will ex emre my importanty
་ལ་
in praying
Investigation
early
I have the honor to the
most
obedient
humble Sewant
W.Janaut
The China Mail.
HONGKONG, THURSDAY, 30 BØPTEMBER, 1857.
(From the Friend of China, July 25th.) We are placed, by the verdict of one of the most respectable juries ever empanelled in this Balance Sheet; and should it be, as we shall not Colony, in a position to challenge the Insolvent's be surprised to find, that Ahlum's bankruptcy is business here as to some astounding extortion in due not so much to his very proper stoppage at the shape of lawyer's fees, or payment of hireling scribes the facts will duly be made patent to the public, and, it will be hoped, produce a public any case, be altogether lost. benefit, so that the Jury's award will not, in
Governor of the Goal to warn the Sheriff, that unless detainers were served upon Allum within twenty-four hours, the latter would at the end of that time be released from prison. The order was shewn to Mr May, the Sheriff, and be, it seems, took some fanciful objection to serving the writ THE Criminal Sessions of the Supreme upou a prisoner within the precincts of the Court for August commenced its sittings criminal prison, but told Mr Inglis, the on Monday. There were two cases of Governor of the Goal, that he would see very considerable intereat on the list set about it in the morning. Morning came, down for trial,--one of them a charge of then afternoon, without anything being | tibel against Mr William Tarrant, the other done in the matter by the Sheriff, and in a charge of confederating with pirates accordance with the instructions, Allum, against the notorious Ma-chow Wong, having found securities for the amount The first of these two has resulted in a required, was discharged at the appointed verdict of guilty, and a fine of £100; the hour o'clock, and quitted the colony, other is not yet closed. With regard to learn his creditors to recover the money the former, a brief account will make our due to them in the best way they might. readers understand its merits.
Ag others thus left in the lurch, but After the trial of Cheong Allum in who had of course only themselves or their February last, for a wholesale attempt to Attorneys to blame for it, was Mr William poison the foreign community by means Tarrant, with his unliquidated claim of arsenic mixed in the bread issued from for damages of $1010. He, instead of the "Esing" bakery, and which resulted blaming himself for negligence. chose to in an acquittal, Allum was re-apprehended look upon the discharge of Allum as a under Ordinance No. 2 of 1857-the De- piece of chicanery on the part of the portation Ordinance as a suspected per- Acting Colonial Secretary, and according- sou, and committed to prison on an order ly, without apparently troubling himself signed by Mr May, the Acting Assistant to institute enquiry as to the truth of his Magistrate and Sheriff; but was subse- suppositions, grossly libelled Dr Bridges quently detained by warrant under the in his newspaper, as follows:— signature and seal of His Excellency the Governor, until the pleasure of the home. Government could be ascertained regard- ing him. When this occurrence took place, Dr Bridges was simply a barrister prac tising in the Court here, and as such had been applied to to defend Allum, under agreement that he was to receive the sum of $1000 for so doing. He likewise acted as Counsel for Allum in several civil ac tions, for which of course he received ad- ditional fees, amounting to $150. Shortly after Allum's re-incarceration, Mr Mercer left the colony on sick certificate, and Dr Bridges was appointed Acting Colonial Secretary, but with permission still to practise his profession. In his capacity of barrister, therefore, he was employed to defend Allum in an action for damages brought by Mr Tarrant, in which the latter was accorded the sum of $1010. Mean while Allum was detained a prisoner; but in the beginning of July, instractions came from home that unless some farther circumstances had transpired implicating him in the poisoning affair, he was to be set at liberty. Accordingly the Gover- nor ordered his release, but Dr Bridges, aware of the civil claims against him, and on which he naturally supposed writs of detainer had been issued and lodged in the hands of the Sheriff, told His Ex- cellency that the home government could not interfere in such matters, and, with Sir John Bowring's saction, consulted the Chief Justice as to how he should manage. His Lordship gave it as his advice that Allum should be transferred from the criminal to the civil list of prisoners, but, for security, detained in the criminal side of the gaol. This was accordingly done, the Colonial Secretary still labouring un- der the impression of writs having been issued. For twenty-two days was Allum thus illegally kept in prison, until at length his Solicitor thought fit to do what he should have done long before, applied to the Colonial Office to know on what grounds his client was detained in gaol, seeing that instructions for his release had been received from home. The Colonial Secretary replied, that he was held under arrest by civil process; and was much as- tonished to learn then for the first time that he was in error, and that no writs had been issued. Now made aware of the tuistake he had committed, Dr Bridges' wrote up to the Governor for further in- structions, and was told to set Allum free; but in the natural dread that imputations might be cast upon him, inasmuch as he rad acted as Counsel for the prisoner both in the Criminal and Civil Courts, he, by order of His Excellency, directed the
(From the Friend of China, August 5th.) Dr Bridges's action in the matter of releasing Ahlanı the poisoner from durance, forms a climax to the many extraordinary things of his perform- ing since he has acted as Colonial Secretary. given conditioned for the non-return of Ahlum to The Sheriff was informed that bonds would be this Colony for five years-and on receiving such bonds Ahium was to be released. The Sheriff, Governor to be prepared to let him go; and, a in consequence of this notification, told the Gaol few hours after telling the Gaol Governor this, Ahium was out and off! Mr Inglis, in the exer cise of his judicial capacity, did what was needful with the recognizances tendered; said docu- himself-neither the Acting Attorney General ments being drawn, it is believed, by Dr Bridges nor the Crown Solicitor knowing any thing about them.
