He John Luvvic & Pens
US Cols,
12 June/02
TÉE (KAIFONG · STOWAWAY CASE.
JUN 1902
This afternoon, of the Magistracy, before Mr Hazeland, 1ội Chinese were charged with having lawfully been found or board the passenger ship Haifong (Meser Butterfield and Swice) with intent to of ralu a passage on that ship to Cebu, withou the consent of the owner, master or
charterer.
Mr J. Pays, solicitor, appeared on behalf of the owners to prosecute.
Before proceeding with the case, Mr Hays said be would like te arrange with one of the Police Inspectors to go on beard the Kuifong oud arrest the compradore's crew, about 61 in number.
ifis Worship had no objections, and la spector Riley went off along with & nomber of lukungs to arrest the crew.
The prisoners, who completely filled the Court-roan, pleaded not guilty. The Can tonese, of whom there were six, pleaded that they did not go on beard, and the others sail they had made a mistake.
Me Boys said this was a caso very sintiler to one which was before his Worship Just week. The facts were, briefly, that the steamship Keifong, under command of Captain Pennefather. left Hongkong, on
5th April last, bound for Ccha. On the night before leaving Hongkong, the Cap- tain gave the order that a soupans or strange boats were to be allowed alongside,
and that no Chinese were to be allowed to come on board Inquiries were made bext morning as to whether this order had been attended to, and the reply was that no boats had come alongside aud that no one
bad conue on board. Prior to lanving Hongkong, the ship was searched, and nothing was seen to excite suspicion.. An officer reported that he saw some men who
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did not belong to the crew, and they were found to be friends' of some of the native members of the crew. They were, how- ever, ordered off the ship straight away, and wont ashore in sampans. The new process of disinfection was then gone through, and the ship was visited by the Medi- cal Officer of fealth for the Port. The ship left at 2.30 pm, the Cap- tain and officers being absolutely ignorant of any others than the passengers and the ususi crew being on board. Next day, the Captain had necasion to examine one of the water tanks, and found some of the stow- aways. He (Mr Hays) submitted to the Court & plan showing where the various cargo with stored for Manila and Cebu, and Also where the different batches of stow- aways were found. His Worship would it that the stowaway were positions titut * would be impossible from the usual search of the ship and without shifting the cargo to notice them until they had been at sea for some time. The first batch was found Some more by the water tank forward. were found 'tween-decks, and the last batch was found in rather bad condition after!
The the ship had anclured at Cebu. curren of air cansed by the ship's motion, bad censed, and it was on account of their putting their heads through the port-holes to get air that they were noticed and the dis covery of the cargo of stowaways completed. Capt. Pennefather said he left Hongkong on the 5th April last, nt 2.80 pim. bound for Cebu with general cargo and twenty saloon passengers. Before the ship left, the usual search was made and thirty-six stow- aaays were found in the holds and were sent ashore in sampans. The ship was searched three times before she sailed. the following day, witness heard voices from 'tween-decks. He then searched the ship and found three men. On the 9th, he found 29 men in the coal bunkers; the 10th 22; 11th 47, and on the 12th, 43. The ves sel was not under charter on that voyage, and the men found were on hoard without permission of the owner.
On
His Worship said there was no need for corroboration, as he was satisfied that the prisoners were on board without sion.
permis-
361
Statements were taken from each of the prisoners, and after the 130th statement had been taken by his Worship, Mr Grist,
¦ solicitor, appeared in Court.
appear
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Mr Grist informed his Worship that' he had only received instruction
for the defendants, and he ! had had no time to prepare
defence or see the defendants.
The Court adjourned for fifteen minutes in order that Mr Grist night consult with the prisoners.
On resuming, Mr Grist pointed out that the people who brought the defendants down from the country were the real culprits.
His Worship then fined each of the pris oners $150, with the option of two months' imprisonment.
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