1926-12-11 — Page 4

11

WOOLLIES

THE HONGKONG DAILY PHENS, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11TH, 1925.

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BURNING OF "SUNNING'S "

BOATS.

INTENTION OF PIRATES TO MURDER

EVERYONE?

FURTHER INTERESTING DETAILS.

EVIDENCE OF SECOND AND THIRD ENGINEERS AND CHINESE PASSENGER.

EVIDENCE WEAK AGAINST SOME ACCUSED.

At the sixth bearing at the Central Magistracy yesterday, before Mr. R. E. Lindsell, of the dane in which twenty Chinese are accused of piracy on board the s.a. "Sunning," Mr. W. Orr (the Second Engineer), concluded his evidence, and Mr. A. Duncan (the Third Engineer of the ship) and a first class Chinese passenger were then called.

Tu

Mr. Orr and Mr. Duncan both. agreed that they thought that when the last boat left with pirates that there were no more of them on board. They were of opinion that the pirates set fire to the Sunning" and har boata with the intention of murdering everyone.

The Chinese passenger gave interesting details regarding the pirates" thefts of clothing and money, and of seeing a number of the band dividing up several thousand dollars, in silver" money.

The Crown Solleitor, speaking with regard to the 19th accused, the ship's carpenter, said that careful enquiries were being made with regard to this man, but in the absence of Mr. Gordon Leask (defend- ing) he would say no more at present.

During the session there were several sharp passages between his Worship and Mr. Leo d'Almada, defending the second accused, and Mr. M. K. Lo, who objected to having to-cross-examine at the end of the day.' His Worship expressed the opinion that at present the evidence was extremely weak against the accused, except in the care of five or six.

THE MORNING SESSION. Second Engineer's Story Concluded. The Court yesterday sas-from-clovėn o'clock -to-one o'clock, and again from 9.30 to 5.40, the longest sitting sa far

in this case. The hearing will be resum-

ed' this morning."

Mr. Lo: Do you remember if a con- versation took place in the Chief Officer's cabin between the No. 1 pirate and these present Yea,”

Mr Lo: Did he tell you how many

pirates were participating He said

there were twenty-five.

Mr. Lo: Did you believe it --No. I thought there were 33 or 40.

Mr. Lo As regards No. 6, I think you said you first saw him speaking to wounded man before the arrival of the Bluebell 1-Yes.

Mr. Lo: That was after you had secur- them and before they were lowered to the lower deck ~~Yea

Mr. Lo: You took no steps to have him arrested until you received information from the mess boy '--No.

THE AFTERNOON SESSION. Third Engineer's Story Continned. At the resumed hearing in the after- noon, Mr. Duncan said that the last time he saw Mr. Lapaley was in the chart room about 11.30. Witness then went on to speak of the fight in the dark, and mentioned that he heard the Chief En gineer shout out twice My God, don't shoot" A low seconds later witness saw the Chief Engineer stagger, wounded in the leg, into the Captain's cabin. Wit ness then spoke of hoping the Russian lady passenger and other officers through the skylight in the Captain's yoom to the bridge.

Mr. Duncan went on to describe the attempts of the pirates to recapture the vessel and the lowering of the No. 2 lifeboat with several officers including himself, in it (an account of which has previously been given),

Piratas Recognised. Asked if he could identify any of the pirates among the accused in Court, wit ness said he recognised Nos. 2 and 3. He had seen No. 4 and No. 5 on the ship, but could not connect them with any par- ticular incident. No. 2, witness said, was always walking around the saloon deck armed; while No. 3 was also armed, and, he had seen him in the Chief Officer's roam on one occasion. Witness also iden- tified No. 20 as one of the armed pirates. He knew the 19th accused as the ship's carpenter. He had also seen No. 16 on the ship, but did not know anything be yond that about the man...

number of Chinese struggling with an In- dian guard. Later, four armed Chinese esme to his cabin and took away the best of his clothing. Later he was searched again and the pirates took from him $120 in Hong Kong and Shanghai currency, From another enbin the pirates later solo à watch and finger ring.

Witness went on to recount how he boited to the after part of the ship and saw armed men dividing several thou- sand dollars in silver money between them outside the ticket collector's room.

Witness, who was rather garrulous was several times pulled up by his Worship," who had told him simply to answer ques tions, and not to go into detalla. Ha repaired his error for a while, but again lapsed into garrulity, until Mr. Lind sell interposed Don't talk so much, old man.'

Division of Spoils.

▸

Witness went on to say that he re- cognised Nos, 1, 9 and 4 accused as men taking part in the division of the spoils. which were pat in small rattan grips and then packed into a leather trunk. some pirates came aft and said "Up About midnight, continued witness, you go to the bridge," and forced number of passengers, to leave the after house. Withses escaped into a lavatory, where be hid, the ship being on fire.

