CO129-239 - Governor Des Voeus Acting Governor Stewart - 1888 [9-12] — Page 426

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Supreme Court, has, with the advice of the Executive Council, been commuted to imprisonment,

imprisonment.

with hard labour, for life.

The prisoners formed

of burglars,

part of a

band

who attacked a house in the

village of Lettle HongKong,

on

the night of the 10th of October

last.

3.

The

identification and

condemnation of the prisoners,

on the evidence

depended solely of a boy of twelve . His evidence

was

was in no

way affected by the

cross-examination to which

the prisoners' Counsel subjected him; but,

for

some reason.

which the Council

failed

to

ascertain satisfactorily from

the Police, he was

noth

t produced.

as a witness until the 24th of

October, on which day the third hearing at the Magistracy -

took place.

4.

This delay

delay in producing

him excited a reasonable

suspicion

in the minds of the

majority