188
332
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I was a poor man. I told him that I had not paid all the purchase-money on property bought from Woods; I told Assow that Mr Caldwell had written to me to come back from Macao, and he would transfer the leases.
and for the balance ($150) Mr Caldwell was to receive the rents from the tenants for three months, which would amount to $150. I remember 15 more (houses) of Mr Caldwell's were put up at auction, and was present at the
When I came back Mr Caldwell said that I must wait a little as auction. Mr Woods bought all. I bought all from Mr Woods; I do not know how many lots there were-I he, Mr Caldwell, was busy. I told Assow I had a fear agreed to pay Mr Woods $3,000 for them. Mr Caldwell that the creditors of Mr Caldwell might get back the lots and sell them. This happened about the middle of last negociated the purchase. I paid him $2,000 first in sums of $1,000 each, leaving a balance of $1,000, and I got Mr month, (May,) I have pressed Mr Caldwell to complete Caldwell to get back $500 of the last payment, so that the transfer. Mr Caldwell told me that the property had $1,500 should remain on interest. The first 10 houses mentioned in these transactions were bought about May of last year, 4 houses about August, and the 15 from Mr Woods were in November. When I bought the first 10 houses, I got a document (a bill of sale) from Mr Caldwell, but did not get the new lease. I told Mr Caldwell that I did not understand the business, and wished the matter put into a Lawyer's hands. Mr Stace was employed. The bill of sale was in Chinese. All the transactions
were on my own account The old leases are at my house. I know a woman called Chew Alai; she lives at Macao. I gave her 3 of the houses out of the lot of 10. She did not pay me anything. I gave them to her; she is my concubine, and I wanted to settle these houses on her. I did not give Mr Stace any instructions, but left Mr Caldwell to do so, that the 10 and 4 houses might be transferred in the usual way. I wanted the 3 houses transferred to Chew Alai, if it could be done as I wished, and if not, no matter. The old leases were given to Mr Stace, but I hold some older ones. I did not give the bill of sale to Mr Stace as it was in Chinese, and Mr Caldwell said that he would give an English one. I know Mak Afook; he collects rents for me. With reference to 7 of the 10 houses, he gives me $30 a month rent for them. As to the 4, Mak Afook has nothing to do with them; Szekai collects the rent on them, he pays me $50 for
month. per
been mortgaged, and not that he had not got back the papers; but Mr Caldwell had never refused to complete the transfer.
Although Mr Caldwell still owed me $2,000, I was able to get the money to pay the sums of $2,200), and $150 for the different lots from my relations. The $1,500 was not due till November, by which time Messrs Siemssen & Co. had paid me $1,900, on account of Mr Caldwell's estate. I do not know the names of the tenants of the houses.
Of the 15 houses bought from Mr Woods, my brother Ah Chow receives the rents.
I was absent from Hongkong at China New Year (February last), and went to my own country. Before I left I told Szekai to pay the ground-rent; I told him he was to ask the old master about the payment; I meant Mr Caldwell. Since the 11th month (December) of last year have been in possession of the houses, and have not paid Mr Caldwell anything. I pay the interest to Mr Woods. I do not owe Mr Caldwell anything for these houses. There is no arrangement by which I am to pay Mr Caldwell on account of rents on these houses. Mr Caldwell has not the slightest interest in any of the houses
Re-examined. I had no security for the $2,000 lent to Mr Caldwell. I had an acknowledgment in English writing, stating that the interest was $25 per mille per month. I had no receipt for the $1,500 lent on account of my friend. Achoy-eu, a person in California, was the friend whose money I lent; he told me, if I had a suitable opportunity, to buy opium; as I found none, I lent the money at call, and therefore there was to be no interest. I know Assow the road surveyor, but never told him that
The three houses given to Chew Alai were not to be given to herself for ever, but only so long as she behaved well. I was not to get the rent for them. When I bought them they were shops, not brothels. They are not brothels
now.
I do not know Chun Atsoo. I do not know that Mr Caldwell knows Chew Alai, but I have mentioned her name to him.
