424
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
THE GANG ROBBELY AND MURDER | other men, as being one of those implicated in
IN BURD STREET,
The four men charged with the robbery and murder in Burd Street. were again brought be fore Hon. H. E. Wodehouse, Police Magistrate, on 23rd Nor.
the Burd Street robbery. He thereupon ar- rested the three men.
Inspector Hanson gave evidence as to the identification of the prisoners by the shopmėn.
25th November.
Further evidence was taken of the identifica- tion of the robbers and the body of the lad who
was shot.
lle
Lam Yam Po. Sergeant Interpreter at the Central Police Station, was then called, stated that on the 17th instant. he read out to the prisoners the charge of murder preferred against them, and took down their statements. The first prisoner said: "I did not commit the crime. I am quite a stranger here; how could I have committed the crime? I was never here before. I came to look for a relation of mine to get me employment. I brought
"
[December 2, 1897.
16th inst. He had them searched. He found on the first prisoner $21,90, which consisted of three five-dollar notes, one silver dollar, and the remainder in small change; on the second prisoner he found one pawnticket, a purse, a silver watch and chain, and $4.21 consisting of one silver dollar and the remainder in small change, and on the third prisoner two pawn tickets and $6.49, consisting of three silver dollars and the remainder in small change.. The three dollars were chopped, and one of them was the dollar produced in Court.
The prisoners being duly cautioned were asked what statements they had to make,
The first two had nothing further to add to what they had already stated. The third asked His Worship to dispose of the case summarily as otherwise he should die. The fourth said that in spite of the numerous identifications the witnesses for the prosecntion had failed to recognise him at first. They only picked him ont afterwards because they were pushed on by the constables. If His Worship thought he was one of the robbers, then so were the con-
stables picked out by the men at the time of
the identifications,
Hon. F. H. May, Captain Superintendent of Police, said-On the 15th instant at 10.15 p.m. I received information that a robbery had been committed in Bard Street and that a man had been shot. I went to Burd Street at once and inet P.C. 312 at No. 27, Burd Street. I took him and the master of the Kwong Hop Yuen to make search. We began with Kwai Wa Lane. We went into the houses one by one: I sent the constable and the master of the shop into the houses, while I remained in the lane and kept ahead of the search party so as to prevent people from escaping. After getting nearly
a Po Wai watch with me from Canton, and to the end of the lane, the master came run-
also $4.50. I pray his Honour will release me.' ning out of the Fung Shang brothel and "There are three men upstairs
The second prisoner said :--" I came out from said to me,
my native place to this colony to look for a and also the watch I lost. I want to go to the accountant of my shop who knows the number clansman whose mother was very ill. I went of the watch." I told him he might go. He to Kowloon and returned to Hongkong but could not find him. As I failed to find him I left and returned in a few minutes' time with the acconutant. I was standing under an arch-pawned several articles with the intention.of way in the lane from where I kept a watch returning home, but was arrested by the Police. I did not commit the crime. I trust his upon the door of the brothel. When the two men came up. I took them into the brothel. Honour will yield to his kindly feelings and At the top of the stairs, I saw P.C. 312, three discharge me at once, as my mother is an aged woman. The third prisoner said "I came over women, and the first defendant, standing on the landing. The constable handed me a watch here from Kowloon to buy some goods. I did not commit the crime. I hope his Honour will and chain, which I passed over to the account-
institute enquires from the Kai Fong and from ant. He said he recognised the watch, but
the Yee Hing Loong shop in Central Market could not remember the exact number of it.
The fourth prisoner said :—I did I put the watch into my pocket and sent the about me."
not commit the crime. I left Shek Loong on master to fetch the police. P.C. 312 then told
the 15th inst. for Hongkong. On my arrival me there were two other men in one of the rooms. 1 went into the room and he fetched here I pawned several dollars' worth of articles the two men. I took hold of the first defend- to buy things, but as it was too late in the night for a walk and was
to get anything. I went to the Fung Shan Temple. We went down- ant, and he the other two. stairs, and in the laue met a district watchman and two Indian constables, who had been brought by the master. told the two Indians
to the and P.C. 312 to take the three men
went Central Police Station. and I then with the master and the accountant of the Kwong Hop Yuen shop to No. 27, Burd Street. I watched the master searching on the ground floor for the case of the watch. The accountant went up to the first floor and I could hear him moving some boxes about. He came down in about ten minutes' time and brought a case. I opened it and found a ticket on "which was the number of the watch, 23,423. I also found a paper on which were the Chinese characters "Po Wai" (Gaupp and Co.), the name of the -makers. Those characters also appeared on the watch. I asked the accountant where he had found the case, and he said, "In a box upstairs." I went up and saw an open box containing a The house number of miscellaneous articles.
was being white washed, and the articles had been bundled into it. The reason why I searched Kwai Wa Lane first was because several bouses in other lanes had already been searched by the constables but none of those in Kwai Wa Lane had been entered.
Sergeant Scott proved to the finding of a re- volver in Burd Street about a hundred yards At 12.30 from the Kwong Hop Yuen shop. p.m. on the 16th instant, he went with P.C. 143 to No. 287, Queen's Road Central, and among a heap of rubbish in a corner of a room on the second floor, found three revolvers, eight rounds of ammunition, two pieces of cord similar to the one attached to the revolver he found in Bard Street, and sundry other things.
