CO129-314 - Public Offices - 1902 — Page 391

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in the Shun Tak District and that, in March of last

year, he with several others extorted a sum of

Tls. 40 from each of the four brick manufactories,

Wan Ho, Hêng Ho, Chung Ho and I Ho. The original

blackmail demanded had been a season's contribution

of Tls. 100. The manufactories having refused to

pay this amount, their stocks of firewood were

burned by Kuan Kuei Hung and his confederates,

which resulted in the payment of Tls. 40 by each

of the firms to secure them from further molesta-

tion.

In June of last year, he confessed to having,

with several others, stopped and demanded money

from the passenger boats passing by the villages of

Chi Li, Ho Fêng and Hai Tan T'ou, and to having

carried off Mai Wan, one of the crew of a boat laden

with bamboos, obtaining $200 for his ransom.

He admitted also to various piracies on pass-

enger boats passing by Min Ho Hsü near Kuan Shan,

but denied the charge of having pirated the Chên

Ch'uan Kuan San licensed passenger boat.

La A Ch'ang admitted that he had seized and held

to ransom Dr. Ng Sheung Hsin, by which he profited to

the extent of Tls. 1,200.

He stated further that during 1897 he, with

other members of his society, the Lien Hui I T'ang,

had extorted a total sum of $20,000 from timber mer-

chants in the Namhol District and at Fatshan, and

that during the same year a yearly contribution

ranging from Tls. 200 to Tls. 50 had been exacted

from each of the various brick manufactories in Mai

Lang Mai.

The crimes of this man are too numerous to be

set out in full, but he admitted in evidence to one

other case of seizure and ransom and to eight further

charges of extortion, blackmail and robbery.

It will be seen from the above that the two men

Kuan Kuel Hung and Lu A Ch'ang were criminals of the

worst and most determined type. Their criminal car-

eer has extended over several years and the magis-

Chuan

trate