1919-12-20 — Page 5

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VICTORIA GAOL SENSATION "GAOL SYSTEM LAMENTABLY FAILED."

COLLUSION BETWEEN PRISONERS AND INDIAN WARDERS,

JURY'S STEGNO RECOMMENDATION

At the Magistracy, yesterday, the enquiry was concluded before Mr. J. R. Wood, Coroner, into the circumstances surrounding the death of Warden 3. L Speed and Farnam Singh. who were stabbed in Victoria Gnel on Monday

HONGHONG-DAILY PRESS,

ROLE. PEACEMAKER IN MATRIMONIAL SUIT

"An interesting onse was beard at thự Magistracy, yesterday, when an Indian Indy summoned her husband, a clerk em ployed at the Army Transport Office, for

desertion and non-support.

Defendant; Bbe is my wife. Mr. Wood: Are you willing to take her hack I---Defendant-On Angust. Ist, she

Chief Warder's office. One man attacked le was very surprising that they did. E, POLICE INSPECTOR'S NEW the Indian officer who was on post duty thought they had done their very best pataide the condemned well. The warder's under the circumstances. As regards the statement that one man attacked the tools, the evidence went to show that a Indien offer opposite the condemned cell number of the tools were not made, ip was corroborated by the statement made gaol, but got from outside. In cell 5 by the decessed before his death and the which war searched, there was a quantity statement of the two prisoners in the of food, which showed that some traffick condemned cell. Ayub Khan stated that ing transactions had taken place between when he saw the two Chinese go into the the prisoner and an Indian warder on Chief Warder's office, bs want. forward in the staff That raised certain suspicion on the His evidence, the main of callusion between "some men that direction. svidence on which they had to go as to Indian staff and the prisoners who escap what occurred at the time, was that, as ed. As regards the weapons, some of these a living with me and drew 330 from be went to the Chief Warder's office, two had been discovered to have been made my salary. She has always drawn that men came at him. Two men set upon according to Mr. Franks, who said it was from me. She then left me and went me from behind. I struggled with one; very posible-in gaol. So much, be to live with bar mother with whom she The other thought, affected the system of the gaalused to live, sometimes for several months. The Coroner, addressing the jury, said I had no arms or anything. that he did not intend to make anything man went towards Harnam Singh, who If the jury thought it was possible that I asked her to return and she did not.. I in the way of a formal speech, but before was on duty at the condemned cell. one of the men had not taken part in the then asked Captain. Lammert's advics. be discussed the evidence, he was sure they risoner 24 was one of the men. He was violence, they would be justised in find. He told me to write to ber and sak ber melves and the officers 'rennected with the/ I don't know where bè came from. I saw against the prisoners who were identified in September asking ber to come back. I would all wish him, on behalf of them the man who stabbed me in the beading on the evidence, a verdict of murder to come back. I wrote two letters to her Wardor Speed push the Chinese outside namely, Nos. 24 and 791. Prismer 850 warned her in one of the letters that if enopire, to express their emnathies with the office." Ayub Khan took part in the 'was at present under arrest, and, if they she did not come back to live with me that !

morning.

The jury were Messrs. C. F. Barker, F. A. Wells and J. J. Remedios...

the relatives and friends of the two ward- er who were killed."

fight and be identified one of the men as found, a verdict against him, they would

There was one thing which struck him Prisoner 24. He did not identify any of have the evidence of the Police officer who

last night when reading the evidence,

the others and could not say whether went with him after the arrest and found. and that was, that they had really only Prisoner 24 attacked Speed or Harpathe knife on the roof of the Lusitano Club. an outline of what had happened. Host singh. The other evidence of what occure

of the details had not yet come out. The red at the fight was that of Sheer Shahévidence of murder against prisoners.79a moment. Shu believed that he was living

He came down, according to his evidence, took part in the fight, and, while pressing the alarm bell, was wounded in the back He did not identify any of the prisoners Ayub Khan had stated that all four prisoners, who took part in the fight, were armed with knives. Another witness, Jam Mohamed, was in the Reserve Guard-room and came out at a later stage of the light.

