450
next Spring, or what is to be done for us? Is it not the duty of the Water Authority, so long as any supplies can be given through the mains, to arrange matters so that all may get at least a portion of their requirements? The small supply one can now get from wells and other outside sources is daily becoming more difficult to obtain, and as to the quality of it, how can one help having the gravest misgivings i
The foregoing are rather serious questions in which I am sure the public at large will feel some concern. In the hope that these remarks may meet the eyes of those in autho. rity, and lead to some measures being adopted to remedy such a state of affairs.-Yours, etc.,
C. S. SHARP.
QUR CRICKET VISITORS.
"
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS." Hongkong, 28th November. SIB, The Committee of the Cricket Club will feel obliged to you if you will kindly give publicity in your columns to an expression of their thanks for the heartiness with which the various social and sporting clubs in the Colony have co-operated with the Cricket Club to render the visit of the Straits and Shanghai Cricket teams a pleasant one. By the courtesy of their committees all the members of both teams were made honorary members of the Hongkong Club, the German Club, the Royal Hongkong Golf Club, and the Victoria Recreation Club; and my committee desire me to take this oppor- tanity to express their appreciation of the great kindness shown in so assisting them. Thank- ing you in anticipation.-Yours, etc.,
[December 2, 1901.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
the jury had to ask themselves was whether they The prisoners heard the sentence with every were satisfied-subject to his Lordship's correc- appearance of stolid indifference, though when tion regarding the second and third prisoners- the elder Kwok Tak was being removed from beyond reasonable doubt that these three men the Court he made some remark to the inter- were guilty of murder. It was not for them preter, which, however, was not taken notice of. to consider what the result of their verdict might When the Court was subsequently being be. With regard to the second and third panels, cleared, a female relation of the prisoners per- if the jury were satisfied that they went along sistently attempted to follow the prisoners with the first prisoner intending to take part in through the side door by which they had overbearing opposition if any opposition was made their exit and had to be ejected offered to the robbery-presuming that it was forcibly, Outside the Court-house a great by the hand of the first prisoner that the fatal crowd of excited Chinese collected, many of the shots were fired-then he thought, subject to women wailing pitifully and one or two-pre- his Lordship's correction in law, they would be sumably relatives of the murderers-beating equally guilty of murder with the first, should their foreheads on the ground. The crowd was they find him guilty. The evidence had to be dispersed by the police. considered not in its little discrepancies but substantially as a whole, and, so considered, the jury must arrive at the conclusion that the three prisoners were engaged in this common design-that they did intend to attack the boat, and not merely to attack it, but, in spite of what King's evidence deposed, in- tended to overbear all opposition.
The three prisoners left the Court buildings by the back way, under an armed guard.
Monday, 25th November.
IN CRIMINAL JURISDICTION,
BEFORE HIS HONOUR A. G. Wise (ACTING CHIEF Justice),
NOT GUILTY,
His Lordship, in summing up, said that the prisoners were charged with going to rob this junk; if they went to do so, and with the in- tention of carrying out that purpose at any cost with violence if necessary-and death Wong Tso, a hawker, was charged with ensued as a result of attack, all these men having on 21st October, in company with were equally guilty of murder, even those another person, assaulted a woman named Lan whose hand dd not actually canse death. Ho in her house in Centre Street and robbed This was B case of murder or nothing. her of $12, two gold-mounted bangles, two gold The jury had two things to try-first of all, rings, and a gold coin. He pleaded not guilty, were they there, and if they were there, and was defended by Mr. W. M. Slade, barrister- what was their intent; did they go there tjat-law, instructed by Mr. F. X. d'Almada e carry out their purpose with violence if neces- Castro, solicitor. The Acting Attorney-General sary. If the jury found these two things, it (Hon. H. E. Pollock, K.C.,) conducted the was murder. If not, it was nothing. It was prosecution. not for them to consider what might be the result of their verdict: that responsibility rested upon his shoulders. The defence was based on two points-the long period that elapsed be- tween the time of the attack and the arrest and the contention that the whole story of the witnesses was a concoction. The prosecution had put it forward clearly that the delay was caused by fear of consequences on the part of those con- BEFORE HIS HONOUR A. G. WISE (ACTING cerned. His Lordship might say they were all
CHIEF JUSTICE).
P. A. COX,
Hon. Secretary, Hongkong Cricket Club.
SUPREME COURT,
Friday, 22nd November.
IN CRIMINAL JURISDICTION.
THE CAPSUIMUN MURDERS-SENTENCE
OF DEATH.
The hearing of evidence having been con- cluded in the case in which Kwok Tak Tang, Kwok Tsat Po and Chan Yat, Capsuimun fishermen, were charged with murdering one Chan Shap Ng at Capsuimun on 13th August, counsel proceeded to address the jury.
