CO129-181 - Governor Hennessy - 1878 [1-8] — Page 375

CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案 All

دا

372

to the learned Iudge's Report and most - anxiously considering the reasons given

out the sentence of death

for carrying by the majority of my

advisers, I cannot

under all the circumstances and in _

exercise of the duty

the independent that Her Majesty The Queen personally

· delegates

to the Governor do otherwise.

than

reprieve

the

prisoner

the capital sentence to

servitude for life.

13.

words on a

one

and alter

of penal

I feel bound to add a few collateral question. this

case shows the wisdom of the Chief Justice Sir John Smale's practice in

both

Attorney and Counsel

assigning

in this Colony to prisoner accused of

Murder. The native prisoner Knows

nothing of the procedure of. The Judge, the Qury and as a

our Courts.

general

--

rule the Counsel Know nothing of the language of the prisoner or of the witnesses. The prisoner in this instance, being brought to the Court. was there and then asked through Interpreter by the learned Counsel assigned to him, what was his A few hurried words were.

whilst the Counsel.

was

an

case.

whispered,

putting

on

his

gown, ablest Counsel in the world could not have made a real defence

and then the trial proceeded. The

or elicited all

the material facts from the witnesses under such circumstances. And yet

:

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