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212
CAPTURE OF HONGKONG THIEVES IN CANTON,
A LONG CHASE.
On the 17th June Hon! Dr. J. M. Atkinson lost from his house at the Peak jewelry worth $1,000. Information was lb.ged with the Police and the work of enquiry was undertaken by the Detective Department, under Chief Inspector Hanson, and has just been carried out to a successful conclusion. At the time of the robbery auspicion fell upon a boy who had left the employment of Dr. Atkinson. A description of him was circulated and every effort was made by deteptives and the Police generally to locata tha thief. Latterly he was traced to Macao, but had already left there and so eluded capture. Since that time Hongkong Chinese detectives in conjunction with the Chinese authorities (acting at the request of the British Consul at Cantou) have been tracking the thief all around the country between Macao and Canton in the Sanui District where his mother was known to reside, the pursuers being sometimes close at his heels but yet unable to effect his capture. At length however the chase was rewarded. Informers who had been carefully instructed succeeded in arresting the boy on Sunday, the 6th insti, at Canton, just as he was stepping on board a boat to be off
· once more in his efforts to elude bis He was handed over to Captain Yeung of the Shamsen Guard and will be tried and punished in Canton.
pursuers.
The stolen articles of jewelry numbered in all twelve. Of these three were found in his posses. sion. Further inves igation showed that other two had been pawned in he Shantak district, the pawn-tickets being found on the thief's person. Five more of the stolen articles were recovered intact in two shops in Can'on. The remaining two had been melted down, but they also were traced.
Such a recovery of stolen property from China mast rank as an almost unprecedented thing in the Police records of Hongkong and other coast ports; and it certainly says a great deal for the zeal and ability of Mr. Hanson an his European and Chinese staff,
ANOTH ́E SMART CAPTURE.
On 5th July, while Mr. Frank Browne, the Government Analyst, was attending the even- ing church service, his house coolie cleared out with eleven articles of jewelry to the value of between £28 and £29. Mr. Browne re-
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
ANOTHER DARING ROBBERY
IN HONGKONG.
LADY BOUND AND GAGGED.
One of the most daring robberies we have heard of for a long time in the Colony occurred on Wednesday afternoon, the victim being Miss Bateman, an assistant mistress in Balilio School, who resides at 18, Belilios Terrace. It appears that on Tuesday a Chinaman brought to the house a chit and directed the amah to take it to her mistress. Miss Bateman could not recognise that the chit was inteu-led for her, the writing on the envelope being undecipherable, and returned it. On Wednesday, shortly after tiffin, the same chit was brought to her again. Miss Bateman, it should be mentioned, had beeu indisposed for some days, and at the timə of the delivery of the chit was lying on her couch. Just as she was in the act of opening the envelope, a young Chinaman entered the room, and was quickly followed by fire others. Both Miss Bateman and the amah were im-
mediately seized by the robbers, who tightly bound them hand and foot, gagged them, and tore up a tablecloth to cover the faces of the helpless victims of their violence. The man who held Miss Bateman to the couch gripped her tightly by the throat, as though to choke her, and the marks still on the lady's neck plainly testify to the extreme violence used by her assailant. Miss Bateman had a small terrier chained to its kennel on the verandah. One of the robbers released the dog. brought it into the room, and held it so that it was unable to bark. Meanwaile, the others of the gang secured all the jewelry they could lay their hauds on. They took from Miss Batemau the gold-rimmed spectacles and the ring she wore, and two gold rings were also taken from the amab's fingers. Evident'y the thieves know something of Miss Bateman's habits, as one made for her jewel case, which was kept in a particular coruer in the wardrobe, while another secured har keys and overturned the contents of a camphor-wood box, in order to secure some articles of jewelry which Miss Bateman was in the habit of keeping there, They appeared to know just where to lay their hands on the jewelry in the room, and were consequently speedy in their operations. As soon as they had secured their booty they decamped, leaving no clue to their lentity behind, excepting an old pair of slippers and the tassel of a queue. When they had dis. appeared, Miss Bateman and the amah succeeded in releasing their bonds, and promptly made a report to the police who are now endeavour-
ported the matter to the Police and gave a description of the man and of the stolen articles. The Police followed this up and with the aid of informers the thief was arrested in Canton. Of the eleven stolen articles nine were traced and recovered either entire or melted down, leaving only two ringe, valued at £8,ing to trace the robbers. unaccounted for. In this case also the Detective Department are to be congratulated on the success which attended their labours.
RUSSIA'S NEW MANCHURIAN DEMANDS.
The Peking correspondent of the N.-C. Daily News telegraphed on the 12th inst. that the various articles of the latest Russian demand are as follows:-
1. Newchwang, Fênghwangsheng, Shahotsai, and Liaoyang shall be evacuated immediatley. Kirin, Itungohon, Kwanchêngtze, and Talsich'ino shall be evacuated in four months' time; Niuguta, Ajubo, Tsitsihar, and Hailar shall be evacuated in a year's time.
