspiracy against his d'Almada, spr.
The No. 1 prisoner then address client was that he was alleged toed the jury. He said. that he was When the case was continued yes have said to the police constable a good man, having arrived in the terday morning, evidence as to the at No. 114, Des Vœux Rond, that Colony eight years ago. Six out of character of the fourth prisoner he had came to look for Chna Wing. the right years he had been herë, was given by Mr. Chan Ka Ho, His client had, however, given a be wasemployed in a printing shop. Director of the Sze Yap S.S. Co. different version of the story, and He resigned in order to start out He stated that he knew both pris had said that when he was asked
on his own. He concluded by ask oner and his father.
who the head of the house was, he "Everyone replied that it was Chan Wing. says he is a good boy."
ing his Lordship to investigate into Prisoner's father, an elderly ChiCounsel said that the onus was on
As for the possession of the note, his character carefully. nese, who has been in San Francisco the defence to prove that prisoner for over thirty years, also gave evi-
was either in lawful possession or dence. He said that his business was hiring cut canvas beds on board the sa. Tai Lee, for he which he held the monopoly. In his work he was assisted by his son and an- other man called Chau Tin, to both of whom he paid $30 a month. His son, the prisoner and Chau Tin ran a side line of their own. They sold overcoats on board the ship to pas-
sengers..
"
Chan's Wife Defends Herself, The
that he had reasonable excuse for had no knowledge of her husband's woman prisoner, in her the possession of the note. Towards-Chan Wing's-business, and add address to the jury, said that she that end, he had called considerable ed that "If & husband commits evidence to show that prisoner had felony, the wife is not responsible come by the note as a result of a for that felony sale of an overcoat to a passenger..
sion was signed by a Mr. Eldridge. The note found in prisoner's posses. This gentleman was called and in the Bank had passed no fewer than the witness box had admitted that 1 of such notes. Furthermore, the note in prisoner's possession had every appearance of having been in circulation. Taking the whole cir- cumstances, there was nothing won derful in the supposition that that prisoner was being wrongly acens ed.
His Lordship pointed out to her
felony.
The Summing-up.
In his sumaring-up, his Lordship gave a legal definition of forgery. He said that from the statements made it would appear that the first, second and third prisoners know Lotes. The position of the fourth that they were handling forged prisoner was somewhat different, in There was no direct evidence giver that he came on the scene alone. by any of the earlier prisoners against him, but nevertheless it was being hatched, with a note which was similar to one already in the police's possession. The whole evi- dence pointed to Chan Wing as the ring leader, and this prisoner asked for him.
There was, his Lordship said, direct evidence that the fourth pri soner was in possession of the note, convict him but that would not be sufficient to
There was further evidence that he threw the note on the floor when he was searched, and if he did throw it, he must have guilty knowledge.
THE MARCH OF progress.
Kong who deserves world fame. There is a gentleman in Hous For 45 years he has lived in the Colony and, during the whole of that time, nothing has disturbed the even tehor of his existence,
Storms and typhoons have taken toll of human life; strikes and business men shed their baie and. financial crises have seen grow old within a week; on one nerer-to-be-forgotten occasion charger balted with a celebrated and Commander-in-Chief clinging fran- tically to its mare, much to the delight of the assembled troops; sensation was caused when the the and something in the nature of a price of drinks in the local bars newly-imposed duties raised the from 93 to 50 cents..
In the bottom right hand corner, there is an engraving of a Chinese the bricks of a wall are clearly and street scene. In the genuine notes neatly drawn in the forgeries the work is rougher, the bricks being clumsier larger and the line of the mortar
has
ZOD
since. I have been here," said the
Yat" Nothing.
happened
ally when a Daily Press representa. "Hermit of Hong Kong" pathetic- tire interviewed him yesterday.
When Police Wore Spurs. Mr. John Thomas Cotton, the
bar manager of the Hong Kong Hotel, osine to the Colony on Feb. 6th, 1981, as A Crawford. Royal Artillery under the late Col. Corporal in the He joined the Prison Service in 1998, and transferred to 1893 when he again joined the the Customs in 1987, resigning in Prison. Service. In 1895 he was. transferred to the Sanitary Depart- ment, retiring in 1911. He entered the services of the Hong Kong
changed greatly Hotel in 1019.
