May 9 19031
Tuesday, 6th May.
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. Grom oraminėd–He had known plaintif for seattle began between 7 and 8. a number of years. Last year his firm shipped man came off with the delivery order about
The Chins s large quantity of goods to Manila. He would 11.30. Before that lighters had left the not be surprised that the amount paid for ship for the shore. He examined the lock of freight by plaintif te Shewan, Tomes & Co. the strong room to see if it had been tampered was $5,260 from March to December.
with; it had not. He also examined the keys of ¦ Re-examined The greater part of that the strong-room and of his drawer and also the freight was paid after September, after the loss.lock of the drawer but none of them showed
The Court adjourned.
signs of having been tampered with : there was no trace of war. He did not remember who dealt with the mails. No other things except parcels were put into the strong-room after the mails. The floor of the room was covered with cases of silk. There were about 10 cases. These were still there when the loss of the box was discover- ed. Only the mails had been taken out when the loss of the box was discovered. At the time the box was brought on board in Hongkong, there were men working on the 'tween decks putting or not the people working there saw the up stalls.
He did not remember whether procession going into the strong-room. The Zafiro had come out of dock, in which she had been for about six weeks. He joined heras second mate while she was in dock. He was promoted to first mate within about a week, about the 21st of August, and took over the key of the strong-room. During the time the ship was in dook the then chief officer had the key of the strong-room in his possession on beard. The ship came out of dook on the 15th. The look of the drawer in which he kept the key of the strong-room was just an ordinary lock. Chinaman brought on board.
He did not measure the box which the produced his shipping order. The second officer The Chinaman
was not with him then. He sent for the second mate, who was in the mess. Witness went
David Anderson, chief officer of the Zafiro, was the first witness called. Examined by Mr. Morgan Fbillips, he said he was now attached to the Perla belonging to the enmecompany. On 12th September he was chief officer of the Zafiro which was then in Hongkong Harbour about to proceed to Manila. He was on duty. About 11 o'clock a Chinaman came on board carrying a box; another Chinaman accompanied him. The other man was better dressed. The better (ressed Chinaman had a shipping order with him. He told witness he wished to send the box to Manila. Witness sent for the segond mate. Witness took the keys out of the drawer and he and the second mate went down to the strong-room accompanied by the two Chinamen, one carrying the box. The key he took out was the key of the strong-room. He opened the door and the man carrying the box put it down on a case of silk inside the room. Witness looked at the seals to see if they were broken. None was broken so he told the Chinaman to put it on the shelf. He heard the second officer asking the Chinaman how he got all that money into a box that size. The second fficer was then speaking to the owner of the box, who said. in reply it was all notes. The second officer locked the door. Witness tried the doc and then the second officer tried it. Witness took the key of the strong-room to his cabin and locked it in a drawer, putting the key of the drawer in his pocket. In the afternoon between 4 and 5 the mate asked him for the key of the strong-room to put in parcels. Witness. gave him the key. Afterwards witness got the key back from the second mate and looked it up as before. The ship left for Manila the same afternoon. So far as he was aware the key of the strong-room was in the drawer and the key of the drawer was in his trousers pocket on the way to Manila. When the turned in, his trousers hung over his bank. The strong-room was not opened on the way They arrived at Manila on the 15th and anchored about 3.30. The second mate asked for the key of the strong-room to get the mails out. He gave the mate the key of the small drawer in his room. He saw the mate about 10 minutes afterwards and the latter gave him the key of the strong-room and of the drawer. Next morning a Chinaman came with a delivery order for the box. He gare the second officer the key of the strong room and followed him immediately. Qu bis way down he met the second officer who reported the box missing. He went down to the strong-room and turned everything out but did not find the box They searched all the lighters alongside, stopping work for that purpose. He sent the second mate ashore for the master. The box was carried from the saloon deck to the 'tween deck by the China- man, who carried it in one arm. The Chinaman did not seem to be put to much exertion in carrying it down.
By the Court The box was being carried as one carries a child-on the left arm.
Examination continued The ladders to the 'tween deck were steep. He did not remember whether or not the Chinaman carrying the box steadied himself in going down the ladder.
Cross-examined by Mr. Blade There were no cabins on the 'tween decks. Cargo was carried on the 'tween decke, Cargo was placed on the 'tween decks after the treasure was put in the strong room. The cargo on the 'tween decks was cattle. They were put there by men from the shore. Cattlemen were in the 'tween Recks putting them in their stalls. These men did not go to Manila. On the way to Manila the cattle were fed and watered by members of the
The tittle were landed on the 16th,
before the loss of the box
| The landing of the
appearance of the Chinaman who brought the By the Court He did not remember the delivery order on hoard at Manila:
actually handle the box and could not judge of By the Foreman of the Jury-He did not its weight. There was no other treasure on board, There were two doors to the strong- was lighted by electric light which was very room, independent of each other. The room seldom kept burning. which the box was placed there was a box of On the same shelf on glass. Only the mails were taken out of the room at Manila before the loss was discovered. The loss would hardly be noticed when the mails were taken out.
the mails were taken out. When the door was By the Court-He was not present when opened the mails would be reached first.