By Chairman,--The old lease papers are at my house -3 or 4. Mr Lyons has seen them.
[The witness was told to bring these papers to-morrow morning.]
LEE AH WA.-Called and examined.
Brothel keeper, No. 79, No. of house 517. Rents up stairs
chew. Since 22d December, I have paid rent at the rate of from Lum- Ateen. Yeep Ayung rents the house from A-
$15 per month to Achew, the brother of Lum Ateen; I have always paid him the rent.
I have never seen Mr Caldwell before my husband got the license for me. I do not know Mr Lyons have seen him twice. Did not tell him that the house was Caldwell's. Some repairs had been effected to the house-in the cook-house; I told Achew
get no receipt. to get it done for me, and he assented. Pay rent in advance;
YEEP AYUNG,--Called and examined.
different house to the one I reside in, having been burnt Brothel keeper, No. 9 I have a ticket belonging to a out. My present house is No. 517 (lot 206), I have only occupied the house for a week.
CHOW AH CHEE,-Called and examined,
have a rent book, but have not brought it; it has Yee Wo Brothel keeper No. 48, House No. 515 Lot 241 B. fook's name in it as landlord. Can't read. Pay $16 per
(13)
month to Yee Wo-fook; do not know if he acts as agent, never asked him. No repairs have been done to the house lately; know Mr Caldwell as Registrar of Brothels, never saw him at the house. Do not know Lum Ateen. Have lived in the house since 28th December last. The property never belonged to me. There is a brothel next door-Kum-foo keeps it. I had heard of my own house before I went to live at it. The front of my house is wood, not brick. There is a man keeps a Rice shop next door; his name is Ah-leen,
LEE AH HO,--Called and examined.
LOW AH FONG,--Recalled,
I did see both Mr Lyons and the Lookong yesterday; they asked me what I was doing; I said I was sewing. Asked me what the men resident in the house did; I said they worked, sold vegetables, &c. I never said that Mr Caldwell was owner of the house.
Adjourned to 12 Noon, on the 2d.
FOURTH DAY,
Wednesday, 2d June, 1858, at 12 Noon.
Present,-All the Members.
MAK AFOOK.-Called and examined.
I have been agent in collecting rents for several individuals-Machin Tsing, Leung Ashing, and formerly Mr Ateen-know Mr Caldwell-have seen him pass by; he Caldwell. I acted as agent for Mr Caldwell up till the 17th December last, commencing from the 2d July, 1856. has never been inside the house while I had it. I do not
I do not know the lots, but I only collected for 22 houses know that he is the owner.
for Mr Caldwell.
HO AH MOEY,-Called and examined. House 519, brothel 76, lot 206. Brothel keeper-I have lived there since 19th December last year; took the house from Lum Ah-teen at $24 per month rent--pay rent to Lum Ateen. Pay it at Lum Ateen's house to Achew or to Assow (Road Overseer). Have no rent book or receipt. Ah Chu and Some repairs were effected after the fire. Assow got them done. I recognise Mr Caldwell,-have seldom seen him-have seen him inspecting streets; he has never inspected my house do not know if he owns my house.
[Witness produces a book in which are entered payments made to Mr Caldwell, and another of payments to Lum Ateen.]
I have a book of rents collected from the tenants.
I collected rents for Mr Caldwell on 22 houses by contract, paying him $85 per month--and I collected rent on 3 houses, paying him the same direct. One was $25, one was $22, and one was $20. At the time when I was collecting there were no brothels, but there is one now. From the 17th December, I have continued to collect the rents of 10 of the houses as agent for Lum Ateen; for eight of them I contract to pay $55, and the rents of the other two are $20 and $22, as already stated, which is paid to Lum Ateen. Lum Ateen collects the rent of the
LOW AH FONG,-Called and examined.