Wotunn at Bowrington.

I would stop her allowance."

The wife stated that she had been mar ried for five years. "She had two children, a boy and a girl. She did not know He thought, therefore, they had definite where her husband stayed at the present 850, and 24. As regards the verdict with another against 1785, it would depend largely on the faith they put on the evidence of the Indian offers, who said that they saw four men armed. As to the system of the gaol, he left the matter entirely in their hands.

THL VERDICT.

Canal. She went in August to live with her mother, and since then her husband Ead been living with another woman, She had not received any money from him since July last.

Mr. Wood: He says he asked you to come and live with him and your refused 1 The following verdict, wis given by the-Witness, he wanted me to go back and He saw the prisoners apparently escaping jury, who were in conference for over in live with his mother; I refused. from the building through the gate, pastbour- the Chief Warder's office, and, according

to his evidence, he went after them. Ho

matter was still under investigation by the staff of the wool and by the Police Department, and no doubt man more facts would be brought up later. A point be would like to bring forward was that, ic considering their verdict, they were entitled to consider the whole of the evi- dence which had been brought before them by the witnesses. A certain amount of the evidence was hearsay evidence. For instance, there was the statement of the Warder Harnam Singh before he was sent to hospital, which was reported to them. followed them, and they stopped, and at Then the statement made by the prisoners the time he was able to see them and The prisoners then rin in the condemned cell, and a large num-identify them. ber of facta elicited from other witnesses. away. He did not follow them, but went In a Coroner's inquiry, they must give back. There were other warders in the as much weight to that evidence at any Reserve Guard-room, and one on the top practical man would give. There was no floor, but there was nothing much in the doubt at all that, on that morning. evidence given by them. Then there was brutal assault was committed in the pri- the evidence of the warder who was on son. There was no doubt that that ursault the other side of the porch. His evidence was committed by some or all of the four was that one of the prisoners arrived in

We find that Wardar Speed and Harnam Singh died as a result of in- juries inflicted on them by escaped prisoners Nos, 24, 791, and′ 850 duringą their escape from the Victoris Gaol on the early morning of December 13th, "1919. In the case of prisoner No. 1785

we have no evidence as to whether. or. not this man was in possession of ̈dagger, or other similar weapon-

Mr. Wood: And that is the reason why he does not give you any money!--I do not want to live with him. He is living Ha at first nakoči with another woman. me to live, with his mother, but since he has taken the other woman he has not

asked mai...

Inspector Kent: I know defendant well. He has rendered the Police a lot of ace st ance in various ways. He used to be a member of the Police Reserves, and gave We wish to draw attention to the un- the Police a lot of information, also help He is, bow. satisfactory state of affairs at the gaoling us in time of trouble. at the time of the escape, as disclosed ever, in the babit of frequenting Spring by the evidence we bays heard, which Garden Lane all points to the fact that the exemps of

Mr. Wood: The defendant wanted this

the prisoners was direchy due to co-ady to live in a certain house.. She has eion on the part of officials connected with the gaol. Without such collusiga it could not have been possible for the prisoners to introduce into cell 63 the many implements found after their Nor should it have been pos- sible for them to provide themselves in their cell with suits of plain clothes.

refused. I think you had better see. If you cannet, make some strangiment fav ourable to both partic

escape.

It also appears to us probable that tbp gaggers or knives with, which Warder Speed and Harnam Singh were stabbed wore actually made within the walls of the gaci.

4

In our opinion, the present gas systain of lighting that part of the gaol from which the prisoners escaped is extremely inadequate. Beveral witnesses mention" ed the difficulty they experienced on this acount.