Witness said that he asked the pirates to allow the passengers to try and put out the fire, and he was told that if he could persuade the officers to give up their arms the passengers would be allow ed to Witness, However, went for'ard

Mr. Lo asked witness if he agreed with and with other passengers commenced Mr. Orr's opinion that the pirates de-working on the fre liberately set fire to the centre-castle of

the Sunning and the boats with a view to

Should Not Be Eushed.

At this juncture cross-examination was destroying all evidence of the piracy and invited, but Mr. Lo said that as the murdering everyone on board.

To this question, witness replied that he did.

Witness also agreed that there was no firing after the second batch of pirates Jeft the Sunning in a boat.

Mr. Lo said that Mr. Orr had also expressed the view that at the time the pirates left in the boats it was his opin- ion that, apart from the dead and dis abled pirates on board, all the pirates had left.

Witness replied that he did not think about whether there were any pirater on board or not at that time. He took all descended the bridge to leave in No. 2 possible precautions, however, when he

lifeboat.

To Smoke Them Out.

In reply to further questions by Mr. witness said he thought the Lo left some of their band behind to be pirates who left in the boats deliberately burned in the fire. In his opinion the pirates, when they set fire to the ship, intended to smoke out all the Europeans on the bridge. They did not want any one else. Mr. Duncan added," they could get at them already."

In reply to a further question, Mr. Duncan said only the two starboard boats were set on fire. If they had at tempted to fire the port beats the officers could have stopped them,

Further questioned, witness admitted Mr. Lo: In fact you did not suspect that at the time the last of the boats left with the pirates it was his opinion him 1--I did not.'

that all the pirates had left the ship, because the firing had ceased.

Not Suspected.

Mr. Lo: You did not regard it as evidence of guilt that a man should be speaking to two pirates who had been sewired --No.

Mr. Duncan left the witness box at 3.30.

Chinese Passenger's Story. A first class Chinese passenger of the Samning on this trip was

the, next witness.

Additional precautions are being taken for guarding the accused while they are in Court. An escort of Sikhs, armed with rifles, are on duty, some in the Court, and others at the exits and between the Magistracy and the jail gates.

Mr. H. K.. Holmes (Crown Solicitor)ed is for the prosecution Mr. Leo d'Almada appears for the second accused; Mr. M. K. Lo for the sixth accused and ten other, and Mr. J. A. Gordon Leask is for the defence of the 18th accused.

Descriing the progress of the fire, witness said that it appeared to have started in the cabin of the second mate, spreading until the whole upper works were involved Two wounded men were scen to crawl along the deck near the after port lifeboat which had been deliber- ately set on fire, and to drop overboard after a boy and life-jacket had been

Mr. Le: I will tell you what No. 6ting factory at Shanghai. He saw, dur- thrown in. About this time, a cry was tells me. He says that he went up on ing the afternoon of November 15th, heard in plain English calling out to the deck after 12 o'clock and found blue- the Captain: If you give up your jackets in possession. He further says that he gesticulated in Chinese, say arms, we will assist you to put out the ing that if the pirates had been caught As witness went forward to save the in Amoy, they would have been shot He was arrested when he went down. Do other lifebost from destruction, he saw No. 7 defendant being beaten and lied you think it possible that, that was the up by the crew. On two occasions he had only occasion when he went up, and that

you made seer, No. 6 defendant (the man named don't think so. So Tik Sui, who is being defended by Mr. M. K. Lo) speaking to two men (one of whom was the 20th defendant) as they were lying wounded on the forward main deck, after being lowered from the burn-

Mr. Lo You spoke of No. 7 being tied ing bridge. It was on information reup. Was that long before the identifica ceived from a mass-boy that he caused tion parade1-A good while. this man to be arrested by the naval guazd.

fire."! ·

Identification of Accused." Mr. Holmes: You have already identi- fied numbers 1, 2, 7 and 20. Can you identify any more 1-Yes. No. 3.

Mr. Holmes: Did you see him during daylight-Tes.

Mr. Holmes: Was he armed 1-Yes, be had a Winchester -rifle.

Witness said that he could not identify any of the other men in Court.

Mr. Holmes: Do you identify No. 197 -Yes, he is the ship's carpenter. He took no part in the piracy.

Mr. Lo: Did No. 0 remain there long-I was too busy working at the

fire.

mistake the first time 7-I

Mr. Lo: As far as you know, the only reason for his arrest was the in formation received from the mess "boy"

Yes.

ཟླ་

Mr. Io: He did not take part in the parade No.

Questioned with regard to defendant No. 19, who was the ship's carpenter, witness' said he did not see this man con- nected with any act during the piracy.

Mr. Holmes said that later be would make an application respecting this man.

