Old Hong Kong-3 — Page 234

POLICE

G

(Contd.)

233810

of resolutions was left unanswered by the Colonial Office for nearly a year! The Governor at the time was Sir John Pope Hennessy, most unpopular with the European community, Britons and others alike, who considered him weak in his dealings with the criminal classes and too prone to see things from the Chinese point of view.

It is recorded that in May 1879, the movers and seconders of the resolutions addressed a complaint to the Secretary of State, who was Sir Michael Hicks-Beach, drawing attention to their memorial having been left unanswered. A reply was received in July, admitting the increase in crime and justification for complaint, but refusing to send out a commission of enquiry; stating that the Governor was understood to have taken adequate measures to meet the situation. The Chinese community, it is worth noting, supported the Governor in his policy, and this seems rather strange in view of the fact that the sufferers in the attack at Winglok Street were a Chinese concern.

There was more crime in 1879, and rumours spread of an intended descent by a big gang of pirates on the Colony, causing much apprehension, though it never materialised.

It is recorded that the Governor that year adopted a stricter policy with criminals: nevertheless, he failed to recover his lost favour with the European residents, and many were the criticisms, later, of various aspects of his administration.

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I am indebted to a reader for the loan of an old album which contains photographs going back a good many years. One of these is reproduced to-day, and though not more than eighteen years old, is of considerable interest. It refers to a phase of the Colony's history which is not likely to return, and which is already passing from the memory of the present generation.

The picture shows the huge tiger which was shot in 1915, in the Fanling district, by Mr. Burlingham, Divisional Superintendent of Police, at that time Assistant Superintendent. With the opening up of the new Territories, tigers do not venture quite so close to "civilisation" these days, and it is unlikely that a similar occurrence will ever be recorded again. In this case, an Indian police constable was killed in the course of the encounter with the savage beast, and the story of its appearance and final despatch is of such interest that I reproduce it below.

In the old photograph, Mr. Burlingham is seen, in uniform, in the middle of the group. To the left, wearing a felt hat, many will recognise Mr. T. Murphy, A.S.P. The tiger was shot on March 8, 1915, and its magnificent head was later mounted and presented to the local museum, where it was on view until last June, when the exhibits were removed prior to demolition of the City Hall.

First intimation of the beast's appearance in the New Territories was brought to town in a report that a European sergeant of police had been seriously mauled by a tiger. The startling intelligence came from the neighbourhood of Fanling, and later in the day details were gathered of two desperate encounters with the animal. In the first encounter Sergeant Goucher was most seriously injured, an arm being broken in two places and his back and sides very badly lacerated. In the second encounter Indian Constable Ruttan Singh was killed, the tiger springing upon him and biting him viciously as he lay upon the ground.

Some two months before that the spoor of a tiger was seen in the neighbourhood, a stretch of country between Fanling and Sheungshui,

which was then well wooded and afforded cover and also feeding for an animal of the kind. Little heed was, however, paid to the matter, former "tiger" scares having been received with not a little ridicule. On Sunday