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on a case of ailk in the strong-room. The steadying it with his right. He laid it down chief-offoer maid “Let na look at the nënla” Witness turned it over to look at the meals. They were all right. He said to the Chinaman who owned the box, “How do you manage to get $50,000 in a box like that?" The Chinaman answered that it was all notes.
Bis Lordship-Are you sure of that 12 on board was not as heary as the one produced Witness-Quite sure. The box he handled in Court. The box he handled on the Zafirn would not weigh more than 14 lbe, as it appeared to him then. He asked the Chinn-
man
the question because the box - was then lifted the box off the bale of silk so light and small. The Chinese coolie, and put it came out of the room. Witness was standing on the shelf. Then the coolis
key to the chief officer then and there. He at the door; he locked the door and gave the tried the door to see if it was looked; so did the chief officer. There was a hole in the door in which you could put your fingers. The owner mess-room. of the box accompained him to the officers' which had been previously shown to witness, The owner had a shipping order It bore that the box contained 850,000 in U.B. notes. He wrote on the order "Received one only E. Evans." He asked the Chinaman how freight was paid on the box, by weight or measurement ? and the Chineman replied that payment was made on the valde of the box. That afternoon the mail came on board about four o'clock.
By the Court-The freight was settled on shore.
Examination continued-He got the key of consisted of one bag half full. He opened the the strong-room and carried the mail down. It door, threw the bag in, shut the door and looked his invariable practice. When he went up above it, and felt it to see if it was looked. That was,
there to go into the strong-room. Three sailors the chief officer told him that some parcels were
parcels. He went down with the sailors, saw the took the parcels down. There were eight
the door and tried it and returned the key to parcels put in the room, and afterwards locked the chief officer. So far as he knew the strong- room was not opened again until they got to Manila, at which port they arrived on the after- noon of the 15th. They came from the shore for the mails about three o'clock. He went to the chief officer to get the key of the strong- room. The chief officer was on the forecastle- Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, said
Wong Yit Fong, treasury shroff to the head attending to the letting-go of the anchor. had been in that position for over three which the key of the strong-room was kept. A he The key he got was the key of the drawer in
fac-simile of the missing box, he
Shown a box suppposed to be a sailor went down below with him and took out said the mail, after which witness locked the door he saw it packed with notes and silver and tried it and returned both keys to the chief dollars to the value of $50,000 February.
on 12th offloor. There was an electric light in the notes, 1,500 ten dollar notes, 900 Ave dollar The only light was by the door. By day the room There were 1,500 twenty dollar strong-room; it was not on during the day-time. notes, and 500 silver American dollars. packed the notes into the box with the assist. 10 feet by 8 feet-8 feet back from the door He was dark except by the door, The room was about
cashier, Mr. Sharp, were present. ance of some fekis. Mr. Hastings and the and 10 across. When he took out the mail at Manila he did not notice whether or not the box was missing. Next day a Chiraman came with a delivery order for the box. He got the key of the strong room from the chief officer and went down below to get the box. The box was not there. He went out of the strong-room, locked the door and reported the matter to the chief officer whom he met on his way down. They made a thorough search but were unable to find the box. The Chinsman who carried the box on board in Hongkong did not appear to be carrying it with much exertion.
years.
held any more?
Mr. Morgan Phillips-Could the box bave
Mr. Slade That is a leading question. assist me to put it in any other way?
Mr. Morgan Phillips-Well, will Mr. Slade
Mr. Blade I won't assist you in any way. put in, was there any room left ?
Mr. Morgan Phillips-When the notes were
Witness-There was no room left. The box and its contents weighted 534 lbs. The weight of the notes was 1141bs.
Cross-examined-There were always in the treasury of the Bank large sums in gold and gold notes deposited by Chinese.
it had not been suggested in any way that the His Lordship said he thought that although officers had done away with the box, this witness should be asked to say so on oath,
against anybody.
Mr. Slade-We do not make any charge
His Lordship-But the question should be asked.
nothing about it. There is absolutely not the Mr. Slade-Our position is that we can say faintest ground for suspicion against · the officers.
Edwin Evans, second officer of the Zafiro, said that on 12th September a Chinaman came on board carrying a box wrapped in a cloth Before witness saw him the chief officer had sent for him. He saw the two Chinamen standing outside the chief officer's cabin. The box was lying on deck. It was smaller than the one produced in Court. Witness, the obief officer and the two Chinamen went to the strong room. The chief officer opened the door. His Lordship-I think the witnesses who are One of the Chinamen, whom he took to be a produced and who had charge of this box should coolie, carried the box down. The coolie say on cath that they did not take it. took the box inside. He took the cloth Mr. Slade-We do not suggest that they off before going in. The Chinaman · did. G carried the box down on his left arm His Lordship-Still the question ought to be
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