475
414
(2)
It is possible that there are many others, and I think it would be desirable if the attention of the Surveyor General* was called to this matter with the view of suggesting some fence or parapet in case of new buildings or houses undergoing repair.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
The Honourable CECIL C. SMITH,
No. 62.
Arting Colonial Secretary,
se.,
F., je..
HONGKONG.
Your most obedient Servant,
JAMES RUSSELL, Coroner.
WARRANT TO SUMMON JURY.
Coroner's Inquest at the New Government Civil Hospital on the Body of Fung-A-Sz, alins A-SAU, a Chinese female adult, at Four o'clock in the afternoon on this Seventeenth day of October in the Year of Our Lord One thousand Eight hundred and Seventy-seven.
To the Captain Superintendent of Police and his assistant Constables of the Colony of Hongkong.
By virtue of my Office, these are in HER MAJESTY'S NAME to charge and command you that on sight hereof you Summon and Warn six able and sufficient men of the Colony personally to be and appear before me at the time and place above written, then and there to do and execute all such things as shall be given them in charge on behalf of our Sovereign Lady THE QUEES touching the death of the above named person, and for your so doing this is your Warrant: and that you also attend at the time and place above mentioned to make a return of those you shall so Summon, and further to do and execute such other matters as shall be then and there enjoined you. And have you then and there this Warrant.
Given under my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of October in the year
Summon the following to forma a panel:-
(1). P. ROSE,--
(2), J. JACK,
(3). CONRAD H. Brunм,
(4). ROBERT F. SMITH,
(5). A. G. AITKEN,.
(6). W. S. BAMSEY,
Jury:-
JouN JACK,..
R. F. SMITH,
CONRAD H. BLUHM,
Siemssen & Co.
above written, JAMES RUSSELL,
Coroner.
Hongkong Distillery Co.
Pustau & Co.
.Dock Co.
Dock Co.
......Gas Co.
C. V. CREAGH,
Act. Capt. Supt. of Police.
.of East Point, Foreman.
...of The Dock Co.
of Messrs. Pustau & Co.
The manner of Execution of this Warrant appears by the above Schedules. The answer of
JOSEPH WHITE, P.C., 42, Summoning Officer.
I have personally examined these bouses. They do not differ from others in the Chinese quarters of the City. Although the roof-slopes are very steep, many of them have Latchways on the ridges for the purpose of giving access to the files on which to spread and dry wash clothes, Nons have parapets or other protection, and the question to consider when the new Balding Ordinance under preparation is submitted to His Excellency, will be whether one should forbid these hatchways as dangerous, or else compel builders to erect parapets or balustrading in lieu of eaves. The same applies to flat roofs. The smoke-holes (so called) are in reality small yards left in the rear of houses for ventilation and light and not for smoke. The following diagram of an ordinary row of China houses shows these tiny yards, generally from 6 to 10 feet square, marked A., B., C., D., atc.
HOUSE
HOUSE
HOUSE
HOUSE
HOU
COOK
A HOUSE B
COOK HOUSE
Q
COOK
D
NOUSE
COOK HOUSE
E
It was down into one of these yards that the two girls fell of the cook house roof which was flat. I cannot quite agree with Inspector Les's statement that in all other houses the roofs are fenced round. My experience is that but comparatively few houses have this protection sod that only in frail bamboos or wood which soon rots and becomes unsecure as a fence,
23rd November, 1877.
J. M. PRICE,
Surveyor tieneral.
(3)
In charge of the case-Inspector McKie.
