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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
HONOURING A WELCH FUSILIER, | CHARG} AGAINST A BANK SHROFF, |
GALLANT ATTEMPT TO SAVE LIFE.
PRESENTED WITH THE HUMANE
BOCIETY'S MEDAL
An interesting ceremony was witnessed at Murray Barracks on Saturday morning, when Corporal Almond, of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, was presented with the Royal Humane Society's medal for a gallant attempt to save life when the Regiment was stationed at Crete last year. The Regiment paraded at half past ten. On Cor. poral Almond being called out from the ranks.
Colonel MAINWARING said-Corporal Al- mond, I have received a letter from the Adju tant-General of the Horse Guards desiring me
to transmit for presentation to the person named in the margin (Corporal Almond) a bronze medal and certificate which have been awarded to him by the Royal Humane Society. and to acquaint him that the medal may be worn with uniform. The presentation of this medal is also to be made in us public a manner as possible as an honourable mark of distinction. It gives me very great pleasure indeed, Cor- poral Almond, to present to you this medal. is perhaps, with the exception of the Victoria Cross, the most honourable medal that a mau can wear. Everybody can get medals and de- corations even for active service, but they may never be nearer the front than the line of com-
It
munication or the base hospital. But this medal means that the man who gets it has shown great presence of mind, great promptitude, and must also have risked his own life. It is, in fact noth ing more or less than the civil Victoria Cross. To those of you who do not remember or do not Iu know the circumstances, I will tell you. June last Corporal Almond was a patient in hospital, and there were some Italiau soldiers bathing ou the rocks some little distance below, Those of you who were there can remember the place. It was very doop, there were some nasty rocks, and a good sea ou. Corporal Almond noticed one of these soldiers was in very great distress, and observing that none of the other Italians were goiug to his assistance Corporal Almond at once ran out of the hos pital and endeavoured to save this man. disappeared, but Corporal Almond dived several times and struck his head very severely against one of the rocks. He received a very bad ent and bled a good dead, but he dived again. Uu- fortunately he was not successful in getting the man, and the body was not recovered for several days. The Italiaus themselves were so struck with the act that they promised to send a medal from Italy; it has not been received.
He
When
On the 7th June Yeung Cheung Un, alias Yeung Kwao, was placed in the dock at the Magistracy on a charge of stealing a bank book, the property of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, and was remanded until the 14th, bail of $2,000 being accepted. He had no sooner been released than he was re-arrested and charged that ou or about the month of May, 1899, he wilfully and with intent to defraud did make certain false entries in a Hongkong Savings Bauk pass book, the property of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, he being then employed as a clerk, officer, or servant in the Hongkong Savings Bank.
At the Police Court on the 9th June Mr. Gedge appeared for the prosecution and Mr. Hastings for the defence.
Detective Sergeant Collett said-I arrested
the defendant at 12.20 p.m. outside the Police. Court on a charge of falsifying a pass book belonging to the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. I found the pass book shown me in a small box in the second enbicle
from the ball on the second floor of No. 32 Aberdeen Street. Defendant was absent at the He could not time. I waited till he came in.
see me on first entering. I heard some one in the hall; I heard loud talking. I came out from the cubicle. I could see into the front
hall. I saw defendant take off his jacket and throw it into a chair. I went to the hall. De- fendant said to me in the hall, This is Lau Wai Chun's affair. I don't care; he has no
proof." This was said in Euglish. That was all that passed. I had placed the book on a table in the hall. I took up the book and began to take it out of the envelope. Defendant said immediately. "Oh, that money is not in the bank; it is $1,000 that I paid to my son, Yeung Kan Tsai, at the beginning of last month." He
I am keeping this book us a book, The signature is mine; it is Wai Kwan My name is Young Kwan'
added,
L
memo
George Henry Noble Sexton said-I am an assistant in the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank- ing Corporation. I am in charge of the Savings Bank branch. The book shown is a pass book belonging to the Savings Bauk. It is used for making and withdrawing deposits from the Bank, which issues the book to a depositor upon a deposit being made. When the account is closed the book is put away with other old books in the Bank. I know defeudaut. He is a shroff in the bank in the Savings Bank Department. During May he had access to deposit books. He is employed under me Defendant has not so far as I know a deposit cannot at account with the Savings Bauk. present say whether Yung Kau Tsui has a deposit account in the Savings Bank. I believe the writing in the book is the defendant's writ- ing. It is my duty to make the entries. The writing in the book is uot mine nor that of a European clerk in the Bank. Entries mast be made by Europeans. The signature in the margin is not that of any European in the Bank. $250 is the maximum deposit receivable in one day from any person, but we accomodate people by receiving larger amounts up to $2,500, which is the limit for a year, and distribute the en- tries over a number of days. That is apparently what has been done in the present case. Credit for the amount in the book might be given to the defendant at an agency. The production of the pass book would be sufficient. Pass books like the one produced are made for the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation alone.
