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a police whistle blown, the sound proceeding from the direction of 8. Francis Street. He went towards St. Francis Street, and met the complainant, who pointed out the defendants, saying that they had assaulted him. He stopped them and told them what the lukong had said and they denied it. They were perfectly sober. The lukong's chain was down and the whistle was away. The lukọng had also lost his hat and sword.
George Davidson, a Sapper in the Royal Eng- neers, said that at 11.45 p.m. on Wednesday he was on duty at the main gate of Wellington Barracks when he saw a sword come over the wall. He handed the sword to Corporal Rams- den, the canteen orderly.
Lance-Corporal Laurence, of the R. W. F., said that on Wednesday midnight he was on duty in Ship Street. He heard a police whistle blown in the direction of St. Francis Street. He saw Constable Fife running down and he ran after him. He assisted to arrest the defendants. The complainant was walking behind. He had no whistle and his bamboo helmet was gone. His sword was not in the scabbard. He accompanied them to No. 2 Police Station, and subsequently received the sword from Corporal Ramsden and handed it over to Constable Ritchie.
Inspector Ford said that shortly after Wednesday midnight the four defendants were brought to No. 2 Police Station. While he was investigating the charge the first and third de- fendants behaved in a most disorderly manner. They kept up a continuous flow of insulting and filthy language. They made repeated rushes across the charge room, and climbed on to the platform on which the desk on which he was writing stood. They shook their fists in his face and made several attempts to strike him.
His Worship (Mr. Hazeland) said that with reference to the first charge, the evidence was very clear that any rate the first, 8 cond. and third defendants behaved in a most disorderly manner in the presence of Inspector Ford, and he therefore fined them S10 each, or 14 days. There was practically no evidence against the fourth, so far as the first charge was concerned. As to the second charge he was quite satisfied this Chinese constable was assaulted by all four defendants. They not only assaulted him but behaved in a very disgraceful manner by snat. ching his whistle, and taking away his sword and throwing it away. It was a most scandalous thing that British sailors should behave in this
manner.
He would order each of the defen dants, for this offence, to be imprisoned for 14 days without the option of a fine.
One of the defendants-I don't know about scandalous. It's a hard word, is scandalous. His Worship-Romove the defendants.
EXTRAORDINARY KIDNAPPING
CASE.
SALUTARY SENTENCES.
Chan I, a married woman, and Fung Kau, servant boy, both of whom are doing six months imprisonment for kidnapping, were charged on remand on the 1st inst. with kidnapping a girl named Li. Mui, aged six years, with intent to deprive one Ho A Ha of the charge on the 16th June.
Ho A Ha said she spent three days searching for the child but could not find any trace of her. She was telegraphed for by her own people to come down from Canton to Hongkong, and she saw the child for the first time after it had been lost on her arrival in Hongkong. She never gave any authority for the child to be taken away, nor had she ever borrowed $100 from either of the defendants.
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND and a banana and told her not to go away, and to say that her name was Hung Ahoy. After she got to the house with the first defendant she saw the second defendant and both told her to say that they were her parents. After being there some time the woman told her that she had got a letter from her guardian. Ho A Ha, saying that she was ill at Canton, that she had borrowed $10 from her, and that as most of the people with plague in Canton were dying, the child's guardian was no doubt dead. and witness was now to become defendant's daughter. In the house, the first defendant had changed her clothes, taken off her boots and a silver anklet. Witness recognised the articles of clothing as being hers. She had slept in the same room as the defendants and she also had her rice with them. She was not allowed to go down the stairs. One day she had wandered down the stairs and the second defen- She remembered dant had slapped her face. that she was a long time in the room, and one day she was told that a Portuguese woman was in search of a little girl (to adopt, and witness then left the old house and went to another. It really amounted to a sale to the Portuguese Witness remembered that her old amah. See Sam, had found her one day and had
Li Mui, the little girl, identified Li Hok Chao as her father, and Họ A Ha whom she had been living with. She said she had been told by the first defendant to follow her, saying she was going to be an apprentice to a nun. While out she was supposed to be going to the bank. Be fore getting to the bank, however, the woman took her back westwards saying she would take her to Aberdeen to see the sights. They got out of the ricksha in Queen's Road and walked up a steep hill up some stone stops leading from High Street, and into a room which was the servants quarters of the hospital sisters. When she got into the room the first defendant gave her a peach'
woman.
taken her back
See Sam said she had been amah to the girl for about six years. She remembered the first defendant staying in her house three nights and on the 20th of the fifth moon ([6th June) had taken the child out to buy something. She remembered going out on where she saw the last witness, who had called out to her, and witness had naturally taken possession of the child. She recognised the jacket and shoes as having been worn by the child.
a visit to a house,
Li Hok Chao said the little girl was his con. cubine's daughter. The concubine had died in 1898 and he then made a present of the child to Ho A. Ha, so that the latter was now the right ful guardian of the child.
(October 6, 1900.
had been going on in this kidnapping conspiracy as a sort of trade. It was most scandalous, The two defendants were sent to prison for one year, with hard labour, this sentence to be carried out at the expiration of their present term of six months.
