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South China Morning Post, Aug. 29th, 1999
SALE OF A CHILD.
A MAN AND WOMAN SENT TO FRISON.
OFFENCE ADMITTED. Convicted op a charge of having taken part in a transaction for the sale of a male child, Wong Kwan-ting (11), a man camed Fan Sang, an earth coolie, and Leung Ho, 76, widow, were sentenced to twelve months and six months imprisonment respectively, by Mr. Wynne-Jones at the Central Magistracy yesterday afternoon.
Ma Fung-wan, a boatman, another defendant in the case, was discharged on the police withdrawing the case against him, and his evidence was used against the other defendants. Chang Yi, described as a kept woman, was discharged after evidence.
At the previous hearing of the case, Chiu Chau-ming. an unemployed man, was convicted of kidnapping the boy, and sentenced to twelve months hard labour. The offence was committed at 254. Tai Nam Street.
Mr. Hiu-shing Lo appeared for Ma Fung-wan, the defendant against whom the police withdrew the charge, and Sub-Inspector Eiston prosecuted.
Ms Fuog-wan said that the boy was brought to him at the Tak Yee les shop, Saikung, by the second defen. dant, who claimed he was her grand-
son.
On the previous day, August 4, he was approached by a casual friend of his, You Fat, who asked him whether he wanted a son. He met the first and second defendants at Yau Fat's house, and the following day the second defendant brought the boy to him. He paid $101 for the boy, but did not know who actually received the money.
DEPENDANTS PLEAD The first defendant said that Yau Fat asked him to take the child over to the purchaser,
The second defendant admitted taking the boy to Yau Fat's place and that he had been sold.
The third defendant said she knew nothing about the matter.
Anolber witness, Ho Sin, the prin- cipal tenant of No, 254, Tai Nam Street, said that the first defendant and his wife the third defendant lived on the first floor. The old woman, the second defendant, came on August 3, bring the boy with her, and gave him in charge of the first defendant, who took him away that very night. The second defendant stayed over the
THE SLAVE MARKET NEWS.
night, and left the following morning, to return again on August 5, leaving on August 6. She came again on August 10 to look for the first defen. dant and was arrested the following morning.
Remarking that there Was no evidence against the third defendant, except that she was living with the first accused, Mr. Wynne-Jones dis- charged her,
Addressing the first and second de- fendants, he said that they had pleaded guilty to the second charge in their statements, and he was going to con vict them. Seutence was passed as stated above.
South China Morning Post,
Oct. 12th, 1933.
A young woman, Tae Sam-tai, was sent to prison for two years, and her father, Tse Po, and mother, Chau Sai- mui, were sentenced to one year's hard labour each, by Mr. Schofield and Mr. Balfour, sitting together at the Central Police Court yesterday afternoon. The mother took ill during the afternoon and was seated in the dock throughout the hearing.
tai on a charge of kidnapping a girl, Their Worships convicted Tse Sam Ng Oi-san, aged seven years, from 33, Main Street West, Shaukiwan, and the parents on charges of harbouring her at Yung Shu-wan, Lamma Island.
"It looks almost as if the first de- fendant conceived the whole idea, and brought her parents into it," remarked Mr. Schofield.
Dot.-Sergt. Fowlie prosecuted.
The girl, whose face could barely be seen above the witness stand, told the Shaukiwan and the first defendant was Court she lived with her parents at a lodger. About a month ago, while the witness was on her way to buy aome sweets, the first defendant took har on & tram. She was then trans- ferred to a boat and taken to Lamma Island. The second defendant made her work boiling pig wash. She slept on a camp bed in the third defendant's but. She was called 'Chan Tai.' The third defendant beat her on both legs with a small bamboo because he said she took too much time in washing clothes. The first defendant visited her once and stayed the night.
Under the pretext that she was going cut to wash clothes (this she was allowed to do) she made her way to the Yung Shu Wan Police Station where she reported and stayed the night.