the matter came to my notice. I seut home a letter to the Humane Society and they decided that it was such a gallant action that he was entitled to a medal; and they have sent the medal and the War Office has decided that the aut was such as to entitle him to wear this medal. Everybody in the battalion, officers aud men, Corporal Almond, hope and wish that you may have long life to wear this medal, and your friends and family will keep this over as a remembrance of your gallant act. It is also very gratifying to me as Commanding Officer, that Corporal Almond is not the only recipient of this Humane Society medal. Private Par sous already wears this medal for saving life, and Private Fleury was awarded the parchment, al- though the more I think of it the more 1 am convinced he ought to have the medal. It is also gratifying to remember that since the Re- giment has been here there have been no less than two cases of life saving. I think the spirit is just the same now as it ever was. men of the present day art just as good men as any men in the early days, and I trust that gal- lant. spirit many remain. Corporal Almond, pin this medal to your breast. May you live long to wear it. Three cheers for Corporal Al- mond.
Three cheers were heartly given by the relating to the Bank. officers and men.
Our young
A dividend of a shilling per share has been declared by the Kanb Australian Gold Mining Co., Limited, payable on the 24th July,
Cross-examination was reserved.
The case was adjourned until the 14th bail at $5,000 deposit being fixed, the bail in the two cases amounting to a deposit of $6,000, with a bond of $1,000.
On the 11th Detective Sergeant Collett was recailed to clear up certain points.
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[June 17, 1899.
dant). and sometimes by himself, and a credit slip was made out with the name of the account which was to be opened, the amount paid in, and the date of the receipt, and the initial of the receiver. In most cases the shroff would make out the credit slip. He produced a specimen credit slip. He had searched among the credit slips for April and May, and could not find any credit slip or slips relating to the deposit of $1,000 by Yung Han Tsai, or Yung Cheong Un, or Yung Kwan. The stock books relating to the saving banks were kept in the store room in the basement of the Bank under look and key, and defendant had not access to them. When witness wanted a fresh supply of bank books he got the key. During April and May in this year when he got a supply of books. they were kept in a desk behind the desk at which he worked. He generally brought up four packets each time, and there were ten or twenty in each packet. The books were in his charge and defendant had access to them. Chinese were not allowed to make entries in the pass book, but sometimes when there was a rush the Chinese, would make an entry on the debit side when a depositor wished to withdraw money, but never on the credit side.
In reply to Mr. Hastings, witness said defen- dant resigned his position as shroff at the Bank towards the end of May, so that at the time the seizure was made he had been a week or ten
days ont of the employment of the bank. Ex- bibit A (a pass book) was never issued by the Bank to any of the customers. He was convinced that the writing in the book was in defendant's band. He could not say whether the signature "Y. Kwan" was in defendant's handwriting. It did not look like it. The agency at Canton had recently had instructions not to pay on Hong- kong Bank books without rectification for Chinese accounts, but the probability was that a white man would get credit. He had never heard of any agent paying on the signature of
a Chinaman. There was no account in his
books in the name of Yung Kau Tsai, There- fore the book marked A did not refer to any account iu their baak books He could not tell the reason why a search was made in defend. ant's house by the police. He had never heard. He did know who instructed the police. He did not hear that defendant was suspected of
anything. He did not know what the police were searching for. He knew that of late the Bank had been defrauded of the sum of $30,000 by means of a forged document relating to a telegraphic transfer. He did not know whether that was the reason why a search was made in defendant's house, but it probably was
He was not aware that anything was found connecting defendant with this fraud. What was found was the Bank book produced.
Ou being re-examined by Mr. Gedge, witness › said he could not tell whether the name of Kwang in the book produced was written by a Chinaman or not. The reason for the in- structions to Cautou not to pay on Hongkong Bank books with out rectification for Chinese accounts, was on account of a fraud committed at Cauton. He did not think defendant know of these instructions.
This was all the evidence us to the false en- tries for the prosecution. There were no wit- nesses for the defence.
Mr. Gedge then addressed the Bench, con- tending that it was palpable the defendant intended to defraud the Bank when he made the
entries in the book produced, and asked his Worship to send him for trial,
Mr. Hastings for the defence, said defendant was charged in this case with making false entries on the book marked A with intent to defrand. It was for his Worship to consider in the first place whether the entries were false, and secondly whether they were made with intent to defraud. It was rather instructive to sen how the case
came about. They had heard from Mr. Sexton that a fraud occurred at the Bank some time ago by which they lost the sum of $30,000, and suspicion-they did not know why-fell on to defendant, possibly because he had left the service of the Bank, as G. H. N. Sexton, recalled, said that on the last they had heard, about the end of May. A occasion he said he believed the writing in book search was made of defendant's premises. They did not find what they were looking for. They A was in defendant's hand He now felt con- vinced it was defendant's writing. When a found nothing at all connecting him in any way depositor came to the bank the money was gen- with the fraud which had occurred, but they erally taken in by the shroff (meaning defen- ' found the savings bank book produced
Replying to Mr. Hastings, witness said that when he was sent to search defendant's house be was instructed to look for any documents
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