6
7
SCHEDULE
A
On the 27th day of September, 1897, appeared before me Yeung Fat who, after the follow- ing statement had been interpreted to him, declared that the contents were true.
YEUNG FAT states:- I am ex detective P. C. 319 of the Hongkong Police Force.
23
At 4.80 p.m. on the 12th July last, I was sent by Inspector Stanton te see Captain Super- intendent May. I went to his office with ex detective-Sergeant 190, Tang Chung. The Captain Superintendent beckoned as to follow him. We both followed him into gaol where we were stripped of all our clothing except our trousers and searched by a warder. We then put on our clothing and I was taken to a dark cell on the ground floor, and locked up. Up till then nothing was said as to why or for what purpose I was thus treated. I asked the warder who locked me up, for what offence I was locked up. He answered "I do not know: it is the business of the Superintendent of the Gaol, Mr. May. He told me to lock you up.' I said "If I had committed any offence, I should be placed on the charge sheet or there should He replied "I do not know; it is Mr. May's be a warrant shown to me and explained." orders." I said "I have been a policeman ten years and arrested numerous persons, but never saw anything like this before." The cell I was put in was about 7 feet by a little over 4 feet. It was dark, the only light was what came through a window about 17 inches by 7 inches The cell was swarming with bugs. I told the warder I had not had any dinner and he said there was none for me. I had been on duty at the Bank that day and had had nothing to eat after 8.30 a.m.
37
At 11 p.m., still having had nothing to eat, I was taken out by the receiving officer who took me up into the Gaol Superintendent's Office where I saw Mr. May, Mr. Deunys and an interpreter named Sung Sing. I asked for what offence I was locked up. Mr. May and Mr Dennys both laughed and said "Don't you know? It is because of that gambling matter." I said "I do not know about the gambling." Mr. May said "The Governor has issued an order to banish you, because you have collected money from gambling houses for Inspector I replied "I have not collected any such Stanton, Inspector Baker and Inspector Hennessy." money. Mr. Dennys said "If you do not acknowledge it your name is down as an inter- mediary in the matter.' Mr. Dennys then asked my name, age, how long I had been a lukang, wy native place and what family I have. He also asked whose orders I was under and I told him Inspector Stantou's and Inspector Quincey's. He asked if I knew Wa Lane. I said "I have often I told him I did. He said "Did you know there was gambling there."
He asked if I knew Cheung Hing Street. I told seen Inspectors arresting gamblers there." bim I did. He asked if I knew there was gambling there, and I told him no. He said "The houses have been opened two or three years and you do not know it. Have you never heard there was gambling there?" I replied "Yes, I have often heard of the houses being broken by Police, but do not know which houses. I am in charge of No. 6 section, and these houses
I was then sent buck to the same cell. are not on my section. They are in No. 7 section."
At 2 p.m. ou the 14th, two days after my arrest, I was again taken to the Gaol Superin- tendent's office where I saw Mr. May, Mr. Dennya, Mr. Brewin, and the solicitor Mr. Ewens' clerk Sin Tak-fan. Mr. Sin Tak fan said to me "Now your friends have employed Mr. Ewens to attend to your case; if you know about that affair then speak out, and say so. If you do not know, do not say you do, no one can compel you to speak." I replied "I do not know." Ho I said "I have property said "The Governor has issued an order to banish you for five years." here to look after and there will be no one to look after it." Mr. Dennys told me I could hand over that to a lawyer to attend to.