"Conditions in the Colony have since the old days." said Mr. Cotton. "When I first came to the Colony there were not many Europeans in the police force. The Sikhs were predominant fine figures as they rode about the and wore spars. They used to cut Colony on horseback.
་
is a picture of the Bank's Shanghai On the reverse side of the noto branch. In the genuine note there either side of the leftmost of three ie a small pedestrian Egure on palm trees. In the forgery the igure on the left side is absent.
Another test which can be at once applied-if one has a genuine note
lettering of the bank's name is of the issue is that in the forgery
about one sixteenth of the panel bearing the bold printed
shorter in the forgery...
In inch Persona handling large sums of money would. in fact, be well ad- vised to keep by them a genuine of comparison.
The Best Forgery I Have Seen. "A person who camed 100 a An official of the Bank informed 20th in those days was a person our representative that the issueable European fats could be rented of some importance. Very respect was being called in and would in a month and drinks in the due course be destroyed.
"It is quite the best forgery have seen," said our informant, gaug who put the $50 notes on the "and was probably the work of the market, for which four people are and sentences appear in another now on trial. (Their conviction column). We have not the slightest evidence where these forgeries come from, superior to the not very rare, and they are infinitely rather rude attempts by Chinese offenders. This was only brought in this morning, so we have lost no time in putting the public on its guard.'
but
ROBBER SUSPECTS IN
CUSTODY.
TWO BATCHES APPEAR IN COURT.
$40,000 ROBERY SEQUEL.
for
local bars cost 93 cents a time.
course in Happy Valley was a lake.
Happy Valley-A Lake; ".. "I remember when the race- It was filled in because so many The filling in procces was completed people committed saicide in it in 1855. There was only one Euro- pran, house on the Peak. This be his headquarters up there. longed to a Commodore who had
Very Few Roads, "Roads were not very plentifu.. To get to Shaukinna from the Post Office, one had to travel 7 miles around by Wanchai Gap, through Wanchai Village, past the cemetery, through Tai Hang Village, and thence to Shaukiwan. The streeta were lit by gas lamps which fre quently failed and paraffin lamps formed the domestic illumination.
ment.
common Nource
Counsel, continuing, said that the that conspiracy under compulsionepecimen of the issue for purposes jury must also bear in mind that was a misdemeanour and not s the 40 forged notes found by the Police, differed materially from the Witness then corroborated his one which his client had. In the son's story in respect of the sale first place, the whole of the 4 notes of an overcoat to a passenger on
were new and did not appear to November 18th, for $10, and for have been in circulation. They all which he was tendered a $54 note purported to be signed by Mr in payment. He remembered dis-Clarke of the Hong Kong Bank. tinctly that his son went to him and asked for 820 to make the change. Prisoner had never been a spend- thrift and saved his money, is conduct, had always been good. No. 3 Prisoner Addresses The Jury.
The third prisoner then addressed the jury. He said that No. 114, Des Vaux Road Central was originally an opium divan, and it was there that he met Chan Wing.. On November 14th, he met the first prisoner and they proceeded to the Was The Constable Sure? house to smoke opium. However, Counsel then reviewed the evi- on the way, just when they came dence of the constable, and pointed to No. 17, Connaught Road Central, by the P.&. Building," the first said that when he wanted to search out to the jury that the witness had prisoner stopped to talk to someone outside No. 17. Prisoner went up
the fourth prisoner, the latter at once threw the. $50 note on the the group of man talking, and one floor, Commenting on that, Coun- of them, who was in European sel pointed out that the same wit attire, asked him who he was. The ness End also said that he bad nsk- first prisoner replied that he wased prisoner whether he threw the sion of the note, he had already
"I remember the first tram-car- As to prisoner coming into posses friend. The man then gave, first note on the floor and where did it told the jury that he had sold an
which ran in Hong Kong in 1903. The Chinese thought in a wonderful prisoner $30, who in turn handed it over to him (third prisoner) with so sure that prisoner had actually a passenger to whom he had given 10 Lower Castle Fond last Thurs.ings if they saw a tram-car in the
come from. "If the constable was overcoat and was paid the $30 by
dragon and people from the junks the request to take it to Chan thrown the note on the floor, then back 840 charge!
