My 10, 1902]
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT!
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everything pointed to a scheme for "dumping" | circled the lighter repeatedly during the night | the person who engineered the affair was the remains of otherwise unlawfully disposing to prevent any attempt at escape. In the morn- barber. The defendants are collected from of them, the three men in the house were doing the defendants were conveyed across the different d strict in the country and are tained by the police while the sanitary authorities harbour to Bank Wharf, at the foot of Pottin-brought down here, so that it is were communicated with and the corpse removed ger Street, and, still carefully guarded, marched one firm-well, it is one firm really, but there to the mortuary. The cause of death, it to the Central Police Station and ultimately are several individuals concerned, and the thing. appears from yesterday's return, was plague. . placed in the dook,
would be to find these people. Those of the defendants to whom I have been able to talk say they are not in a position to fifid those persons DR. P. T. MANSON'S FUNERAL.
here, but that they might come across them in Ön the evening of the 5th inst. the- remains
the country. of Dr. Patrick Thurburn Manson, eldest son of Dr. Patrick Manson, C.M.G., Medical Adviser to the Colonial Office, were laid to rest in the Happy Valley Cemetery in the same grave which was buried a younger son of Dr. Manson who died here in 1887.
in
The immediate mourners were Sir Francis Lovell, C.M.G., and Professor Simpson, repre- senting the Tropical School of Medicine, Drs. Hartigan and Rennie, partners of the firm to which Dr. Manson formerly belonged, and Drs Atkinson and Laing, both of whom were person ally acquainted with the deceased. The Rev. T. W. Pearce read the service, the first part being held in the mortuary chapel. The body was borne to the grave from the chapel by eight of the members of the European Police
Force.
Amongst those present were:-Sir Thomas Jackson, His Honour A. G. Wise, Hon, T. H. Whitehead, Mr. F. A. Hazeland. Drs. Harston, Clark, and Gibson, Messrs. T. F. Cocker, H. N. Mody, B. Layton, W. H. Ray, J. H. Cox, D. R. Law, H. W. Robertson, G. A. Caldwell, F. Maitland (Messrs. Linstead & Davis), and many other old residents.
Wreaths and crosses were sent by the follow ing:-Major-General Sir Wm. Gascoigne, K.C.M.G., Mr. and Mrs. Wise, Mr. T. E. Cocker, Dr. and Mrs. Atkinson, Mr. and Mrs. F. Mait land, Dr. Noble, Mr. and Mrs. A. G. Gordon, Madame Rieco, Mr. and Mrs. G. Gai, er, Mr. H. N. Mody, Mr. and Mrs. Layton, Dr. and Mrs. Hartigan, Dr. and Mrs. Laing, Dr. L. P. Marques, Mr. and Mrs. Bell-Irving, Dr. and Mrs: Stedman, and Mr. Morehead. There were also a number of wreaths which had no card attached.
“KAIFONG" STOWAWAY CASE.
Before Mr. F. A. Hazeland at the Magistracy on Monday, the 5th inst., 184 coolies were charged with surreptitiously obtaining passages to Cebu by the steamer Kaifong on the fifth of last month. As reported in the Manila papers at the time, it appeared as though the entire batch were unearthed through the sole agency of the Customs authorities at Cobu. and remarks were made in the Manila Press regarding the improbability of their get- ting on board without the knowledge of the ship's officers and crew; but from the proceed ings before his Worship yesterday it has beeu established that the men were not discovered by the Cebu authorities, but by the officers of the Kaifong themselves during the voyage hence to Cebu, where on arrival the steamer was placed under a bond of $70,000. gold to return the stowaways to Hongkong, a bond that has now been discharged. As to the complicity of the crew in the affair, that has to a certain ex- tent been verified by the arrest under a warrant of the No. 1 compradore of the ship and the entire Chinese crew of 91 natives who will be brought up and probably charged to-day; the assistant ship's comp adore is also under arrest. As was only to be expected, the task of look ing after to many prisoners was no light one, but the police authorities made all arrangements necessary to meet the exigencies of the case, and the whole 134 prisoners were lodged in cells at the Central, nearly a score to each cell, without the slightest hitch or semblance of trouble. The Kaifong arrived in harbour about ten o'clock on Sunday morning, and was boarded by Inspector Riley, of the Water Police, who brought with him a tug towing a lighter for the reception of the stowaways. These were quickly disembarked and taken to Tsimshatsui- Station, where they were charged and afterwards taken back to the lighter, which was moored off the wharf at Tsimshatsui. An armed guard of Indians had been sent from the Central, and these patrolled the lighter all night; în addi- tion, a boat belonging to the Water Police
Mr. J. Hays, who represented the owners of the Kaifong, Messrs. Butterfield & Swire, said the osse was very similar to one which was be fore his Worship last week. The fac's were, briefly, that the steamship Kaifong, under com- mand of Captain Pennefather, left Hongkong. on 5th April last, bound for Cebu. On the night before leaving Hongkong, the captain gave the order that no sampans or strange Boats were to be permitted alongside, an that no Chinese were to be allowed to come on board, Inquiries were made next morning as to whe ther this order had been attended to, and the reply was in the affirmative. Prior to leaving Hongkong the ship was searched, but nothing was seen to excite suspicion. An officer reported that he saw some men who did not belong to the crew, and they were found to be "friends" of some of the native members of the crew. They were, however, ordered off the ship straight away, and went ashore in sampans. The new process of disinfection was then gone through and the ship was visited by the Medical Officer of Health for the Port. The ship left at 2.30 p.m., the cap. tain and officers being absolutely ignorant of any others than the passengers and the usual. crew being on board. Next day, the captain had occasion to examine one of the water tanks, and found some of the stowaways. Mr. Hays submitted to the Court a plan showing where the various cargo was stored for
Manila and Cebu, and also where the different batches of stowaways were found. His Worship, he said, would see from it that the stowaways were in such positions that it would be imp ssible from the usual search of the ship and without shifting the cargo to notice them until they had been at sea for some time. The first batch was found by the water tank forward. Some more were found between- decks, and the last batch was found in rather bad condition after the ship had anchored at Cebu. The current of air caused by the ship's motion had ceased, and it was on account of their putting their beads through the port-holes to get air that they, were noticed and the dis. covery of the cargo of stowaways completed. Captain Pennefather was called and stated in evidence that the Kaifong left Hongkong at 2.30 p.m. ou 5th April last for Cebu, whither she carried a general cargo and twenty saloon passengers. Before the vessel left the harbour the customary search was made, and stowaways were found on board in the holds; they were sent ashore in sampans. The vessel was searched again after that, in all three times before she finally sailed. Witness on the following day heaad voices coming from between-decks, and on a search being made three men wer dis- covered. As the result of further searches 29 coolies were found in the coal-bunkers on the 9th, 22 on the 10th, 47 on the 11th, and 43 on the 12th. The vessel was not under charter on that voyage, and the defendants were on board without permission.