2. Landing-places and telegraphie communi- cation shall be established on the river Sungari, and guarded by Russian soldiers.
3. Military posts shall be established between Tsitsibar and Blagovestchensk.
4. Manchuria shall never be transferred or leased to any foreign country.
5. The branches of the Russo-Chinese Bank shall be guarded by Chinese troops, whose expenses shall be defrayed by the Bank in question,
6. No duties heavier than those imposed at present shall be imposed on Russian merchan- dise imported into Manchuria by rail.
7. Russian officials shall have control of all sanitary matters in Manchuria.
This is one of the most daring daylight robberies that have ever taken place in the Colony. Miss Bateman says the robbers ap- peared to be "boys." Apparently they knew Miss Bateman was sick, and they laid their plans accordingly. Miss Bateman was severe'y handled by the gang, and was much shaken by the occurrence. The amah suffered a loss of two of her teeth, but both the amah and Miss Bateman managed to bite the fingers of the men who gagged them.
It may be mentioned in this connection that this is the second time Miss Bateman has been victimised by robbers.
Some time agə a house boy stole $30 and decamped, and though she was able to furnish to the police adequate particulars for his identification, and to give the name of his natire village, whither he had probably gone with the money, the thief
brought to justice; Miss Bateman is naturally inclined to think that there may be some connection between this fact and the outrageous affair we now record. Unfortunately, neither Miss Bateman nor the amah recognised any member of the gang.
W23
never
We learn, however, that this "obit" dodge was tried at several other houses in Belilios Terrace, and it ought not therefore to be dif- ficult to obtain a description of at least one man. We trust that the police will succeed in tracking down this gang, and that exemplary punishment will be meted out to them, such as will be likely to deter others from enriching themselves by similar outrageous methods,
[September 21, 1903.
OTHER ROBBERIES.
We are informed that on Thursday another house robbery was added to the list of robberies that have taken place of late. A robber entered a house at the corner of Hollywood Road and Shelley Street, by means of a storm-pipe and secured $60 or $70 worth of jewelry, with which he made off. The police have the matter in hand.
A Dairy Farm coolie who was returning to Pokfulam on Thursday night was also set upon by a gang of Chinese and robbed. this case also the police are making investiga- tions.
Ia
THE TRANS-SIBERIAN BREAK- DOWN.
A correspondent who left Shanghai recently tine, intending to make the journey homeward on the Lienshing, vice the Mongolia in quran-
vid Siberia, writes to the N.-C. Daily News from of the experiences which eventually landed him Kobe under dite of 6th September with a record
there. Arriring on the 31st August at Chefoo, where the regatta was in full swing, he found Dalny. On getting his ticket he was told after some time a steamer going across to
near
proper
that the Siberian train had met with an
acc .; Liaoyang, with a train on it, and lives had
a bridge had given way been lost, but no to be had. The correspondent proceeded and other particulars were arrived next morning at Dalny. At the hotel be found English very imperfectly understood, but at the railway station was а English speaking Russian business man," who said great damage had been done by the rains al floods, did not mention the bridge, but when questioned admitted the collapse to be a fact and at lives had been lost. He stated they were quit unable to learn the extent of the damage as all the wires were down, alď that passengers might have to wait eight days or perhaps a mouth. Thereupon the correspon. dent availed himself of the offer of the skipper of a British tramp to take him down to Moji, and had a most interesting passage. From Moji he proceeded by train to Kobe to catch the Doric, as being the more certain way of attain. ing his object. The writer of the letter adds that the Dalny hotel was full, mostly of Ameri- can trippers, all stranded and all making plans. He would have tried Vladivostock, had there similar to that in which he made the passage been a steamer, but the only one going was from Ch foo to Dalny. As these load cooli.s, the only way to travel in them is "to balance on the top of their deck-house, very uncomfort- able for a long journey."
The Shanghai Agent to the Chinese Eastern Railway Co. Seagoing Steamship Service, has sent out the following notice :-
"The Company begs to notify the public that they have received telegraphic information from Dalay to the effect that the line between Dalny and Harbin, owing to the heavy rainfall, is broken up, and that direct communication towns is interrupted, between these two According to the latest report it will take about one week to put the line in order. In view of above and "owing to all steamers being quarantined in Dalny, intended pag sengers home via the Siberian route are advised to proceed via Vladivostock, to which port 15th of this month. This steamer has splendid the C.E.R.S. Nonni will be despatched on the accommodation for fifty first-class passengers." The breakdown in the passenger service does not imply an interruption of the mail. In point of fact mails are arriving from Russia as usual, the N..C. Daily News records. The probable explanation is that the trains de luxe alone have been temporarily suspended while the ordinary train service is maintained, passengers and mail-bags, etc., being transferred
from one train to another at the scene of the breakdown.
Measures for the encouragement of rice cultivation in Formosa are being undertaken with satisfactory results. Formosan rice is stated to be not inferior to Corean rice and the Mitsui Bussan Kaisha, it is said, have commenced to import Formosan rice regalarly into Japan.
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