I know that Lum Ateen bought the 10 houses from Mr Caldwell. I know that the fifteen houses were sold at auction to Mr Woods, December. The lower tenants are new arrivals. Sell fruit I am certain that I contract for eight of the houses, and and vegetables. Pay $6 a-month rent. The agents col- pay $55 for them. I do not know Chew Alai, but have I have contracted for the eight houses lect the rent at my house,-Achew is the collector. Do heard her name. not know whether it is his house or not. Have heard of from the 17th December. Seven of the houses are taken Mr Caldwell-do not know him; have never seen him be- at $30 a month, and one at $25. I do not pay the Ground- fore. Have seen Mr Lyons about my neighbourhood tak-rent; I believe Lum Ateen does. I have known Lam ing notes. Have had no conversation with him yesterday, Ateen only since last year, when I commenced collecting nor through an interpreter. Did not tell a lookong that Mr rents for him; before that time I had seen him, but had
house. of Caldwell was the owner my
AH HEEM, Lookong,- Called and examined. Was at Low-ali-fong's house yesterday when he was with Mr Lyons. I asked her the Number of her house and to whom did she paid house rent; some said house rent was paid to Lum Ateen, some to Achew, some to Cheong Assow, some to Lai Sze-kai; some said they paid rent to Sam-kwei-Mr Caldwell; Low-ah-fong said that she paid rent to Mr Caldwell; several people said that they paid it to Mr Caldwell, but I only recollect this woman.
had no dealings with him. In the 9th moon of last year, Mr Caldwell told me that he was going to keep back one house as a hospital, and in the 10th moon that I was to collect all the rents, as he would no longer own them in the 11th moon. Mr Caldwell said that some person wanted the house for a hospital. When Mr Caldwell told me about the house which was to be occupied as a hospital, I understood that I was no longer to collect the rent of it. It was Mr Caldwell who, in the beginning, appointed me to collect the rents. On the 17th December, Mr Caldwell said he would recommend me to Lum Ateen, who would
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I was a poor man. I told him that I had not paid all the purchase-money on property bought from Woods; I told Assow that Mr Caldwell had written to me to come back from Macao, and he would transfer the leases.
and for the balance ($150) Mr Caldwell was to receive the rents from the tenants for three months, which would amount to $150. I remember 15 more (houses) of Mr Caldwell's were put up at auction, and was present at the
When I came back Mr Caldwell said that I must wait a little as auction. Mr Woods bought all. I bought all from Mr Woods; I do not know how many lots there were-I he, Mr Caldwell, was busy. I told Assow I had a fear agreed to pay Mr Woods $3,000 for them. Mr Caldwell that the creditors of Mr Caldwell might get back the lots and sell them. This happened about the middle of last negociated the purchase. I paid him $2,000 first in sums of $1,000 each, leaving a balance of $1,000, and I got Mr month, (May,) I have pressed Mr Caldwell to complete Caldwell to get back $500 of the last payment, so that the transfer. Mr Caldwell told me that the property had $1,500 should remain on interest. The first 10 houses mentioned in these transactions were bought about May of last year, 4 houses about August, and the 15 from Mr Woods were in November. When I bought the first 10 houses, I got a document (a bill of sale) from Mr Caldwell, but did not get the new lease. I told Mr Caldwell that I did not understand the business, and wished the matter put into a Lawyer's hands. Mr Stace was employed. The bill of sale was in Chinese. All the transactions
were on my own account The old leases are at my house. I know a woman called Chew Alai; she lives at Macao. I gave her 3 of the houses out of the lot of 10. She did not pay me anything. I gave them to her; she is my concubine, and I wanted to settle these houses on her. I did not give Mr Stace any instructions, but left Mr Caldwell to do so, that the 10 and 4 houses might be transferred in the usual way. I wanted the 3 houses transferred to Chew Alai, if it could be done as I wished, and if not, no matter. The old leases were given to Mr Stace, but I hold some older ones. I did not give the bill of sale to Mr Stace as it was in Chinese, and Mr Caldwell said that he would give an English one. 1 know Mak Afook; he collects rents for mic. With reference to 7 of the 10 houses, he gives me $30 a month rent for them. As to the 4, Mak Afook has nothing to do with them; Szekai collects the rent on them, he pays me $50 for
month. per
been mortgaged, and not that he had not got back the papers; but Mr Caldwell had never refused to complete the transfer.