THE
FATAL COOLIE QUARREL
AT EAST POINT.
Our readers may remember that on the morn- ing of the 19th September a quarrel took place among the coolies employed at the Sugar Re- finery at East Point. Several were injured, one so seriously that he died shortly afterwards. His name was Cheng Yan Hong. Two men named Wu Tai Ngan and Wu Chung Tsun are in custody charged with wilful murder. They appeared before Mr. Hazeland on the 2nd inst.
Mr. F. B. L. Bowley (Messrs. Dennys and Bowley) appeared for the prosecution. and Mr. J. Hays (Messrs. Johnson, Stokes, and Master) on behalf of one of the watched the case witnesses.
Mr. Bowley said the case arose out of a riot which took place among the coolies employed It seemed at the China Sugar Refinery. that on the morning of the 19th September some 20 or 30 coolies were engaged in stacking bags of sugar inside the Refinery. Two of them surnamed Cheng began to quarrel with two others surnamed Wu. At about half-past eight the coolies went to their breakfast. As soon as they got outside the Refinery they re- newed the dispute, and commenced to fight in
the road.
As the result of that fight two men seemed to have been rather badly injured. A lakong who appeared on the scene found there two men in the road when all the rest had gone away. They were two of the four who were in at the original quarrel, and were taken in charge by the lukong. One was a Cheng and the other a Wu. The last-named charged the other with assault. The case was remanded, and as at the subsequent hearing the com- plainant did not appear it was dismissed. It seemed that the other Cheng went to his coolie house in Jardine's Bazaar, and here fire or six men, including the prisoners, threw themselves upon him, ultimtely leaving him senseless on the ground, where he was found three-quarters of an hour afterwards by a detective and taken to the Hospital, where it was discovered that Chief Detective Inspector Hanson said. "On his spleen was ruptured. He was operated upon, the 24th September I took the child. Li Mui. but the man died, and the prisoners, who were into the jail, where she pointed out amongst a originally charged with ussault, were number of men the second defendant; also out charged with wilful murder. of a row of women she pointed out the first Evidence in support of Mr. Bowley's state- defendant. On the 25th September, by virtuement was given, and the prisoners were remand- of an order from the Supreme ourt, I took the two defendants out of prison. I took the child and the defendants, down to the room in which
Pun Pin, a coolie in the sister's employ. said he recognised the little child. He remembered her being brought to the servants' quarters. She remained there about a month. No further evidence of a satisfactory character could be elicited from this witness. His Worship observ. ing that he was evidently anxious not to say anything against those with whom he had been working.
ed.
AT MACAO.
now
the child said she had been detained a consider- THE PORTUGUESE FESTIVITIES able time. There the child picked out of a sewing basket belonging to the first defendant, a wallet, and said it belonged to her late amth. She pointed out the shoes, & porcelain figure, and a paper tray. I had missed some of the ar ticles before I found they had been pawned. I redeemed, or obtained from the pawnbroker all the things. When the child was found by the amah. she was taken to the Police Station."
The first defendant said on the 13th day of the fifth moon the men asked her to buy some wines. The person who had introduced her to the nun gave her some wine and made her drunk. She also waved an incense-stick in front of the defendant. On the 16th of the fifth moon A Ha went to Canton, leaving the child behind. That day she gave the defendant HaS100. She said her things wore with the nnn, and some of the child's things were with defendant.
The second defendant said he did nothing in the matter. The whole thing was done by the first defendant.
Mr. Hazeland said from the evidence it was very clear that the first defendant stole the girl from the possession and against the will of her guardian. And further, she took it to the hospital sisters' quarters where the second defendant was a boarder. The whole thing was a conspiracy between the two, the second de- fendant being, no doubt, as much in the swim as the other. With reference to the second defen- dant, that when the child had been told not to go down the stairs and had done so, the defendant had slapped the child's face. Evidently they
[BY OUR OWN REPRESENTATIVE.] On Friday, the 28th ult., the ancient and picturesque Portuguese colony of Mecao put off its customary quietness to celebrate on a most enthusiastic and vivacious scale the birthday of its sovereign and his consort. It is a remarkable coincidence that the anniversaries of the natal days of T. M the King and Queen of Portugal fall on the same day, and this naturally added additional enthusiasm to the birthday celebra tions. Macao is renowned for its festivals, and on Friday the colony was en fete. The arrival of the military expedition from Portugal and the presence of two Portuguese ships of war in the harbour have necessarily quickened social life in Macao, and the hitherto placid little colony now bears the aspect of an important garrison town. Soldiers and sailors are everywhere met with, and the martial appearance of the colony is emphasised by the trenches and other military works constructed and under construction for the protection of the city.
Although such preparations have been made to resist possible attacks from the Chinese, H.E. the Governor, in conversation with our repre- sentative, said he was perfectly at ease, and did not fear any anti-foreign outbreaks on the part of the natives, either in or around the colony, The Chinese on the mainland were, in fact, very friendly with the Portuguese authorities and were very peaceably inclined. Still, he considered it necessary to take every precaution,
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