Evidence of the arrest of the first defendant in Shaukiwan and her
JAN., 1934.
parents in West Point was given by à Chinese detective.
The girl's mother said Ng Oi-san was her adopted daughter, and pro- duced the deed of presentation. When the girl was missing, the first defen- dant remained at the house and, ac- cording to the witness," pretended to cry when she heard of the news,"
South China Morning Port, Oot. 18th, 1938.
SALE OF A CHILD.
WOMEN'S JONORANCE OF THE LAW.
RETURNED Banishes.
Before Mr. Wynne-Jones at the Kowloon Magistracy yesterday after- noon, two Chinese women, Cham Ying and Wong Kan, were charged with illegally transacting the sale of a child, niece of the first defendant. The two women pleaded guilty, first datendant saying that as she was hard up she sold the child to the second defendant.
The second defendant said, "I am a widow and want a girl to bring up as my daughter I plead ignorance of the law."
Inspector A. J. W. Dorling, prose- left a widower in 1925 and, as be cuting, said that the child's father was worked as a fireman on an ocean-going steamer, he left his daughter under the care of first defendant. Early last May, the child fall ill and was taken for treatment to a herb seller. During the course of treatment, the herb seller Baid she knew of a woman who wished to buy a child. The first defendant willingly agreed to sell the girl.
CHILD SOLD FOR $100.
The two defendants met and on May 29 the girl was taken to second de- lendant's house to stay for 24 hours. On May 30, they all went to the Tin Hau Temple armed with a document stating that the child had been sold for $100. Inspector Dorling believed the exact sum paid over was $99. Out of this money, firat defendant re- ceived $47.
Mr. Wynne-Jones: What happened to the rest of the money?
Inspector Dorling: The money was aplit up, $5 going to the herb seller and the remainder to oue, Li See, who acted on behalf of first defendant.
It appeared that on the same day of the transaction, the child and the first defendant disappeared. The matter was reported to the police who later found first defendant and the child and heard of the sale,
The second defendant was also a
JAN, 1934.
herb seller. The girl's father had not given authority for the sale, It also appeared that six years ago, first de- fendant had been banished
from Singapore and on her arrival in this Colony in 1927 had been banished for ten years. The father of the child did not know first defendant returned banishee,
Mr. Wynne-Jones: According to second defendant, the transaction was bona fide
was
A
Inspector Dorling: Yes. The girl would have been better off under second defendant's care.
SENT TO PRISON.
Mr. Wynne-Jones: The first defen- dant will have to take the maximum sentence of six months' imprisonment, and on the charge of returning from banishment, I give her another six months. As for the second defendant, I believe she was actually bona fide over the transaction, but I want her to understand that in Hongkong they are not allowed to act like this. This does not mean she can't adopt a child. There is a certain procedure to be gone through when adopting children. advise ber to visit the S.C.A. for advice and once she has gone through that procedure, she will be safe from any further trouble.
The Magistrate fined second de tendant $25 as she only possessed $40 all told, and was unable to pay the original fine of $50.
Before fining the defendant, the Magistrate said, "I have got to dis- courage people from doing this but, on the other hand, if I take her $10 away from her, I will drive her to some other crime. As this is a very special case, I will reduce the fine from $50 to $25. However, I don't want anybody to consider that this bas established any sort of precedent,"
South China Morning Post, Aug. 1st, 1938.
A MUITSAI CASE.
ALLEGED ILL-TREATMENT OF SMALL Gral.
SEARCH FOR PARENTS,
The alleged ill-treatment of a six year girl led to the appearance of Cheung Yau, a married woman, be- fore Mr. Schofield, at the Central Magistracy yesterday.
The defendant was charged by Sub- Inspector Fraser, of the S.0.A., with having kept an unregistered mui tsai, Wong Kiuhoung: with having ill- treated her, and alternatively with
THE SLAVE MARKET NEWS.
having ill-treated a child, who was under her care.