Since the armed rehbery at No.
would rush madly down side turn- Wing.
why should he ask this question? was to a great extent corroborated
This evidence day, when $40,000 loot was taken
distance Prisoner took the money to Chan Counsel said that the only inference by prisoner's father and Chau Tim from Mrs. Wong Leung Shi, the the old days. We had to rely upon "There were few amusements in Wing at No. 114, Des Vaux Road which could be drawn from this was The jury would have to find whether both sides of the harbour with suc Central, and was asked by Chan that the constable himself had not his story was true, and if it was cessful resulta. As
police have carried out raids on the Fleet to provide our entertain- Wing to go and fetch the man in seen how the note came to be on true then his possession of the note there are in custody twelve men only high school and the St. European clothes. Prisoner went to the Boor. It was probably the con- had an honest explanation.
Queen's College was the No. 17, Connaught Road, where he viction complex which all constables possess a forged note "might hap-ed of being concerned in that rob- only elementary establishment.
To and three women who are suspect. Joseph's Brothers' School was the saw the man and told him that Chan had. Wing had asked for him. Just at
pen to you and I," hia Lordship bery, as well as others which have Counsel also said that prisoner added.
Kowloon consisted of a few that moment, one of the Chinese was arrested some 13 hours after constables, who had been posing as the others, and if he was a member
occurred during the period shortly godowns and market gardens kept before the Chinese New Year.
by Parsees. Yaumati was a small a potential buyer, came up to the of the gang, could it be said that dence at length, and the jury ropeared in one batch before Major The British people on the peninsula His Lordship dealt with the evi- Six of the arrested persons sp- village surrounded by paddy fields. man in European clothes.
tired at 3.55 p., to consider their C. Willson at the Central Magis and on the island were a sociable take the constable to Chan Wing the case, because if he was one of
verdict. They re-assembled at 5.03 tracy yesterday in connection with crowd. There was less class dis (prisoner, of course, not knowing a gang, it would be reasonable to
p.m., and returned a verdict of the armed robbery at Lower Castle tinction than is the case at the that he was dealing with a con- believe that they must have their guilty against all the prisoners on Road. One of the defendants was present time, although our rela- stable). He went with the non- sources of information..
all counte.
A woman, described as a cook-amah ions with the Chinese were just as stable, whose name was Chang Siu Ping, but before they had gone very also found on the prisoner, Coun- prisoners, his Lordship said that who escaped from police custody in of the oldest in the district and has
As regards the 800 which was Before imposing sentence on the at the house. The first defendant happy.
in this batch was Ho San, the man The Hong Kong Hotel is one far, they met another young man sel said that in eroes-examination, the jury had paid very careful at whom the constable also took along Mr. Fitzroy seemed to question why tention to the case, and that he was Woosung Street on Saturday night always been the centre of the
a father should trust his son with fully in accord with the verdict. It Nine others, including two women, existed for over 67 years."
and was subsequently recaptured. Colony's social activities, It has "A One-Constable Police Station." that sum of money, Prisoner had however, appeared to him that
On November 18th, prisoner again told the jury and was corroborated Chan Wing was the moving, spirit appeared on charge of conspir Mr. Cotton, who is as years of Central, to smoke opium, and he money belonged to his father.
daughters, and nine grandchildren was again asked to go and call the a father does not trust his own son
his wife are in the beat of health. living in Kowloon. Both he and, man from No. 17, Conaught Road. with 890, he is not be worthy to be Prisoner then described his move called a father," Counsel added. ments up to the time when he was Remarkable Coincidence, Only In arrested. That was at about 3 a.m...
