CO129-584-14 Commutation of death sentences to life imprisonment. Includes 9 photographs depicting- [CN 3-42] Commutation of... 22-12-1939 - 17-9-1940 — Page 79

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being there in Chinese Street that evening. They are, you

will remember, Ng Kui, the keeper of the coffee stall, Wan

Yiu Nam who keeps the noodle stall next door to him and the

two chess addicts Leung Ho Chi and Ng Ngan who had chosen that

quiet piece of pavement for their trial of strength that

evening.

Now, Ng Kui was eminently in a position to see what was

going on. He was seated beside his ice chest and he was

reading a paper and not paying very great attention to what

was going on but he saw that the accused man was seated on

one of these stools, then he saw the other two, Leung Ki and

Chan Kam On, come across the road towards him and he heard

some argument about money. Then he saw, as he says, the

accused man and he saw Leung Ki pat the accused man on the

shoulder with an open hand, then without any let or hindrance,

not with any force or duress he has told us that the accused

turned round and walked over to the three boxes, picked up

the chopper and walked back with it. Then he said Chan Kam

On was off to Des Voeux Road and Leung Ki at once called

out 'save life' and bolted up Chinese Street with the accused

man after him.

"I don't really know what happened up there. Leung

Ki fell. I did not see any blows struck, I don't know what

happened, but I saw the accused man running and he ran on

until he turned into Queen's Road."

Our noodle manufacturer Wan Yiu Nam was a little further

south, a little nearer Queen's Road, but he was preoccupied;

he was making pastry for his customers that evening, but he

could not help hearing that there was a squabble going on

there. The thing he really noticed was when Leung Ki called

out 'save life' and was off as hard as he could go up

Chinese Street. He noticed that accused man was following

him with a chopper. We know the distances here

-

we know