This concluded Captain Pennefather's evidence, and his Worship remaked that there was no need for corroboration, as he was satis- fed the defendants had stowed themselves on board the steamer without permission.
The statements of the defendants were then taken, the process occupying the greater part of an hour. These statements were confined to two forms-" I went on by mistake" and "I have nothing to say.' When his Worship had reached the 108th defendant, Mr. E. J. Grist arrived and said that he had just previously been instructed to appear for the defendants.
His Worship-Most of the defendants are Fobkien people?
Mr. Grist-All except six, and they are Punti with practically no intelligence. The Fohkien have no intelligence at all; they are more animals, and although they are sinners they are not the real sinners in the case.
His Worship-Yes, but as I say, in the last case the defendants made a statement with reference to a certain firm, and at the last moment refused to assist the police in any way by disclosing the name, and of course I inflicted a very heavy penalty—I think $250-because of that refusal.
Mr. Hays pressel for an exemplary sentence, as the responsibility on the captain of a ship was a very heavy one, and the defendants could not have been entirely ignorant of what they were doing.
His Worship-I am quite certain they know. They always give the stock defence that they got on board the steamer by mistake.
Mr. Grist-It is very possible that some of them do know, but at the same time I have not the smallest doubt in the worll that to punish them very heavily will not put a stop to the traffle.
His Worship-I fine each defendant $150, or two months" hard labour.
The fines aggregate over two thousand pounds. Amongst the defendants' belongings was a basket containing over two hundred silver dollars, part of $400 which was sent on
board to them at Cebu. This latter fact seems to point to the existence of au organized and extensive agency for the prosecution of this form of slavery.
On Tuesday, 42 of the crew of the Kai- fong, including the No. 1 compradore, were charged with aiding and abetting the 134 coolies who were on the previous day fined $150 each to obtain passages from Hongkong to Cebu without the consent of the owners, consignees, or master of the steamer. It was the intention of the police to arrest the entire crew, fl all told, but 19 of them got a hint of this intention aud cleared out, leaving unclaimed what was due to them in wages. The 42 who were brought up pleaded not guilty to the charge, but as the proceedings were merely formal no
ovidence was taken.
Mr. J. Hays, who represented the owners of the Kaifong, Messrs. Butterfield and Swire, askel for a remand, which his Worship granted till Wednesday, 14th inst,, at ten o'clock, allow. ing bail in each case of $500.
On hearing the amount of the bail, the boat- swain, an unusually tall, well-set-up Chinaman, who with the others had spent the night in gaol, called out in "pidgin" English that he would that pay $500 before he would go back to place” again,
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The Russian government, the Ostasiatische Lloyd says, intends to considerably strengthen her Far Eastern fleet. The three torpedo boats Forel, Sterliud, Ossets, built in Havre, are on the way to the East In the course of the present year two battleships and seven oruisers are to follow. The cruiser Novik will leave for the East in May, the battleship Retvizan in June, the cruisers Askold and Bogatyr in July, the cruisers Bojan, Diana, and B garin in August, and in the autumn probably the battleship Pobieda and the cruiser Pallada. All are most modern ships, The two battleships were launched in 190 and are of 12,674 and 12 700` tons respectively, with complements of 730 men each. The Bojan is a protected first-class cruiser of 7,809 tons, launched in 1900, as aro His Worship-Yes, they had an opportunity also the Diana, Askold, and Bogatyr; the last of disclosing the firm on that occasion, but re-three are of 6,630, 6,000 and 6,300 tons with fused to do so, and I inflicted a heavy punish meat on that account.
An adjournment of a quarter of an hour was made to allow Mr Grist to interview his clients, and on the Court resuming he pointed out to his Worship that the defendants were not the real enlprits, and instanced a case which came up recently when the defendants assorted that they had been put on board by someone.
Mr. Grist-As far as I undertand from what I have been able to learn from the defendants, ́
complements of 422, 530 and 580 men, and the Bussisa Admiral in 'command in the East. Asiatic sea will have a considerable number of men at his disposal.
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