The defendant denied the girl was a mui tsai, and said she was an adopted daughter. She admitted beating the child for being mischievous.
Sub-Inspector Fraser said that on Saturday lady inspector visited the girl. The girl was in a very dirty con- dition, and was suffering trom & form of prickly heat. She had a number of bruises, on the back, the right arm, left shoulder and back of both hands. She said she had slept on a stool out- side the cubicle. She also alleged that she was given only one bowl of rice a day. She had been bought by the defendant for $150 two yeɔra ago.
Mr. Schofield remanded defendant until to-morrow in order for the girl's allowed bail in $200. parents to be found. Detendant was
South China Morning Post,
Aug. 3rd, 1983.
HUMAN CATTLE. "The centenary of the death of noticed in Hongkong. Fittingly, the William Wilberforce did not pass un- Anti-Mu Taai Society rendered due homage to this champion of the slaves, and its members have been inspired to greater vigilance and activity in the Abolition of a bad old system. Those who have tollowed the movement ap- preciate that much has been done to make happier the lot of Hongkong's chattels. As the result of agitation, the authorities may no longer rely upon the unctuous professions that slavery is unlawful under the British Hug, that no property rights in human beings are recog- nised, etc. A mote positive attitude hus people are forbidden. Existing mui- been enforced. Sales and purchases of tsai must be registered and must re- ceive wages. In time, except for those brought in from China, the mui-tsai will grow up and as a class disappear. Unfortunately, however, there is still much evasion of the law. The Ordi- nance can be rendered ineffective by pretence of adoption, and the protec tion of children will not be complete until there is compulsory registration of adoptions also, even adoptions by relatives, with periodioal visits by in- spectors. This further stage of the emancipation campaign appears to carry the necessary work beyond the Anti-Mui-tsai Society—or at least ba- yond its title. Reorganisation may nexion it may be timely to suggest therefore be required, and in this con-
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again amalgamation with the Society for the Protection of Children. The latter Society is also doing excellent work, which touches closely, at one point at least, the labours of the older organisation both are watchful against cruelty. The amalgamation suggestion has been discussed several times, but, while outwardly there ap- pears to be no obstacle, beneath the surface suspicion seems to remain. Ardent abolitionists still appear to regard the Society for the Protection of Children as something of an official whitewash brush for the mui-wai sys- tem, for sweating of child labour, rack- ty as the only approved remedies. Ou renting, etc., with education and char-
the other hand, the members of the Society for the Protection of Children appear to regard the Anti-Mui-tsai Society as over-advanced and danger- ous. These mutual suspicions are un- worthy, and more may be done by more definitely co-ordinated effort. Failing early amalgamation, the best possible use must be made of the exist- ing weapons, and here we
have a criticism to address to the Magistrates of the Colony. Those guilty of cruelty punished; to children are sternly and properly
but the sentences upon traffickers are still inadequate. Look- 1ng over our files we find the mistress of a sly brothel fined only $150 or three months' hard labour, and the seller of a small boy fined $1,000, or one year. For kidnapping a seven year old child, a man was sentenced to In two other sly brothel cases the twelve months and twenty strokes. fines were $100 and $75. And then a case of kidnapping of a child in which the sentence was six months, while the owner of a number of giris employed in immoral traffic was fined only $50, and for the sale of an infant the fines were also $50, or six weeks. These penalties are inconsistent and inade- quate. For comparison, a returned banishes received sentence of one year as did a thief who stole from a house at Magazine Gap. For stealing a fountain pen, sentence was six months, and the Same sentence was imposed upon a snatcher. Opium cases offer stronger contrasts, but for these there is a scale of penalties and they can be left out. The magistrate, of course, must be
per- mitted to allow the circumstances to guide him. Speaking generally, how- ever, it must be said that offences against children, involving their lives, are as yet insufficiently discouraged. All kidnappers and traffickers should be flogged-even to those who buy children and thus create the market."
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