Mr. E. Sharp, in addressing the jury in behalf of the first and second prisoners, sub mitted that the case had not been proved by the prosecution. The witness who had turned King's evidence had done so to save himself, and his deposition must be valued from that point of view. Then there was the added cir- cumstance of this old quarrel with the first and second prisoners, which would give him a further cause for incriminating them. Most important of all were the innumerable inconsistencies and discrepancies between the evidence of this witness and that of the other witnesses. With regard to the latter, their evidence showed signs, he contended, of having been concocted; and he asked the jury to consider also that the identifications spoken to by the witnesses were made by the feeble light of a lamp. The evidence against the second prisoner did not show that he had in any way taken part in the murder. The common design of the attack upon the boat was robbery. If there had been an intention of carrying out the robbery by murder, if necessary, then this would have constituted murder.
His Lordship, interposing, said that he intended to put it to the jury that if men start- ed out on a criminal intent, with the intention of carrying out a robbery at any cost, they were all liable for what happened.
Mr. Sharp went on to argue that ro such intention had been proved, concluding his address by stating that the whole story as related by the witnesses was not such as deserved credit in a charge of murder.
Mr. M. W. Slade addressed the jury in behalf of the third prisoner.
The Acting Attorney-General (Hon. H, E. Pollock, K.C.) said that the only question which
The following jury was empanelled :-Messrs. C. W. Alexander, J. Lee, D. Benjamin, J. A. Plummer, F. M. da Graca, P. F. da Cruz Prata, and T. A. Barradas.
The Acting Attorney-General, in opening the case, stated that at half-past nine o'clock on the morning the complainant was in her sitting-room. Her servant who had gone out just a minute or two before had pulled down the trap-door at the head of the stairs and the unfortunately aware it was nine times out of ten complainant had shut and bolted it. Hearing absolutely impossible to define the motives a knock at the door and a voice saying that the of the Chinese in any action. As to the des-owner was the bearer of a letter to her servant, crepancies in the evidence, upon which the the complainant opened the trap-door and two defence had dwelt, they were no doubt numerous. men came in, one of whom, she alleged But he had to ask the jury to consider whether was the prisoner. While waiting ostensibly these contradictions threw doubt upon the for the servants return this man had $ evidence as a whole. The attack occurred on a smoke in the kitchen. When he had dark night; these people were hurriedly finished his smoke, he caught hold of the awakened and attacked. Was it likely they woman by the neck and threatened her would agree as to all minor details. It was with a knife, saying "Don't you call out." equally to be considered that the existence of The other man in the meantime shut and bolted these contradictions showed that it was not a the trap-door. Between them, they next concocted story, for otherwise the narrators would have learned the story better. If the jury were satisfied that the first prisoner was there and fired the shot, he was guilty of mur- der; they would have to decide with what intent the second and third prisoners were present. The jury retired to consider their verdict at 12.27 and re-entered the Court at 12.35.
The Foreman said My Lord, we unanimously find the prisoners at the bar guilty ar charged, but would recommend the second and third prisoners to the mercy of the Court.
This verdict was communicated to the pri soners by the interpreter with the addendum, dictated by his Lordship, that the recommenda- tion would be submitted to the proper quarter.
compelled the complainant to hand over her keys, and proceeded to ransack a chest of drawers. After having taken possession of the articles specified in the indictment the robbers gagged the woman, tied her hands behind her back with a towel, pushed her into the kitchen and shut the door. But she managed somehow to free herself from the gag and called for help. The robbers decamped, but as a result of her complaint to the police. Wong Tso was arrested. After evidence the jury unanimously returned a verdict of not guilty.
About 1.30 p.m. on the 13th ult., Singapore was startled by a terrific explosion in Finlayson His Lordship then addressed the prisoners Green, accompanied by a blinding flash of flame, through the interpreter. He said-I thoroughly and a terrific crash of thunder. A large crowd agree with the verdict given by the jury. I do gathered at once, and it was ascertained that an not see how the jury could come to any other electrical discharge had occurred in the air close conclusion. The first man is distinctly the by the P. and O. office. The telephone wire worst, for there is no doubt he was the prime had been torn from the wall and the wire was mover in the whole thing, and of course he was burnt. Further investigation showed that the the man who actually caused the death. By his action he has brought his son and this other prisoner into the same position as himself.
Assuming the black cap,
His Lordship continued-It only remains to me now to sentence you to death. The sentence of the Court on you three is that you be taken hence to the place whence you came and from thence to the place of execution, and there you will be hanged by the neck until you be dead, and your bodies to be buried in such place as the Government shall direct. And may the Lord have mercy on your souls.
cast-iron rain-gutter on the third floor had been struck and splintered and that the current had passed down the pipe to the telephone wire, and then apparently into the earth. Where the wire touched the wall the plaster was torn away. The telephones in the P. and O. Office and other offices were affected. Otherwise no damage was done. Considerable alarm and excitement pre- vailed, and it was said some had been killed. The only personal effect of the discharge, how- ever, seems to have been that two Kling boys standing close by dropped down with fright, while a bullock got its leg into the drain.
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