Real Life. In conclusion, Counsel Mid that Several detectives went to arrest him, and they also brought No. 1 the whole case was one of those re. prisoner, who was already under markable coincidences-so which do arrest. Prisoner and the No. 1 happen in real life, and of which prisoner were naked the where no writers of fiction could have abouts of Chan Wing," and just be dreamed. He asked the jury to cause I was not able to tell them, I return a verdict, of not guilty. was beaten," prisoner added.
Mr. Fitzroy then addressed the They were then taken to a place jury, because the first and second prisoners, not having called any in Lee Garden Street, and were kept in a police station where witnesses, were entitled to address there was only one constable. The the jury last. solitary constable was told to keep
spoke and prisoner was asked to absurd to suggest that such
They he bad not been warned. It was
with him.
Was
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GRAND OPENING NIGHT
went to No. 114 Des Voeux Rond by his father, that, that sum of no per head men, but if there were robbery. the others to carry out the 380, her three sons, married Sunday, February 10th, at 9.15 p.m.
persons like the prisoners, were willing to aid and abet, these would be no such cases,
"ON APPROVAL.' A.D.C. REHEARSALS GOING WELL,
The invalids in the cast having recovered, the rehearsals of the A.D.C.'s production of Frederick, Lonsdale's "On "Approval" going very well.
Bre
bery charge were Ho San, unem The defendants on the armed rob The first prisoner was then sen Chung San, unemployed; Chau ployed; Ho Chak, street coolie; tenced to 2 years on the first count, Tan, tailor; Fung Pan, cook; and and in imposing another sentence of Wong Hoi, amah. Those charged 5 years on the count of possession with conspiracy were Leung Leung, of the plates and printing press, his cock; Wong Kwong, unemployed; Lordship said that he regarded that Li Muk Ling, shop foki; Lau There had been evidence to show amah; Li Hing, amah; Wong count to be a very serious one: Tang, unemployed; Yeung Wong, that with the help of the apparatus, Shing Cheung, tailor's apprentice; first prisoner had been enabled to Lo, Ho Sang, salesman; and Au haps not the head man. The sen- be the moving spirit, although per Kong, licensed hawker. tences, however, would run concur-Leung Leung und Lo Ho Sang, two Mr. F. E. Nash appeared for rently.
Old playgoers who recall the pro- of the defendants on the conspiracy ductions of Mr. Walter Sinclair, The other prisoners all received charge, and applied for bail, point who is now a professional stage Counsel reviewed the evidence at ling 5 years each, but as the sen-second man
two sentences of hard labour total-ing out particularly that director in the United States, will a good watch over us. After wait great length and anid that the fretences run concurrently, they will his shop at this period of the ap-j dressing and staging of "On Áp- was indispensable to be interested to hear that the ing for an hour, the other detectives / second and third prisoners, in their only have to serve three years each. prosch of the Chinese New Year." returned and they brought, the they knew they were dealing in The Jury Thanked And Exempted posed ball at this stage of the Booking will open at the Ander
own statements, had admitted that
proval is expected to be one of Detective-Inspector Shannon op its most successful features. woman prisoner with them,” he "added.
forged notes. With regard to the
February, th, After this, they were all taken to fourth prisoner, it was true that he
Addressing the jury, his Lordship that Leung Leung was the brother instant, and those who want good police investigations. He stated son Music Company on the 9tb came on the scene sometime later. Central Police Station, and later He however had shown guilty know for the close attention paid to the regards the other man be was not early as the deinnad promises to he said that he was very much obliged of one of the alleged robbers. As seats are strongly advised to book in the morning, they were question ledge by throwing the note on the case. There was another case comprepared to say at this stage that ed by police officers Prisoner then floor. He, of course denied this, ing up at the Sessions to-day, he he was innocent. added that the Police had threaten and said that note slipped out of would have to request them to at-
very khoá. ed to beat him to death
if he his hand to the floor, but it was tend. After that he would exempted in police custody until Friday performances will be given on the All the defendants were remand-day, February 19th, and subsequent them for four YER?
d
not tell the truth.
True.
the
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