641440-1895-Report-of-the-Captain-Superintendent-of-Police-for-1894 — Page 1

THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 16TH MARCH, 1895.

GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.--No. 94.

193

The following Report of the Captain Superintendent of Police for 1894, which was laid before the Legislative Council on the 12th instant, is published.

By Command,

Colonial Secretary's Office, Hongkong, 15th March, 1895.

J. H. STEWART LOCKHART,

Acting Colonial Secretary.

No. 29.

POLICE OFFICE,

HONGKONG, 31st January, 1895.

SIR,-I have the honour to submit for the information of His Excellency the Governor the criminal statistics and the report on the Police Force for the year 1894.

2. The statistics shew a decrease as compared with the return of last year of 5.99 per cent. in the total of all cases reported to the Police.

In the sub-division of these cases into serious and minor offences, there appears a decrease as compared with last year of 5.50 per cent. in the former and of 6.25 per cent. in the latter category.

3. Seven cases of murder came under the notice of the Police. The first occurred at the Kowloon camp where a sergeant of the Hongkong Regiment was shot by a private of the same corps. The culprit was convicted and hanged.

The second occurred during the clan disturbances, noticed further on, which occurred in March last. The victim was shot in broad daylight in Hillier Street while carrying some merchandise. The murderer made good his escape.

The third case was a somewhat mysterious one. A woman who lived with her husband in a matshed at the Coffee Plantation was found dead on the top of Caroline Hill near the cemetery there. The body was so decomposed that it was only identified by the clothes upon it. The husband was arrested and tried for her murder but acquitted. There is little doubt that the woman was unfaithful to her husband, and it is probable that on that account it was more than usually difficult to obtain evidence in the case from the Chinese in the neighbourhood.

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In the fourth case the victim was a boat-woman who was found dead in her boat near Shau-ki-wan. She was reputed to have some few dollars in her possession and it is probable that her boat was hired and taken out of reach of assistance by some ruffians who proceeded to rob the woman and then decamped into Chinese territory. There were no marks of violence on the body, and the doctor who made the

p: mortem examination gave it as his opinion that failure of the heart due to shock was the cause of death. In the fifth case Indian police constable No. 575 AMER SINGH was shot while endeavouring to arrest one of a gang of robbers who were surprised while robbing a shop in Winglok Street.

At the same time a Chinese, coolie who was passing in the street was also shot dead.

One of the robbers was arrested on the spot by District Watchman PUN HING, while a second who was no doubt the man who fired the shots which took such fatal effect was captured on the Praya while running away from Head District Watchman LAM ON, by a European constable and an Indian police sergeant.

Before he was secured he threw something into the harbour, and a revolver, of the same pattern as that found on his companion and as one left in the shop by another of the gang, was picked up by a diver at the spot pointed out by the Police.

In the meantime the rest of the gang to the number of 4 or 5-it is uncertain which --escaped by the back door of the premises which opens on to the Praya. One of them was stopped by two Chinese police detectives while running not far from the scene of the robbery and arrested as he could give no satisfactory account of himself."

Other two were arrested next morning in an opium divan. The three men were identified as having taken part in the robbery.

The trial was not concluded till the current month. The first two prisoners have been found guilty of murder and sentenced to death, and the last three of robbery for which they have been condemned to 14 years' imprisonment.

In the sixth case a Chinese police constable was shot in the Chinese mess-room at the Central Station by an Indian constable who, after firing several more shots in the coinpound, turned his rifle upon himself and committed suicide.

No motive is assignable for his shooting the Chinese constable.