1937-12-20 — Page 9

AIL, DECEMBER 20, 1937.

ARSENIC MURDER TRIAL

OVER FIFTY GRAINS FOUND IN FATEFUL

RICE POT: THREE DEATHS

CAIRO CRISIS M. VAN ZEELAND

Cairo, To-day.

Although no settlement has been

AT VATICAN

Rome, To-day.

reached in the dispute between Cabinet and Court, political circles Paul van Zeeland, who on Saturday The former Belgian Premier, M. think it just possible that an agree visited the Minister for Exchange

THE MONG KOK ARSENIC MURDER TRIAL”, OPENED AT THE CRIMINAL SESSIONS THIS MORNING BEFORE THE ment may be announced at the last CHIEF JUSTICE, SIR ATHOLL MacGREGOR, WHEN 36-YEAR-moment. OLD LI FUK-YUE UNEMPLOYED, WAS CHARGED WITH THE

MURDER OF A CHINESE WOMAN, TANG KAM, AGED 401 Weakening of the political situa YEARS, BY ADMINISTERING ARSENIC ON OCTOBER 5, AT tion in Egypt would be most unwel- NO. 163, TUNG CHOI STREET, MONG KOK

come to Britain, and a change

The case is continuing.

improbable.Trans-Ocean.

The Crown alleges that as a result witness had been given $10, but had Cabinet without a new election of arsenic put into rice deceased wo-frun away- man was cooking, the accused also caused the deaths of deceased's hus- band and another woman named Chan Kwai

The jury empanelled comprised Messrs. R. Pestonji (Foreman), S. M. Ali, Lam Kwok-tsoi, G. A. Yes, Ga Shing-kiem, Fang Yin-leung, and Chau Tak-chin

Accused was defended by Mr. H.. C Macnarama. instructed by Mr. H. N Cheung, of Messrs. Johnson, Stoke and Master

QUARREL ALLEGED

Opening the case for the prosecu tion, ME E. Williams, Assistant At- torney General, said that accused and a woman, Mak Yin-sing, whose hus band was in America, lived together in a Toishan village against the elders' disapproval

The woman left the village and rent- ed a cubicle at No. 163, Tung Choi Street. Accused also came to the Co lony and renewed his intimate, friend- ship with the woman.

In September, accused had a serious quarrel with the murdered woman Tang Kam, which lasted over an hour The woman told accused not to visit the house-again and threatened to best him with a bamboo pole.

the

However, the accused visited premises on a number of occasions to see Mak Yu-sing On the evening of October 4, he spent some time in the kitchen and, asked what he was doing. replied that he was boiling water for a bath.

The Crown alleged that accused was boiling crude arsenic and not water, IS there were witnesses to testify that he did not take a bath that evening.

MOTIVE SUGGESTED

As regards motive, Mr. Williams said. it was not necessary to prove one, but the Crown suggested that accused was under the impression that Tang Kam wanted to keep him away, from Mak Yia-sing.

On the morning of October 5, accus- ed again visited the kitchen which he had to himself several times, and the Crown alleged that it was during one of these periods that he poured the arsenic into the pot of rice which was being cooked by Tang Kam for her family.

Immediately Tang Kam and her bus- band sat down for their morning meal, accused left the house, but he left a parcel at a hawker's stall on the road, and this parcel, which, was latter open- ed by the stall-holder, was found to contain a piece of arsenic

During the meal, Tang Kam made a remark about the rice, and another woman Chan Kwai, tasted it. Tang Kam, her husband and Chan Kwai, fell il afterwards and succumbed in the Kwong Wah Hospital from poisoning, which was later revealed, by the Gov ernment Analyst to be arsenical poison- ing-

ARSENIC FINDS

is

The accused returned to the premises at about 1130 am. and was seen to put water in an aluminium pot and to scrub its bottom-with a brush ,pot was found by the Government An- alyst to have arsenic crystals around the lip

The Crown alleged that this was the pot in which accused boiled, the crude arsenic cleme de le

Mr. Williams added that according to the Government Analyst two grains of

arsenic was a fatal dose.

With each of the three poisoned per sons, the amount of arsenic administer

ed exceeded two graïms.

In the rice pot alone.

grains of arsenie”

found 52

The doctor at the hospital Informed

the police who later an

Dust-taken from tec

ella contained arsenie particler.

the

When che

the food and added

1 bribed to testi

in

Control, Signor Guarnieri, was re- ceived yesterday by Cardinal Pacelli, the Vatican Secretary of State, and Cardinal Pizzardo.

*

M. van Zeeland, who is carrying

is paris to-day (Monday).

out the economic mission ntrusted him by Britain, wall leave Rome for

Ocean

CARPETS

LAST

OF

SALE

FINE BRUSSELS CARPETS

AT

LAMMERTS

ON

WEDNESDAY, 22nd.

AT

2.30 P.M.