Understand that the Charter Party Vorland was broken by the Government at HongKong.
My reply was dated the following day, the 24th February, as follows: To my great astonishment, I see that Lotscheid has made me suppose that the Charter Party "Vorland" was annihilated by the Government; this is an untruth. We enclose copy letter Lobscheid.
That copy was a letter from Lotscheid to the Acting Dutch Consul Bastian, the best and most substantial proof for my reply.
Most respectfully,
(Sig.) Baak Agent for the Lainan dung Carß?
L." Evening Mail" In 5973/67
2544244 November, 1886._-
CRIMINAL SESSIONS.
23rd November, 1866.
(Before His Honor the Chief Justice.)
FORCIBLY DETAINING A FEMALE,
Five Chinamen were indicted for having by force feloniously detained one Chu a Lun, a woman, with intent to sell the said Chu a Lun. A second count simply charged false imprisonment.
The following jury were sworn:-Thos. Algar, D. Davidson, J. H. Cox, Adolph Meyer, W. N. Middleton, C. G. Oldach, and A. L. Turner.
The Attorney General stated the case. On October 27th, information was received by the Registrar General that some persons were improperly detained in a house at Wanchai against their will. He went to the house, which he found with windows barred, and other indications of its being a place of confinement; inside there were several persons, women crying, and declaring that they were there confined.
He found the prisoners acting as proprietors or occupiers of the house, and they were taken in charge, and ultimately committed for trial. The indictment related only to one woman, but this was only a technical form of proceeding, and in fact, embraced all the persons who had been confined in the house.
Some evidence would be given as to the intent to sell the woman, but he would not now particularly allude to it.
The learned Attorney General then called: Mr. Tonnachy, the Registrar General, who described the house as he found it, and the inmates.
There was a room in which he saw about 25 women and children all huddled together. Prisoners were there. There was not space for the women to lie down comfortably. Some of them were crying, and they presented a very miserable appearance altogether.
The first prisoner had a paper and pencil in his hand, going round with the others as if inspecting the women.
All the prisoners having come to me by my direction, I addressed them in Chinese, speaking to the first prisoner.
ChuaLin, now in Court, was one of the women crying; I know the paper produced (a Chinese document). I took it from the door of the house.
I asked the first prisoner, in Chinese, in the presence and hearing of the others, "what is this place?" He said "It is an emigration barracoon," as I understood him. His words were "a coolie coon," the term always used to mean emigration barracks.
I asked him if he had a license from my office. He said they had a license.
I asked them to produce it. I am not certain which, but one of them went below and brought me up a small piece of white paper with English print on it.
In the hearing of the prisoners, the women said something.
I looked at the paper and said, "This is not a license from my office."
The document produced is the printed paper I have referred to.
His Honor, reading the paper, remarked, "Mr. Lobscheid says they will be well treated."
The paper was real. It was the well-known certificate by the Revd. Mr. Lobscheid.
Witness continued-I cannot say which of the prisoners gave me the paper; all the prisoners concurred in pointing to the paper.
I spoke to the women in their hearing. I asked the women what they were doing there, and the moment I spoke, they all flocked round me.
Mr. Barnard objected that the women themselves could best give evidence of what they themselves said.
His Honor: But he is going to tell what he said himself.
Witness: Several of them cried out, "We have been kidnapped, and brought here under false pretences." I said, "why not go away?" They said, "we are not allowed to."
The prisoners made no observations whatever.
I asked the women if they had received any money. In answer, they said they had not.
Prisoners offered no remarks as to that.
I gave the prisoners into the custody of Sergeant Langdon.
I brought all the women and children to the Station. They came with me gladly.
By the Court: Chu a Lin was one who came with me.
Cross-examined by Mr. Barnard: I do not think the persons in the room could see passengers along the road, owing to the grating.
I had no difficulty in getting into the house, but the trap door leading to the room where the women were was fastened by a bar.
It was not a usual trap door. I have never seen a trap door like it in Chinese houses; a woman was keeping guard over the door, as she asked me what I wanted.
She might have been there for any other purpose.
She opened the door on my asking her to do so.
I do not recollect what words I said in Chinese to the prisoners.
The Attorney General suggested that the particular word used by witness in English, which Mr. Barnard wanted, might be rendered by a Chinese equivalent.
Witness continued: Most of the prisoners know English, No. 3 particularly well; the conversation was carried on partly in English and partly in Chinese.
I did not enter into conversation specially with No. 1.
I should not receive the words "coolie coon" as meaning emigration office.
I asked them for a license; they seemed at a loss, and after some consultation among themselves, one of them, I believe No. 1, went and got the paper in English; they did not seem to know what they were expected to produce.
I don't think they seemed to think that the paper was a proper license, because they did not know what was on it, as it was in English.
His Honor: Will Mr. Lobscheid be called as a witness? Is he here?
The Attorney General: No, my lord, not for the prosecution.
Mr. Barnard continued his cross-examination, and it being past three o'clock, His Honor hoped the lamps would be got ready.
Mr. Barnard shortly afterwards resumed his seat.
Chu a Lin deposed-I am a widow; my home is at Fatshan; at present, I am staying in the Gaol.
I was on the pigs' establishment before that (a laugh).
(By "pig establishment," witness, after some difficulty, explained her meaning to be that it was a house where persons who have been deceived were placed.)
The establishment is in Hongkong.
A woman met me in Fatshan and made a communication to me, which induced me to come to Hongkong.
I was landed from the steamer in a small boat and taken to the piggery, where I was for two nights and two days.
(Witness inspected the prisoners and identified Nos. 1 and 2; No. 3 she did not know; thought she knew No. 4; did not know No. 5.)
She did not recollect seeing one of the prisoners in the room where she was placed, but she had seen those she had identified in a room below.
There was not much light in the room. The window was barred up.
The Attorney General: Does she recollect that gentleman (pointing to Mr. Tonnachy) coming to the house?
Witness hesitated at first, but a gleam of intelligence, as His Honor remarked, suddenly irradiated her face, and she said something.