Wo consider that some system of lighting should be introduced by which it would be possible to flood: the corridors with electric light in case! of emergency

· prisoners, who then escaped from the gaol. I the passage, outside the gata to the corri Those four prisoners were known. Theydor and he identified him að 791. Tho were prisoners Nos. 24, 791, 660, and 1785. rest of the evidence dealt with the arrival. Their names were Mor Shing. Lai Chuen, of the relief party. The jury must re- Wong Kwong, and Leung Ho Ying. It member that the four prisoners escaped Was the jury's duty to enquire how far from the gaol, and two of them wer the evidence showed the prisoners named identified as having taken part in the to have been guilty of the crime in confight. It was possible on that evidence to nection with the assault. There was aak whether one of the men, who took nothing, of course, to show that any of part in the escape, was not prepared to the four prisoners struck blows which take part in a fight. If there was one of proved fatal. In order to find that then the "men, who passed through the gaol, were guilty of murder it was not necessary unarmed and without attempting to that that evidence should be before them, commit an act of violence, he would not provided that the evidence showed that be guilty of murder. A statement was those four men started out that morning made by Ayub Khan at first that only

·with a common object and that they were three men had attacked him. Later on he prepared to go to any lengths of violence said that he saw two men going to the to attain that object. If they found that Chief Warder's office and one man attack- the four men, in their effort to escape cd Harnam Singh and attacked him from geol, were prepared from the beWhether the person who 'attacked that ginning to join in killing the members of witness from behind was the same person. the gaol staß, then they were entitled to who attacked Harnam Singh was not find a verdict of murder against all the clear. Supposing the four men took part four. The evidence clearly showed that in the fight. It was quite possible that the incident that morning commenced in the man who attacked the witness was the;] cell No. 63, where prisoner 791 was con-man who came after attacking the warder fined. By some means or other he got at the condemned cell. tools, which were found in the cell and which had been exhibited. With the help of the tools, he tampered with the door taking off part of the lock, which was subsequently found. Evidence had been the office; one was found at 4.30 in aside wall, and it is worthy of note that given by an officer of the P.W.D. that what he did might have been done in a lane near Staunton Street, by a European Police officer. The third was found after hour. There was no reason, therfore, to suppose that he had been working on the the capture of one of the escaped prison- door for a number of days. It must bare or on the roof of the servants' quarters bean done on the morning of the escape of the Lusitano Club That pointed to The prisoners who escaped were confined the fact that only three of the four men in cells, 83, 62 (which was adjoining), were armed, but, on the other hand, it 50 (which was opposite) and 48 (which was was possible that the fourth man took close by all in one corridor. The pri- away the knife, as the revolver, too, was soner who first escaped, 791, mut have not discovered. Two officers stated that been in possession of key with which all were armed. Another point, concern- ho released the other prisoners and that ing prisoner 1785, was that that prisoner kay was actually found, after the escape. W only serving a comparatively short in cell 60, where prisoner No. 24 had been confined. All those prisoners kft their

prison

was to

ܕ܂

As regards the knives there were only: three found. One was found immediately after the discovery of Warder Speed in

three

sentence of 12 months, He was released trom a cell in which there were clothes behind, and they pre taken part in an undertaking with long other prisoners, and why he should have escaped with other clothes, which

Astra, had been provided somehow or another term prisoners was a mystery.

#t After leaving the cells situated on the gards the surrounding circumstances, first floor, the prisoners went downstairs was open to the jury to review these and to the ground floor where the Chief Ward express any opinion they wish and make er's office was. Their intention, to doubt, any comments on the facts laid before from the building which them. All he thought necessary for him immediately opposite the Chief to say was that, under the circumstances Warder's office. They had to expect Do The prisoners who escaped seemed to

the system

of the gaol lamentably failed. sible interference from, ho gathered, five officers on their own floor. Thers was so have possessed a pass key of the "gao Ladian patrol and a Chinese guard who It was known to the authorities on April on a bed. Down bow there 23rd. lace that s pas key of the gaol was was an Indian officer on patrol, Indian missing. Whether or not it was the officer on duty at the condemned cell and Bama key the prisoners used or the Chief Warder in his office. The whether they made a key from an Indian officer on patrol, Ayah Khan, Bad impression of it, he was unable to been in the box. He stated that he was say. After the pan key was found to be missing, the locks were never changed.