Mr. May and Sin Tak-fan then went downstairs together and in ten minutes returned. Then I was taken downstairs with Sin Tak-fan and into a room, the chief warder standing by. Sin Tak-fan said "Mr. May told me to tell you that if you will tell him all and give
one."
evidence, what Inspectors receive gambling money, he will not banish you, but will reinstate you in your position and you will be able to look after your business yourself. He does not care about your mentioning anything about the Chinese. He looks on them as sesamum seeds and green beans (that is, of no importance), he wishes you to tell him about the English and the Inspectors." I replied "I know nothing about it and cannot give evidence against any Sin Tak- fan then took me back up into the office and I said, "If I am to be banished, banish me soon, for I am sick now." Sin Tak-fan interpreted that to Mr. May and Mr. Dennys. I was then taken back to the dark cell. Soon after I was removed to a big light cell on the first floor. The same evening, 14th July at 7 or 8 p.m. I was taken to the office before Mr. May and Mr. Dennys. Sung Sing was there as interpreter. Mr. May said "Although there is an order to banish you the Governor can cancel it, and instead of banishing you, you can be sent before the Supreme Court, where your own evidence may be used against you and you may be sentenced to three years' imprisonment." He then said, "Do you know Sham Cha?" I replied, "Yes, he keeps a druggist shop." He said, "Is he not a gambling master?" I said, "I do not know, I only know him as the master of a shop." He said, "Do you know Cheung Hoi?" I said, "Yes." He said, "What is he?" I said, "He keeps a coffin shop." He said, "Has he not a share in a gambling house?” I replied, "I do not know." He then asked, "Do you know Lam Chi?" I replied, "There are many of that name." He said, "Tai Pau Chi, is he not a gambling master?" I replied, "I do not know, I have heard he ia." He said, "There is a proof paper with names of Stanton, Hennessy, and Baker, with yours as go-between, unless you confess, it will not do." I replied "Perhaps somebody desires to injure me, or to cheat the masters, and put my name down." I was then sent back to the cell.
In the forenoon of the 15th I was taken to the office. Mr. May and Mr. Dennys were there with Sung Sing as interpreter. Mr. May said, "I do not wish to trouble you, but there is evidence against you on this paper." He produced a paper which he did not permit me to read. He said, "If you will tell me about Inspector Stanton, Inspector Hennessy, and Inspector Baker, I will get your banishment cancelled and reinstate you." I replied "I know nothing about gambling money. Who has handed the money to me?" Mr. May then went into another room, and in about three minutes brought out Sham In. Sham In said, "You confess, your name is there." Mr. Dennys said, "Is that Yeung Fat ?" Shara In said, "Yes." Mr. Dennys told him to speak out. He said He (referring to me) went to 3, East Street every five days to receive from me $1.00 a day for Inspector Hennessy." Mr. Dennys said, "There he fixes you." I replied, "He is an enemy of mine." Mr. Dennys said "What enemy." I said "I bad a quarrel with him in the fifth month of last year." Sham In said he (Sham In) went home at that time, because his father died on the 9th day of the 5th month. I was then sent back to the cell. In the afternoon, I was taken out to see Mr. Ewens, the solicitor, and Sin Tak-fan. They told me the Governor was going to banish me. I was sent away to Canton the following day, the 16th July. The banishment order was shown to me for the first time in the charge room on the afternoon of the day I was banished. On each occasion I was before Mr. May and Mr. Dennys, my statements denying all knowledge of this bribery by gamblers was taken down by Mr. Dennys. I still deny all knowledge of the matter.
On the 14th day of the 7th Chinese month (11th August, 1897) P.C. 143 Au Hing visited me in Macao. He told me Mr. May and Mr. Francis had sent him to look for me to go to Hongkong to explain to them about Inspector Stanton, Inspector Baker, and others, and then I would be allowed to reside in Hongkong and he reinstated in the Police. He said, "If you go, Inspector Stanton will be dismissed, and if you do not go, he will be dismissed, but if you go and give evidence against him, he will not be able to say anything; his mouth will be closed. If you think it will not look well to give evidence against him, you need not go before any Court; you can write and say when you will go to Hongkong and some one will meet you on the steamer and take you to Mr. Francis' office, where he will take down your statement." He told me he had been banished, but his wife paid over $100 to Mr. Francis, the barrister, to speak for him to Mr. May and get the order cancelled, but he was not yet reinstated. £le further said "If you do not wish to go to Hongkong, write down a
38
W
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.