There are many who will say," Well, Ahlum is off- a good riddance of bad rubbish." But why Dr Bridges has managed to get Ahlum what say his creditors! Of course the reason away quickly and quietly is apparent to all, The sums drawn by him, Dr Bridges, for managing the case would not have been allowed had he, Ablum, gone through the Insolvent Court. Dr B in short, dreaded the exposé threatened in our issue of Saturday the 25th ultimo. But what can the public think of a Government, that, to all intents and purposes, licenses wind- ling that literally holds out a premium to villany of the deepest dye!
Dr Bridges, naturally indignant at such an unfounded charge being brought against him, intimated to Mr Tarrant that unless he publicly contradicted and apologized for hia misstatements, he would prosecute him for defamation. This the latter refused to do, sending instead a most unsatisfactory message; and nothing therefore was left for the complainant but to proceed against his libellor either civilly or criminally. The case was accordingly placed in the hands of the Acting Attorney General; and the criminal action reported below was the result, ending in a verdict of guilty and a fine of £100.
We have no wish to describe the ridi- culous manner in which the defence was conducted-if indeed defence it could be called, where no attempt was made either to disprove the libel or prove justification the defence being totally irrelevant to the -the questions put to the witnesses for matter at issue. The jury was ao ex- plain, for it was a special jury by his own cellent one, and Mr Tarrant cannot com-
request, and some of its members were
was 80
his personal friends. The case clear, that there could be no two opinions as to the verdict, and the Chief Justice in his charge pointedly said so. passing sentence, he administered to Mr Previous to
Tarrant a well-merited rebuke and a bit of sound wholesome advice. been guilty (said Ifis Lordship) of a gross, "You have malicious, and libellous attack upon Dr individual, as a professional gentleman, Bridges, aspersing his character as a private and as a public officer. Any one (con- tinued the Chief Justice) is liable to err, but when a mistake is discovered or point- knowledging our error, and nothing un- ed ont, there is nothing unmanly in ac- gentlemanly in apologizing for what we may have said or done while labouring under misapprehension; and I feel assured that, had you tendered an apology, Dr Bridges would bave accepted it, and would not have placed you in the position in which you now stand." His Lordship particularly drew Mr Tarrant's attention to the report in the Friend of China of count of the proceedings before the Chief 26th August, purporting to be a fair ac- Magistrate, and which he, Mr Tarrant, when he inserted it, must have known to be untrue. It was far from His Lordship's intention to interfere with the liberty of the Press, but it was his duty to see that its high privileges were not abused. the present instance, you, William Tarrant, having wilfully maligned William Thomas have been fairly convicted by a jury of Bridges, Doctor of Civil Law; and the One Hundred Pounds, and be imprisoned sentence of the Court is, that you be fined till the same be paid.""
SUPREME COURT OF HONGKONG. CRIMINAL SESSIONS.
"In
(Monday, 31st August, 1857.) Special Jury, Messrs Patrick Campbell, John Heard, Frederick W. Lawrence, Charles F. Still, G. T. Sienissen, John B. Comptori.
of
the Friend of China Newspaper,— Libel. WILLIAM TARRANT, Editor and Proprietor
The Acting Attorney General having opened the case, called
WILLIAM T. BRIDGES, D.C.L-I am a barrister Acting Colonial Secretary; and have been so since practising at the bar of this colony. I am also the 4th of February last. I defended Cheong charged with "poisoning or attempt to poison." The Allum at the Criminal Sessions in January, he was trial lasted five days. There were one or two mo- entirely occupied with it from the period I was re- tions in chambers before the trial. My time was tained till the end of the trial-10 or 12 days or a Secretary. Allum was acquitted--he was re-arrested fortnight; this was before I was appointed Colonial after his discharge, on the ground of being a dangerous character. Soon after I came into office, a warrant by the Governor, directing Allum to be detained was drawn out by the Attorney General and sigued until the pleasure of Her Majesty regarding him was obtained, and he was so detained until about the 30th July. In the meantime an action for damages had been commenced before I took office under govern- ment, which came to issue in June last. I then acted as Allum's counsel. There was also another action by Pustau & Co., in which I acted as Allum'■. Counsel. Allum's release was as follows:-Applica. tion had been made to the home government to take Her Majesty's pleasure with regard to him; and on the 8th July a despatch was received, in consequence of which the Governor gave me orders to see to securities to absent himself from the Colony for five Allum's immediate discharge on his entering into
Jears.
ceedings, in the two actions by Pustau and Tarrant, As I had been Counsel for Allum in civil pro- I was under the impression that he was subject to heavy liabilities, and I explained to Sir John Bow- ring that though the home government bad ordered his release, they could not interfere with any civil process his creditors might take against him. Having been Counsel for Allum, I was doubly anxious also that the government action should be straitforward and
open, and therefore suggested that I should come down and consult Your Lordship (the Chief Justice), which I did the same day-and in consequence of that conversation I directed the Governor of the Gaol to hold Allam no longer as a criminal prisoner, but to hold him a civil prisoner on the criminal side of the jail, to await any civil process that might be issued out against him. On the 30th of July, 22 days afterwards, Mr Stace, who was Allum's Solicitor, called on me officially at the Government Offices, to enquire the reason why his client was detained in jail, as no civil process had been issued out against him, and he was able to enter into the necessary securities to leave the Island for five years. I immediately wrote up to the Governor, who was at his house, for instructions. The Governor ordered that the directions from home should be carried out at once; but in consequence of
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