1939-10-31 — Page 11

THE CHINA MAIL, OCTOBER 31, 1939-

WOMAN FOUND

GUILTY OF MURDER: ECONOMY SALE JURY'S RECOMMENDATION

AT THE CRIMINAL SESSIONS THIS MORNING, WAN HANG-CHUNG, WAS FOUND GUILTY OF THE MURDER OF HER HUSBAND'S CONCUBINE ON JULY 14 BUT A STRONG RECOMMENDATION FOR MERCY WAS MADE BY THE JURY WHICH THE CHIEF JUS- TICE ENDORSED.

INCIDENT CLOSE TO H.K. WATERS

Engaged in operations against de- fenceless fishing junks,-Japanese des- troyer No. 47 is reported to have been working very close to the Colony's waters on Friday.

Arriving back in the Colony last night, Wong Ming-lu, 38, master of fishing Junk No. 1044HA, registered in Hong Kong, reported that at about 3 p.m. on Friday he was fishing some distance north-east of Lema Island, very close to Hong Kong's waters, when the destroyer approached and ordered the junk alongside.

ors.

The case was heard before Sir At- holl Macgregor and the following jur- Messrs. H. R. Webb (foreman), Lai Pul-lan, G. T. Anderson, E. J. Reed, Kan Yan-tsun, J. E. Montalto and Kwong Chow-li.

The prosecution was conducted by Mr. T. J. Gould, Assistant Crown Counsel, and accused was represented by Mr. D. J. N. Anderson, instructed by Mr. R. M. M. King.

In an address to the Jury, Mr. An- derson said that the defence was that accused, at the time of the attack, was in a state of semi-consciousness and the victim of a sudden attack of in- sanity.

His concern was to prove that, ac- cused was insane at the time of the crime, and it did not matter what her condition was before or after.

Summing up, His Lordship describ- ed Mr. Anderson's address as an able and eloquent one.

About 20 Japanese sailors boarded

In the legal form, every person was and transferred $100 worth of fresh presumed to be sane and to be res- fish; $285 in Hong Kong currency;ponsible for his or her actions, until three cannons and 10 pounds of shot

the contrary was proved and it was to the gunboat.

not the duty of the prosecution prove this,

They then ordered the junk to sail

away.

URN 3,000 YEARS OLD

While digging sand for sandbags nears South Cave, East Yorkshire,

LEGAL INSANITY

to

The legal definition of insanity was suffering from such defects of rea- son, caused by the disease of mind, as not to be able to know the nature and quality of the act being done.

Of the previous medical history of accused little was known; only that for the last three years she had been an invalid and that recently skilled workers found several human skele-beri-beri, pyorrhea and anaemia.

attendance found her suffering from tons. These were well preserved and represented middle-aged men of the

Dr. Wilkinson, an expert in mental

Bronze Age, dating from about 2000 | disease, had accused under his special

B.C.

care and observation for some time

With them was a large food vessel and had told the Court that he had made of well-baked clay and elaborately decorated with

applied all the usual tests for insan- intricate patterns.

ity but found nothing to indicate that she was not perfectly normal. There was no physical trouble that likely to contribute to insanity.

Mr. T. Sheppard, the director of the Hull Museum, where the vessel has been placed, states that the vase is one of the finest Bronze Age urns that he has seen.

THETIS CHIEF HAD GIVEN JACKET TO SAILOR

When the body of Lieutenant-Com- mander Bolus, Commander of the sun- ken submarine Thetis, was found, he was in his shirt sleeves.

He had given his uniform jacket to

He had also stated that, in a state of partial consciousness, a person would still know the nature and quality of his or her action.

His Lordship went over the facts and said that if death was due to blood poisoning from the tobacco or otherwise, the position would be dif- ferent but this was not the case. If the jury were satisfied that accused struck the blows, the delayed treat- ment did not miminise the guilt of accused.

RECOMMENDATION TO MERCY

The Jury, after

a naval rating, believed to be Stoker William Orrock, who was wearing it'minutes,

retiring for 17 found accused guilty and

when he was brought out of the sub-added a strong recommendation 10. marine.

This view was expressed by Com- mander S. M. Raw, who has been tak- ing part in the salvage work, after the opening of the inquest on some of the victims.

Commander Raw told a reporter that Commander Bolus had obviously been directing escape operations in the after part of the ship when he died.

WEATHER REPORT

A moderate anti-cyclone covers China, says the Royal Observatory, and it is increasing in intensity and extending southward.

A shallow area of low pressure, is moving eastward over north Japan.

Jewellery to the value of $100, was stolen from room No. 210, Nam Ping Boarding House, between 10.30 p.m. yesterday and. am. to-day,

mercy.

Before passing sentence His Lord- ship said: "The jury has reached the only possible conclusion on the evi- dence as a whole and the law pro- vides only one punishment. It is my duty formally death. The jury have coupled with to pass sentence of their verdict a very strong recom- mendation for mercy That recom- mendation I very gladly accept, and had no such recommendation been made, I would have made one on my own behalf.

"You may rest assured that that though it is my duty to pass the sentence, it will not be carried out."

SNATCHER CAUGHT

Arrested by Mr. L. L. Lopes, who saw him snatch a handbag last night in Sale Yeung Chol Street, Cheung Ping18 was this morning sentenced to a months' hard labour and

Mr. E. Himsworth.

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