Although Mr Caldwell still owed me $2,000, I was able to get the money to pay the sums of $2,200), and $150 for the different lots from my relations. The $1,500 was not due till November, by which time Messrs Siemssen & Co. had paid me $1,900, on account of Mr Caldwell's estate. I do not know the names of the tenants of the houses.
Of the 15 houses bought from Mr Woods, my brother Ah Chow receives the rents.
them
I
I was absent from Hongkong at China New Year (Feb ruary last), and went to my own country. Before I left I told Szekai to pay the gound-rent; I told him he was to ask the old master about the payment; I meant Mr Caldwell. Since the lith month (December) of last year have been in possession of the houses, and have not paid Mr Caldwell anything. I pay the interest to Mr Woods. 1 do not owe Mr Caldwell anything for these houses. There is no arrangement by which I am to pay Mr Caldwell on account of rents on these houses. Mr ('aldwell has not the slightest interest in any of the houses Re-examined. I had no security for the $2,000 lent to Mr Caldwell. I had an acknowledgment in English writing, stating that the interest was $25 per mille per month. I had no receipt for the $1,500 lent on account of my friend. Achoy-eu, a person in California, was the friend whose money I lent; he told me, if I had a suitable opportunity, to buy opium; as I found none, I lent the money at call, and therefore there was to be no interest. I know Assow the road surveyor, but never told him that
The three houses given to Chew Alai were not to be given to herself for ever, but only so long as she behaved well. I was not to get the rent for them. When I bought them they were shops, not brothels. They are not brothels
now.
I do not know Chun Atsoo. I do not know that Mr Caldwell knows Chew Alai, but I have mentioned her name to him.
By Chairman,--The old lease papers are at my house -3 or 4. Mr Lyons has seen them.
[The witness was told to bring these papers to-morrow morning.]
LEE AH WA.-Called and examined.
Brothel keeper, No. 79, No. of house 517. Rents up stairs
chew. Since 22d December, I have paid rent at the rate of from Lum- Ateen. Yeep Ayung rents the house from A-
$15 per month to Achew, the brother of Lum Ateen; I have always paid him the rent.
I have never seen Mr Caldwell before my husband got the license for me. I do not know Mr Lyons have seen him twice. Did not tell him that the house was Caldwell's. Some repairs had been effected to the house-in the cook-house; I told Achew
get no receipt. to get it done for me, and he assented. Pay rent in advance;
YEEP AYUNG,--Called and examined.
different house to the one I reside in, having been burnt Brothel keeper, No. 9 I have a ticket belonging to a out. My present house is No. 517 (lot 206), I have only occupied the house for a week.
CHOW AH CHEE,-Called and examined,
have a rent book, but have not brought it; it has Yee Wo Brothel keeper No. 48, House No. 515 Lot 241 B. fook's name in it as landlord. Can't read. Pay $16 për
( 13 )
month to Yee Wo-fook; do not know if he acts as agent, never asked him. No repairs have been done to the house lately; know Mr Caldwell as Registrar of Brothels, never saw him at the house. Do not know Lum Ateen. Have lived in the house since 28th December last. The property never belonged to me. There is a brothel next door-Kum-foo keeps it. I had heard of my own house before I went to live at it. The front of my house is wood, not brick. There is a man keeps a Rice shop next door; his name is Ah-leen,
LEE AH HO,--Called and examined.
LOW AH FONG,--Recalled, -
I did see both Mr Lyons and the Lookong yesterday; they asked me what I was doing; I said I was sewing. Asked me what the men resident in the house did; I said they worked, sold vegetables, &c. I never said that Mr Caldwell was owner of the house.
Adjourned to 12 Noon, on the 2d.
FOURTH DAY,
Wednesday, 2d June, 1858, at 12 Noon.
Present,-All the Members.
MAK AFOOK.-Called and examined.