The Third Engineer Called. Mr. Andrew Duncan, the Third En- gineer, was the Duxt witness He said that his first information of the presence of pirates on board was obtained from a steward when he was on duty towards "four bells" in the engine room. When be was due to be relieved at "four bells"? by the Second Engineer, be sent up a greaser. The latter had hardly resched the top-platform when he was chased down again by a pirate armed with a revolver.

Mr. Holmes (to the Magistrate): As Mr. Lenak is not here, I should like to have that taken down, zar may hate to make an application Later ca. :)

Continuing, witness said that he saw the 6th defendant talking to a wounded man-the 20th accused. He could not say that he had seen him participating Half-an-hour later, his shift was taken in the piracy. Witness received certain over by the Chief Engineer, and on go- information from a mess boy and con- ing on to the saloon deck he found armed sequently No. was arrested and put on men all around, but got through un- board H.M.S. Bluebell.

molested to his own cabin by the ex- pedient of, stretching out his arms, in response to a shout uttered in English by a pirate: I that all 7

In answer to the 1st accused witness stated: "I first saw you at 4 o'clock on the saloon deck. You were carrying a rifle. You were walking up and down the deck I certainly saw you o

on and of until 10 a.m.".

Mr. d'Almada: At what time, approxi- mately, did the Bluebell first come of the

scene 1...

His Worship: Burely that is a waste of time 1 I. KATA Jakne puis / A Deliberate Acty"

Mr. Lo asked the witness whether he agreed that from what he saw there was a deliberate setting fire to the boats and centre castle of the ship, and that by leaving in the boats the pirates deliber ately planned to murder everyone on board and thereby leave no trace of the

Witnesss saw the pirate leader. This man was tall; he was dressed in a light grey lounge suit, minus collar or tie, he wore horn rimmed glasses, and had a hawk-nose and heavy jowl

Towards nine o'clock, Mr. Lapsley en- tered the Captain's room to say that the pirates were rather annoyed that someone had locked the two grills of the saloon dock. They were very much concerned, and witness later broke the locks with a crowbar which he fetched from the en- gine-room, the operation being watched with considerable interest and anxiety by two large groups of pirates

After further evidence of Mr. Duncan's when movements up to midnight, Witness: Yes. That is my opinion the plan of the Second Officer for the Mr. Lo: That would be the the most recapture of the bridge commenced to effective way of destroying all evidence reveal itself, the bearing was adjourned

until the afternoon. of the piracy Yes.

He said he was a treasurer of a knit-

hour was getting late he would like to reserve his cross-examination until this morning. He felt too tired at this time of the day to go on. I should not be rushed, added Mr. Lo.

His Worship replied that the work he bad to do in this case was a great deal more than Mr. Lo's. He was prepared, This however, to ait until six o'clock. particular witness had been called out of tarn. because he wanted to return to` Shanghai the next morning, but had sisco his word that he would to return to Hong Kong for the Criminal Ses- signs.

Mr. Lo said that as the witness wag back he would reserve his cross-examina- tion until then.

Shortly before the Court adjourned, Mr. Lo and Mr. d'Almada asked formal permission to reserve their cross-examina

tions.

In answer to a question by his Wor hip, Mr. Holmes said there were three Passengers who were witnesses in this case, who wanted to leave the Colony.

Mr. T. H. King (Director of Criminal Intelligence) said that one of them had been waiting for a fortnight to go to Australia, and it was with difficulty he had been restrained from lerving

His Worship asked if the Crowa were calling this witness this morning

Mr. Holmes replied that he proposed. calling the Sunning's wireless operator evidence of the ship's officers. this morning, which would finish the

Evidence Weak,

During a further discussion with defending, solicitor his Worship said: It does not follow that all the accused will go for trial. At present the evidence is extremely weak, except in the case of about five.

After further argument, the Court rose at 5.40, the accused being remanded until this morning at eleven o'clock.

Hongkong Weekly Press.

THE HONGKONG WEEKLY, PRESS PUBLISH- ED TO-DAY, GIVES A FULL REPORT OF THE POLICE PROSECUTION, 80 FAR AS IT HAS GONE, OF THE MEN ARRESTED IN CONNEC TION WITH THE "SUNNING" PIRACY. The detailed evidence of the officers of the Ship furnishes us with a story of the remarkable fight on board which is more thrilling than many a novel. The interest taken in the attack on the vessel has been world-wide and the people at Home will wish to follow the further developments. For these they should be supplied with copies of the WEEKLY.

"

To day's issue also contains much information of con- siderable importance regarding the political situation in China.

With the

of the Kuomintang officials from the departure Canton to Wuchang, "the storm centre" has passed from the South to Central China, but it has left behind it an aftermath of strikes and labour. troubles which is preventing a complete trade revival The WEEKLY PRESS is needed regularly in order that the various phases of the nationalist movement in China máy Be studied intelligently. Copies will be sent to any address for one year upon receipt of $15.

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