Mr. C. Heermann said he was the proprietor of Messrs. Gaupp & Co. The watch and case shown to him were sold by the firm to a China- mau on the 10th December. 1895. The name of the buyer was not recorded, but he received a ticket on which were written the number of the watch and the number of the quality. The ticket produced was the one given for the watch and the writing on it he recognised as being his Portuguese clerk's. The sale, he said, had been entered in the books.
Au Hing, Chinese constable 143, stated that on the 16th instant at about 8 p.m. he went with three detectives and an inforiner to search the brothels in Square Street. They found no- thing there, but at the entrance of the Man Mo Temple the informer pointed out to him the third defendant, who was in the company of two
'
Brothel at Kwai Wa Lane, and was there arrested If by the Police. I came to Hongkong alone. His Honour will cause enquiries to be made in the Fung Shau Brothel and at the On Kee shop,
he will be assured that I came here alone." The case was adjourned until Friday.
26th November.
At the request of Mr. F. H. May, Lam Ngak, the man who had hired the floor in Queen's Road Cen- tral for the first defendant, was recalled and stated that when he went to visit the first defendant on the 15th instant; he found the secoud and fourth defendants with the first. After sitting there for about twenty minutes, the third defendant also went up in company with another mau, The five then held a whis- pered conversation, and he overheard the remark, "Better go at nine o'clock.”
Mr. May said the evidence that the witness Lam Ngak had just given came only to his notice that morning. Mr. May had asked him if he had ever seen the third defendant in the company of the first, second, and fourth defend- ants. He was also asked if he had seen a fifth nian in their company, and he then said what be stated in bis evidence in Court.
a
On being asked if they had any witnesses to call, the third defendant said he had, and im- mediately several voices in the crowd assembled at the back of the Court proclaimed they were They were taken out of the willing to speak in his favour, and two men stepped out. Court. In reply to the Magistrate's questions, the prisoner stated: "I came from Kowloon on the 16th instant to buy things. I bought the articles, but did not catch the launch in time I went to supper with a to return home. friend of mine who lives in Circular Path way, but I don't quite recollect the num- ber of the house. After supper I went out
I act as substitute for con- arrested at the Man Mo
stables at Kowloon. When I am not doing that. I sell olives. I have been selling olives in Kowloon, Hongkong, and Yaumati. When acting as substitute for constables, I served under Kai Chong and Chan Chong, two head- If your Worship will not believe my story, I pray yon will send someone over to Kowloon to make enquiries about me. Several of my fokis there will be willing to give evid ence in my favour.
men.
He
Wau Pong was called and stated-I am a constable in the employ of Wong Tai-jên at Kowloon. I know the defendant. He is my cousin and came out from the country two years ago to find employment here. He carries on business as an olive hawker with a man named Chan Ping, who lives in Circular Pathway. He is at present living at Kowloon in the same station as myself. He has been acting as sub. stitute for constables for several months. came to Hongkong on the 16th instant to buy things. The headman knew that he came to Hongkong. The arrest of the defendant came to our knowledge on the 19th instant. our beadmen We consulted together with
coming to see your Woship, bat about the headmen told
wait for your us to Worship's decision on the matter. I do not know Lam Ngak. I am not aware what motive Lam Ngak has for saying that the defendant was one of the robbers. On the night of the 15th instant, the defendant was at on the 16th. I pray your the station in Kowloon, someone over to Kowloon. hin in the station there. headmen are Kai Chong and
He only came over Worship will send Every one knows The names of the
Chan chong.
The evidence that Lam Ngak gave on former occasion was that at about noon on the 14th November, as he was walking in Queen's Road, he met the first, the second, and the fourth defendants. He had known the first defendant in the country. He was told that all three had come down from Canton, and he was asked by the first defendant to hire a room for him. as he was going to open a shop. Witness took him to see the second floor of the Lee Cheong
Tang Kai Han said he was an unemployed Looug shop in Queen's Road Central. The second and fourth defendants had left them.coppersmith living in Second Street. He knew The first defendant engaged the whole floor for the third defendant. On the 16th instant, the $16 a month and paid witness one $5 uote in defendant went to his house for a seat at about He had known the prisoner when he He did not know Lam advance. Witness obtained the key for him, 5 p.m.
At eight o'clock that night was in Tung Kwn. and then left. witness returned to the house and found Ngak, nor why Lam Ngak had brought the the first. second, and fourth defendants charge against the defendant.
He remained for about half living there.
an hour and then went away. On the 15th instant at about 6 p.m. he again went to the house and saw the same three people there. They were the only people on the floor and occupied He afterwards saw the defen- the whole fiat. dants in the gaol and identified them.
Inspector Dunean said he was in the Central Police Station when the first, second, and fourth defendants were taken there at 1.30 a.m. on the
The third defendant, in his statement at the station, made mention of the Yee Hing. Loong shop. The accountant of the shop was called and stated:My name is Chan Kong. .I the Yee Hing Loong the am accountant in
I Market. shop
Central have been employed there for eleven years.
master's name is Pang Sni Tak. The recognise the third defendant. He acted for some time as substitute for our cook, who had
fruit
at
I
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