in the corridor, some distance away from There was only one European on duty in the point where the men hard to pass on the main building, and he was in charge their way to the Chief Warder's office. As the door was locked, the men, in of the whole gaol with the assistance of order to prevent themselves from being cut a number of Indian warders who were off from their escape, had possibly made unarmed. He was the only man armed up their mind to attack the Chiel Warder in the gaol, except that the Indians had and the man on patrol duty. The warder truncheons. The offence was committed in on patrol duty bad given evidence that a very dark place, and, even if the wit- he saw two men, Chinese, go into the resses had a clear idea of what happened,

Inspectar Kent: Certainly Defendant: When she was living with me she left and went away to her mother's. On three occasions I brought her back.

Mr. Wood: The Inspector will see if be cannot make an arrangement between you two. Both parties seems to blame. You and your wife will do well to accept the advice of the Inspector.

Defendant: My wife is welcome if she is willing to come back.

2

THEFT FROM STEAMER. PLEA OF PICKING UP CIGARETTES.

&

At the Magistracy, yesterday, Chinese was charged with stealing a quantity of." Three" Castles" cigarettes. from the Helenus.

common occurrence.

Mr. Pingriff, Third Officer, said the cigarettes were stolen from a cargo which had been broached. It was quite a He did not know. how many packets of cigarettes bad bern, Defendant was sentenced to six weeks' hard labour.

We are also of opinion that the prestolen." sent alarm system should be looked info with a view to improvement-

The geol buildings in some cases appear to us to be too close to this out:

JUGGLER DISCHARGED. WANTED RECEIPT FOR ARMS. the grill, which, was attached to the cuter wall of Ward B to prevent the A Chinese, who described himself aa,a outer wall of the prison truc being juggler, was charged at the Magistracy, scaled, appears to have afforded tad gesterday, with being in unlawful pos means by which one or more of the sin of a pair of knives and is fighting prmoners escaped. The close proximly iron.

the servants quarter of what we are Defendant said that he used the articles informed are the Lusitano Cluby pto

to earn his living as juggler.

mises is also noticeable,

મ patrating

The man was sent to the C.E.P. who in connection with the

decided that it was advisable to keep the prison during the night

wish to we recommend that no less than two Euro back the knives and fighting iron till the Pean warders should be on duty inside man left the Colony, the prison at the same time, and that an adequate supply of fire-arms should be readily available in case of necessity, The present locking system of the Victoria Gaol gates also appears to call for attention. It transpired during the inquiry with regard to a master-key which was lost by an Indian Warder un April last the loss of which was not reported by the warder himself, but was

discovered later by the Chief Warder when mustering the prison keys that, although the whereabouts of the missing kora werd never discovered, no alteration was made in the locks con borned.

Mr. Wood (to the defendant). You are not allowed to keep the arms here or take them back to China. The Police will give you the arms when you leave for Singapore. You are discharged.

Defendant expressed desire to have.

& receipt, se

ALLEGED

UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF "OPIUM... DRUG THROWN FROM THE ROOF

At the Magistracy, yesterday, 6 Chinese was charged with being in un- awful possession of 65 lacks of opium

In conchsion, we are of opinion that a lack of efficient supervision, has been

Sergeant Clark stated that the Police proved to have existed up to the time made a raid on a house in Des Vœux of the prisoners! - escapes - and, as it would appear that this is due to insuf Road West, on Thursday evening, for cient European staff we strongly re opium. Delmidant was seen on the roat commend that steps be taken to bring of the building by Chinese constable, the stall up to its full effective strength and, as soon as the Police entered, the without delay egg house, he threw a parcel into the street, We also wish to express our deepest which was subsequently found to contain

with the

res of the do opium. When the Police got on to the sympathy Mr. Wood said that the recommendatained quantity of the drug, E tions would be forwarded to H.E. the 6. M. K. Lo, for the defence, applied

for a remand and this was granted: Governor for his consideration.

ceased officers, Motives of roof they discovered a jar, which con

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