236
[12th witness Ng Ying-kit.]
[13th witness Robert George Butcher.]
38
996. And what happened to the rest of you who were still alive on this sail and in the
sampan?
We were afloat, and were at last picked up by a fishing junk from San
Mei,
997. How long was that after the sinking of your junk? 2 days.
998. What did you do with the bodies of those people who had been killed? We threw
them overboard because we had nothing to convey them in-we had no coffins. 999. Chairman: Were all those g people killed outright? Yes.
1000. Mr. Whyatt: Where did the fishing junk from San Mei take you to? To San Mei. 1001. How long did you remain at San Mei? 20 days in San Mei.
1002. Then where did you go? Only two of us came to Shaukiwan and we arrived here
on 13th October.
1003. Who accompanied you? My wife and I only came
here on 13th October. We came by boat.
to Shaukiwan and arrived
1004. Why did you bring your wife to Shaukiwan? For treatment in a hospital because
she was wounded by a bullet from a machine gun.
1005. Did your wife go to hospital the same day? Yes, and at the same time we made a
report to the police in Hong Kong.
1006. Did your junk carry any cannon? Yes, 3 cannon.
1007. Whereabouts were they? They were kept inside, down in the hold.
1008. Did you use them at all during this attack? No, we did not use them. 1009. How long is it since you last used them? I last used them several years ago. 1010. What was that for? It was when we first bought these cannon-we were experi-
menting and seeing if they were of use at all.
1011. Were they of any use? Yes, they were of some use.
1012. How far would they fire? Not very far, only about three times the length of this
court.
1013. What is it that you fire out of these cannon?
and old clothing.
39
[13th witness Robert George Butcher.] [14th witness Ernest Harold Histed.]
1024. And on the 27th September were you in charge of No. 5 Police Launch? Yes.
coming into Kowloon Bay on that date?
1025. Do you remember the "Scharnhorst "
Yes.
1026. Do you remember the time she came in?
About 8 a.m.
1027. Did you give any instructions to anyone on board your police launch with refer- ence to the "Scharnhorst "? I was engaged with the passport officer at the time alongside the ship.
1028. And then what was the next thing that happened? I was called on board by that
1029.
officer.
Did you go on board? I did.
1030. Did he make a statement to you? I don't want to know what he said. Yes. 1031. Did you make a request of him? Yes.
1032. And as a result of that request did he conduct you somewhere? 1033. Where did he conduct you to? The navigation room.
Yes.
1034. Just describe to me what he did there not what he said. He worked out a
position on a chart.
1035. Do you remember what that position was? Only by referring to the letter. 1036. After working out a position on the chart what did he do next? He took the position up to the captain and returned with a letter; a few minutes later he gave it to me.
1037. Have you got that letter? (Letter handed to Commission).
1038. Chairman ; I have come to the conclusion that on the whole this letter should be
read at this stage and I shall do so now: "Norddeutscher Lloyd,
1039.
"Bremen.
66
D. Scharnhorst
Reise 9.
*
Report over shipwrecked crew.
៥៥
We stuffed the cannon with rags
1014. Chairman: You put in black powder first? Yes.
1015. Then a little wadding of rags? We put nothing else other than that, stopping the
powder from dropping out, and then we fired.
1016. Mr. Whyatt: Did you load them from the muzzle? Yes.
1017. Chairman: Had you any rifle on board? No.
1018. No arms at all except the three cannon you have told us about? No other arms
than the three cannon.
(Witness left the witness box).
1019. Mr. Whyait to Chairman: That concludes the evidence of the Chinese witnesses, sir, who are available. I have statements from other Chinese witnesses who were aboard these junks but unfortunately they are not available. Some of them have gone out fishing since these events occurred and they may be back in a day or two! one cannot say I shall ask leave to call them to give evidence if they return in
time.
1020. Chairman: It will not be possible for this Commission to sit tomorrow in view of the meeting of the Legislative Council, so that you will have until at least Thurs- day morning to find any missing witnesses.
1021. Mr. Whyatt: The police are making every effort to find these witnesses and I
hope they will be successful.
1022. Thirteenth Witness. Robert George Butcher, duly sworn, states:-
1023. Mr. Whyatt: You are Sub-Inspector Robert George Butcher of the Hong Kong
Water Police ? Yes.
Hong Kong, den 27th September, 1937.
On our way from Kobe to Hong Kong, we saw in the morning 3.40 the "27th of September a shipwrecked crew, about true 205 7 miles distance from "Pedro Blanco Rock.
At the same time we turned the ship and was searching for the float. 3.50 a.m. we found the shipwrecked crew sitting on a small raft.
our boat and picked up 9 Chinese males and female.
We lowered
"
C
+
家看
"
(Signed) W. STEIN, Captain,
s.s. Scharnhorst, Bremen.
At
1040. After receiving that document, did you see any of these Chinese people on board?
Yes.
1041,
How many
did you see?
Nine Chinese males and one female.
1042. What did you do with them? I put them on board the police launch and took them to the Water Police Station and handed them over to the Inspector on duty.
(Witness left the witness box).
1043. Fourteenth Witness. Ernest Harold Histed, duly sworn, states:-
1044. Mr. Whyatt: Captain Histed, you live at 34 Kimberley Road, Hong Kong?
Yes.
1045. And are you the master of the s.s. Kaying? Yes. 1046. Is she a British vessel ?
Yes.
1047. Who are her owners? China Navigation Company. 1048. Who are her local agents? Butterfield & Swire.
1049. On the 27th September were you on board your ship? I think you have the
wrong date.
237