359
conspiracy to murder, while against the ex-employee of the Hongkong police there is hardly any evidence at all.
As regards the complicity of the Commander of the Canton City Guard, Li Ka-cheuk, the Hongkong Government think there is not sufficient evidence to convict, and there seems to me to be still less to produce against the deceased acting Viceroy.
Considering that the murdered man was believed by the Canton Government to be guilty of taking part in a plot to blow up the Governor's Yamen with dynamite, and that the Hongkong police speak with confidence of his having been concerned in an abortive attempt to bring about a local rising at Huichou, it seems highly probable that even if the Canton Government consented to put these three men on their trial, they would require the strictest proof of their guilt. I notice that this opinion is expressed also by Sir Henry Blake in paragraph 5 of his despatch of June 20th, 1903, to the Colonial Secretary, and he adds that it is not to be expected that the Chinese witnesses would dare to repeat in the presence of Chinese officials in the Courts of China, the evidence they have given in our Court at Hongkong.
We might, it is true, demand permission for a British official to be present at the trial, but I am not sure that this would give sufficient confidence to the witnesses and encourage them to speak the truth fearlessly. In the case of an acquittal, however, it seems to me that we should have strengthened the belief of the sort of Chinese who hire themselves out to commit assassination that they may do it with impunity provided they take care to keep out of the reach of British courts, and that they will be screened by the Provincial Government.
In Sir Henry Blake's despatch of July 6th, 1901, to the Colonial Secretary he states that the result of the investigations made by the Police have tended to strengthen the belief that the murder was committed by order of the acting Viceroy of Canton, and that a perusal of the evidence adduced in the papers enclosed in his despatch seemed to show with clearness that the
359
conspiracy to murder, while against the ex-employe
of the Hongkong police there is hardly any evidence
at all.
As regards the complicity of the Commander
of the Canton City Guard, Li Ka-cheuk, the Hongkong
Government think there is not sufficient evidence
to convict, and there seems to me to be still less
to produce against the deceased acting Viceroy.
Considering that the murdered man was believed
by the Canton Government to be guilty of taking part
in a plot to blow up the Governor's Yamen with dyna-
mite, and that the Hongkong police speak with confi-
dence of his having been concerned in an abortive
attempt to bring about a local rising at Huichou, it
seems highly probable that even if the Canton Gov-
ernment consented to put these three men on their
trial, they would require the strictest proof of
their guilt. I notice that this opinion is expres-
sed also by Sir Henry Blake in paragraph 5 of his
despatch of June 20th, 1903, to the Colonial Secre-
tary, and he adds that it is not to be expected
that
that the Chinese witnesses would dare to repeat in the
presence of Chinese officials in the Courts of China,
the evidence they have given in our Court at Hongkong.
We might, it is true, demand permission for a British
official to be present at the trial, but I am not sure
that this would give sufficient confidence to the wit-
nesses and encourage them to speak the truth fear-
lessly. In the case of an acquittal, however, it
seems to me that we should have strongthened the be-
lief of the sort of Chinese who hire themselves out to
commit assassination that they may do it with impunity
provided they take care to keep out of the reach of
British courts, and that they will be screened by the
Provincial Government.
In Sir Henry Blake's despatch of July 6th, 1901,
to the Colonial Secretary he states that the result of
the investigations made by the Police have tended to
strengthen the belief that the murder was committed
by order of the acting Viceroy of Canton, and that a
perusal of the evidence adduced in the papers enclosed
in his despatch seemed to show with clearness that the
head
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.