CO129-423 - Governor Sir May - 1915 [7-8] — Page 289

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(5).

In consequence of such aforesaid in-

structions I communicated with the said Mr.H.H.Kirch

and had many interviews with him during the month of

April 1899 and was pressing him for payment right up

to and including the 26th day of April 1899.

The last date on which I saw him was the

22nd day of April 1899.

(6) I remember the disappearance of the said Mr.H.H.Kirch which happened between the 26th and the

morning of the 27th day of April 1899. I know this

from the entries in my firm's Day Book which show that

Mr.H.H.Kirch's brother in-law (Mr. Charles Alexander

Dick-Melbourne) with whom I was well acquainted and who

was then practising in the Colony as a Barrister-at-Law and who now fills the office of Deputy Registrar and Appraiser in the Supreme Court of Hong Kong) came to my firm's office on the 27th day of April 1899 to inform me of the fact of Mr.H.H.Kirch's disappearance Prior to this I myself had been making enquiries as to the whereabouts of the said Mr.H.H.Kirch as I was

desirous of seeing him in connection with the debts for which was pressing him for payment as above mentioned.

(7) I know that a thorough search was made by

the Police for Mr.H.H.Kirch both on land and on board outgoing vessels and that no trace of him was found

either dead or alive. His household furniture was seized and sold at the instance of my firm acting on behalf of the creditors of the said Mr.H.H.Kirch but,

apart from the proceeds thus realised and those

resulting from such securities as were held by his

creditors, his indebtedness to his creditors remained

undischarged and no subsequent trace of him was to my knowledge ever discovered.