His Report f
The Daily Press.
HONGKONG, OCTOBER 14TH, 1891.
THE TRIAL OF MASON.
The trial of Charles Henry Allen Welch Mason on a charge that he "did on or about the 13th September have in his possession or under his control five pounds weight or thereabouts of an explosive substance under such circum- stances as to give reasonable suspicion that he did not have it in his possession for a lawful object,” was continued at the British Police Court af Shanghai on the 7th inst.
As before, Mr. H. S. Wilkinson, Crown Ad- vocate, prosecuted; Mr. R. E. Bredou, Com- missioner of Customs, and Mr. Yu, the deputy appointed by the Viceroy at Nanking, were pre- sent in Court during the hearing of the case. H.E. the Tuotai and his interpreter, Mr. Zee Lan-char, occupied seats on the bench.
Henry Croskey deposed--I am an American citizen, and a fourth assistant in the Customs service. I know the accused. I have been stationed at Chinkiang since July 16 last. 1 lived in the same quarters as accus; at Chin- kiang. About the beginning of August ac- eused told me he know there were certain Chi- nose in Chinkiang who proposed to rebel against the Government is Chinkiang and Nanking and that his intention was to assist them. He named several Chinese who be said were mem- bers of a society called the Kolao Hui. He proposed to 100 to join in the movement, and left with me ou his departure certain iostractions written in cypher. On one oc- ousion he told me he had written a letter to Gen. Mesny at Shangbai, making proposals to bim. The lofter, accused said, was sigued “X” and the answer was to be addressed to “X”. Customs Post Office, Chinking. He also said it was written in such a manner as to make Gen. Mesny believe it came from a Chineso. He had the letter in his hand, but I had no opportunity of reading it. I saw in his posses- sion an American illustrated catalogue of firearms. Acoused here interposed and asked if ques- tions regarding arme had any bearing on the matter of dynamite..
His Vorship said he presumed they had. Accused was charged with having dynamite under sach circumstances as to raise a suspicion that it was for an unlawful purpose, and there- fore the accompanying circumstances clearly admissible.
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Examination continued--Aceused told me, two or three days after his letter to Geueral Mosny, ⠀ that he had applied for leave to go to Shanghai | to see a dentist, but that his real object was to sne General Meany. Leave was not granted. He afterwards went away on two mouths' leave. He said he proposed to go to Japan, and from there immediately to Hongkong, where he proposed to buy arms and ammunition and bring them to Chiakiang. Three days before he left he sent me the paper produced, which is a key to a cypher. After office hours be asked me if I e›uld read it I told him I could. It is not a difficult oppher. It consists of English words written in Gresk characters. Down to the last three lines the words are in the u-mal order. The last three lings are written from right to left, the lowest line first. On the day of his departure ko haud. ; ed me a sheet of instractions written in this cypher. I gave it to the Commissioner at Chiukiang. I made a copy in cypher and a translation in English :-
"You will rec dvo letter or telegram from me with 4 figures: first two give day and second two gira month, example: 0110 means 10th August, 3090 maaus 80th Sept., on this day or soon after you may expect me, if in our own ship. sigual will be one long blast, followed by two short ones; also by day, black pennant at mast head. by night red lamp beneath white, also at masth ad. On arrival, come off in Custom's gig or sampan and bring along any weapons that may be in your charge, remember red sash. If I come from Shanghai, I shall come by river steamar bringing arms and perhaps a few mea; and come straight to Customs, in disguise, as friend. (Don't go out to dinner for a week, after receipt of my letter, if po-sible.) We shall then quietly collect our men, arm and com
rence
bel appearh
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On receipt of date, tell road-coolie, tell boy, and tell him his instractions api pended find Chinese date from Almanac. rrite on slip (tbas, 8 moon and 20th day)
and show to tingchai the, morning of date, tell Morris and if possible, see Clark, Mariin, Sohultz and O'Neill and tell them to be ready to, come aboard. Remember that your duties will be telegraph, bank and Silver Island forts, learn your ground. Likewise take a run up to Nanking, and take road-coolie with you. Domes. tie: take care of ponies and have them exercised and teach boy to ride (big saddle) Every day ask to see boy's bags: I have told him to make 50. Please pay him for a bale of cloth and cotton out of 320 left by me. On receipt of date, pay boy thirty dollars, tingchai 10 dollars. total fifty, left with you to be returned it not used. Also give each nusu one bale Tur- key red at $2.40--$10. The pass-word, see boy's instructions. Instructions to boy. Ou receipt of date letter immediately send pamphlets to Nanking, Chiukiang camp, Silver Island and Kiangyin; day before date named, put up notices in Chinkiang not to bart for eigners-day before date named, tell d'un to ar- range with Yang Ta-chang Gan-chin, l'u Kuo- fa, brass-man, eto, and 100 men himself, they must be ready ou bank and when steamor sight- ed wast come off either from Shia-ma-tou or Chi-ho Kho (lorcha auchorage or opposite vil- lage; boy not to tell them exact date. The pass- word will be challenge: "Lago "who). Answer -Gangizu" to which first man says Chiang (river). Boy to meet every up steamer after date mentioned, waiting at saloon passengers' I have already paid boy $10, tingchai gangway.
$10, road coolie $5."
༥༤
Exam nation resumed-Clark is a former third class tide waiter at Chiukiang, now discharged. Martin is now a third class tidewaiter at Chin- kiang. Schultz is a salt searcher employed by the Tuotai. O'Neill and Morris are third class tide waiters. The boy's bags referred to were canvas haversacks of which a model was made for accused before bis departure. The Turkey red was to be cut up and used for distinguishing sashes. He had left two piaces for that purpose. Aocused's boy was discharged by mo about September 6th and went to Kiukiang, his native place. Yang Ta-chang is a ting hat in the Custom House general office. Ta Kuo-fu is the bead road coolie of the Chinkiang Concossion road fund, of which accused was Secretary. Gan-chin I do not know. At the dime of his departure accused left a package containing ten or twelve brass knuckledustera, made in Chinking by the local tinker, referred to in the translation as the brass-man. Accused went on leave on the 26th or 27th of August I received two letters from him from Hongkong, one dated 2nd Sep- tember and the other 5th September. The first letter stated that he had written to Mr. Brazier explaining his presence in Hongkong, and that he expected to leave shortly for Japan. The letter produced is in accused's handwriting.
Mr. Wilkinson read the letter, which was as follows:---
"Victoria Hotel,
"Hongkong, September 2nd, 1891. Dear Mr. Braziee. You will be surprised to see me sending from this place, having como here, I may say, purely by accident. I found in Shanghai a letter waiting me from my uncle in India, saying he would be able to get his leave and would join me in Nagasaki, if I could get away by the middle of September. This knocked my catching the Vladivostock steamer ou the head, so I thought I would rest a day or two in Shanghai, letting the Saikio go without me. When the second day I heard the Saikio had struck on the bar and would not be off fill 6 p.m., and as I had found a day in Shanghai quite pnough, I started off to catch her in the" We jung mall", which aislean ( pail dankiem 32 get her to start earlier, eame half an hour late, and we could only see the smoke of the Saikio as she rounded the corner. I had then no alternativ but to sleep on the "mail," which does not reinen to Shanghai till the following morning, and the next morning I got up at seven and saw a mail steamer getting up steam about a quarter of a mile off. This on enquiry proved to be the P. and O. Mirzapore leaving for Hongkong. I then thonght, "Dash it, why not sooot down to Hongkong and meet my uncle there instead of returning ignominious- ly to Shanghai to waste a week waiting for the
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