Information of Witnesses severally taken and acknowledged on behalf of our Sovereign Lady THE QUEEN, at the House known as the Government Civil Hospital, in Victoria in the said Colony, on the 17th day of October, in the year of our Lord One Thousand Eight hundred and Seventy-seven, before JAMES RUSSELL, Gentleman, Coroner for the said Colony, touching the death of A-SAU, a Chinese female, surname unknown, then and there lying dead as follows, to wit The Jury having been duly sworn and having viewed the body:-
CHARLES JOHN WHARLY, sworn, states:-I am Superintendent of the Government w Civil Hospital. The body of deceased was brought to the Hospital at half-past one o'clock this morning. It was then recently dead. It is that of a Chinese female about thirty-five years of age. The body is very fat. I found on examination a fracture of the right upper arm, and also a fracture on the right thigh. The jaw was broken into several pieces. There was a deep cut on the chin, and the jaw was badly fractured. Death appeared to have resulted from the shock from these injuries. The injuries were such as might be caused by a fall from a height. At the same time this morning there was another woman fetched to Hospital suffering from fracture of the left thigh, and a comminuted fracture of the lower jaw with a severe cut on the chin. I think she will probably recover. Inspector GREY reported to me that the deceased and the injured woman had both come from the same house and that they had fallen from a height.
C. J. WHARRY, M.JE
Inspector JoAN LEE, being duly cautioned as to his position as a witness, it being alleged that he was in pursuit of the women in a house when the deceased came by her death, expresses his desire to give evidence.
JOHN LEE, sworn and told that he need not answer any question which he may think tends to criminate him, states:----I am an Inspector of Brothels. As Inspector of Brothels I have standing orders I have no from the Registrar General to enter any house suspected of being an unlicensed brothel. orders in writing to that effect. I have been Inspector since November 1870, and succeeded a named JAMESON,
nan
Last night about six o'clock the Interpreter CHENG-A-Yu came to me, and I gave him ten $1 I took the numbers of the notes. notes to give to men who were going to discover unlicensed brothels. Inspector WHITEHEAD, who is also an Inspector of Brothels, and myself met the Interpreter at twelve o'clock, and he took us to No. 9, Lyndhurst Terrace. The Interpreter knocked at the door and called out the name of a Chinese who was inside. The door was opened from the inside. This door that 1 refer to was an inner door. The street door was opened. We went into the house, and found three women in the rooms. From what we learned we took them into custody, and they were taken to the Central Station by Inspector WHITEHEAD; and the Interpreter and myself went on to No. 42, Peel Street, in consequence of information which I had received from him that that house was an unlicensed brothel. We got to No. 42, Peel Street, between half-past twelve o'clock and one o'clock, and when we got to the street door the Interpreter called out the name of one of the informers. There was no answer for a long time, for five minutes or more. I knocked at the door with my stick. A woman from the first floor looked out of the window, and asked-" What do you want?" I told her to open the door. She came and opened the door. (At this juncture the Coroner and Jury adjourn to inspect the premises, ten minutes to five o'clock).
Resumed at ten minutes past five o'clock.
JOHN LEE, further examined, states:---The house which the Coroner and Jury have just visited is No. 42, Peel Street. I went up the stairs which leads to the upper floor of the house. On the stair there are folding half-doors. The folding doors were fastened on the inside by a sliding bar, I climbed over the doors and opened them, and got up to a trap door, which I found closed. That trap door was opened by a man inside. When he opened the door, he pointed out a ladder leading from the cook- house to the roof up which he said the women had gone. It was then about quarter to one o'clock. I went up the ladder, and got on to the platform on the roof, and I heard some people on the roof on the other side of the wall which divides the flat portion of the roof of 44 from that of 12, and I got round the corner of that dividing wall, and as I got round I saw a woman going down the trap of 44 which is similar to the one on the roof of the house 42. I saw the woman going down and I made a grab at her and caught her sleeve, but could not stop her. At the same time, I saw two other figures on the flat roof. As I grabbed at the woman, I heard the crash from the roof of 44, and I did not know where the
persons had gone to.
I did not see if they fell or jumped. There is an unprotected open space on the roof of 8 feet by 5 feet, which is the same width and length to the ground floor. This open space acts as a smoke-hole permitting the escape of the smoke The height of the flat roof above the yard from all the kitchens in the different floors of the house. below is 36 feet. The yard below is paved with granite. There is no projection into that area except
one
piece of wood acting as a sun screen, about 1 foot, broad, and placed in the form of a shade for a window on the first floor. That has been broken and, I think, it was the crash of that which I heard by one of the women coming into contact with it.
I followed the woman down the trap, and followed her right into the street. I pursued and she ran up the steps of Peel Street, and up to Staunton Street, and a Lokong caught her about ten yards
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