387
in the Shun Tak District and that, in March of last
year, he with several others extorted a sum of
Tls. 40 from each of the four brick manufactories,
Wan Ho, Hêng Ho, Chung Ho and I Ho. The original
blackmail demanded had been a season's contribution
of Tls. 100. The manufactories having refused to
pay this amount, their stocks of firewood were
burned by Kuan Kuei Hung and his confederates,
which resulted in the payment of Tls. 40 by each
of the firms to secure them from further molesta-
tion.
In June of last year, he confessed to having,
with several others, stopped and demanded money
from the passenger boats passing by the villages of
Chi Li, Ho Fêng and Hai Tan T'ou, and to having
carried off Mai Wan, one of the crew of a boat laden
with bamboos, obtaining $200 for his ransom.
He admitted also to various piracies on pass-
enger boats passing by Min Ho Hsü near Kuan Shan,
but denied the charge of having pirated the Chên
Ch'uan Kuan San licensed passenger boat.
La A Ch'ang admitted that he had seized and held
to ransom Dr. Ng Sheung Hsin, by which he profited to
the extent of Tls. 1,200.
He stated further that during 1897 he, with
other members of his society, the Lien Hui I T'ang,
had extorted a total sum of $20,000 from timber mer-
chants in the Namhol District and at Fatshan, and
that during the same year a yearly contribution
ranging from Tls. 200 to Tls. 50 had been exacted
from each of the various brick manufactories in Mai
Lang Mai.
The crimes of this man are too numerous to be
set out in full, but he admitted in evidence to one
other case of seizure and ransom and to eight further
charges of extortion, blackmail and robbery.
It will be seen from the above that the two men
Kuan Kuel Hung and Lu A Ch'ang were criminals of the
worst and most determined type. Their criminal car-
eer has extended over several years and the magis-
Chuan
trate