I have been agent in collecting rents for several individ-
House 518, lot 206, brothel 77. Brothel keeper-have kept the house 2 months-have no rent book. Pay $20 per month-took the house from Achew, Pay him the rent-do not know if he is an agent. Some repairs were effected by Achew after the fire. Do not know Lum-uals-Machin Tsing, Leung Ashing, and formerly Mr Ateen-know Mr Caldwell-have seen him pass by; he Caldwell. I acted as agent for Mr Caldwell up till the 17th December last, commencing from the 2d July, 1856. has never been inside the house while I had it. I do not
I do not know the lots, but I only collected for 22 houses know that he is the owner.
for Mr Caldwell.
HO AH MOEY,-Called and examined. House 519, brothel 76, lot 206. Brothel keeper-I have lived there since 19th December last year; took the house from Lum Ah-teen at $24 per month rent--pay rent to Lum Ateen. Pay it at Lum Ateen's house to Achew or to Assow (Road Overseer). Have no rent book or receipt. Ah Chu and Some repairs were effected after the fire. Assow got them done. I recognise Mr Caldwell,-have seldom seen him-have seen him inspecting streets; he has never inspected my house do not know if he owns my house.
[Witness produces a book in which are entered payments made to Mr Caldwell, and another of payments to Lum Ateen.]
I have a book of rents collected from the tenants.
I collected rents for Mr Caldwell on 22 houses by con- tract, paying him $85 per month--and I collected rent on 3 houses, paying him the same direct. One was $25, one was $22, and one was $20. At the time when I was collecting there were no brothels, but there is one now. From the 17th December, I have continued to collect the rents of 10 of the houses as agent for Lum Ateen; for eight of them I contract to pay $55, and the rents of the other two are $20 and $22, as already stated, which is paid to Lum Ateen. Lum Ateen collects the rent of the LOW AH FONG,-Called and examined.
I know that Lun Have no license; live in the upper part of house 520, lot other twelve through his own men. 206-am not a brothel keeper; rent the upper story-do Ateen bought the 10 houses from Mr Caldwell. I know not know who rents the lower part. Have lived there since that the fifteen houses were sold at auction to Mr Woods, December. The lower tenants are new arrivals. Sell fruit I am certain that I contract for eight of the houses, and and vegetables. Pay $6 a-month rent. The agents col- pay $55 for them. I do not know Chew Alai, but have I have contracted for the eight houses lect the rent at my house,-Achew is the collector. Do heard her name. not know whether it is his house or not. Ilave heard of from the 17th December. Seven of the houses are taken Mr Caldwell-do not know him; have never seen him be- at $30 a month, and one at $25. I do not pay the Ground- fore. Have seen Mr Lyons about my neighbourhood tak-rent; I believe Luun Ateen does. I have known Lam ing notes. Have had no conversation with him yesterday, Ateen only since last year, when I commenced collecting nor through an interpreter. Did not tell a lookong that Mr rents for him; before that time I had seen him, but had
house. of Caldwell was the owner my
AH HEEM, Lookong,- Called and examined. Was at Low-ali-fong's house yesterday when he was with Mr Lyons. I asked her the Number of her house and to whom did she paid house rent; some said house rent was paid to Lum Ateen, some to Achew, some to Cheong Assow, some to Lai Sze-kai; some said they paid rent to Sam-kwei-Mr Caldwell; Low-ah-fong said that she paid rent to Mr Caldwell; several people said that they paid it to Mr Caldwell, but I only recollect this woman.
had no dealings with him. In the 9th moon of last year, Mr Caldwell told me that he was going to keep back one house as a hospital, and in the 10th moon that I was to collect all the rents, as he would no longer own them in the 11th moon. Mr Caldwell said that some person wanted the house for a hospital. When Mr Caldwell told me about the house which was to be occupied as a hospital, I understood that I was no longer to collect the rent of it. It was Mr Caldwell who, in the beginning, appointed me to collect the rents. On the 17th December, Mr Caldwell said he would recommend me to Lum Ateen, who would
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