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hand over the command to Chong Ping Chet. ¡ On the arrival of the latter at Yamchow, Chiong put a tragic end to his existence. I am informed that the deceased was 器 man of great determination. He attempted his own life some ten years ago in Canton owing to dissatisfaction of some kind in his official career, on which occasion he shot himself in the region of the heart, but the wound was not fatal.
CHANGES IN THE FOREIGN COMMUNITY,
Small as it has always been. the foreign community here was further reduced lately by the departure of several of its distinguished members. Mr. H. A. Little, British Consul, left here for Newch wang last month, and his successor has not arrived yet. Dr. J. H. Lowry, an Assistant and Medical Officer in the Customs, left on the 3rd instant on furlough; Mrs. Lowry and two children accompanied him. Dr. L. G. Hill (Church Missionary Society). Mrs.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
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SUPREME COURT.
Tuesday, 19th April.
IN CRIMINAL JURISDICTION.
BEFORE HIS HONOUR SIR WILLIAM M. GOODMAN (CHIEF JUSTICE.)
NO INDICTMENTĮ
!
[April 29, 1904. whence apparently they had seen the fire burning in the rear part of the floor premises, across the shaft that ran from top to bottom of the building. They ran downstairs into Gough Street and pushed open the door of the shop. Several men ran out. They canght the second prisoner and handed him over to the police. the others got away. When they went inside the shop it was found the rear portion of the building was filled with smoke and flames. There were three separate fires, and one In the case against Sunda Singh, an Indian witness would say that the goods in this store constable, who was charged with a grave offence,
room were arranged so as to burn, these consist- the Attorney-General, Sir Henry S. Berkeleying of packing-cases, firewood, Japanese charcoal, (who was instructed by Mr. FB. L. Bowley, and cheap straw hats. The fire was put out. Crown Solicitor), stated that he had read the Next day, while the shop was in charge of the evidence and did not consider it sufficient upon police, the first prisoner appeared, took them to which to file an information.
another house and showed them the books of the firm which he said he had rescued. These books, he would show, had all been written up at the same time and by one man. From them it appeared that the value of the stock was $10,000-the amount of the insurance. Mr. Lammert would tell the jury that he estimated the value of the stock at $1,900. The case was adjourned.
The man was discharged by proclamation.
ABSENT WITNESSES.
He pleaded not guilty.
Wong Kai was brought up on a charge of Hill and child, left on the 7th instant for having between 30th December last and 4th Europe. The Doctor goes home to recruit January stolen nine tins of aniseed. the pro- his health. Mrs. J. C. Johnston and Masterperty of Lai Wan Hong. Johnston left on the 10th instant for England, Dr. Sanger, from Folkien, arrived here on the 19th ultimo to succeed Dr. Hill as Director and Medical Officer of the Church Missionary Hospital.
BURGLARY AT THE FRENCH CONSULATE.
A few days ago some burglars effected an entrance into the French Consulate and stole therefrom no less than thirty of the carrier-pigeons. The Consul, M. Flayelle, is wild at the loss of the valuable birds, which at great expense were trained by two European specialists engaged solely for the purpose. This is the second or third time that burglars have entered the building within a short time. One time the burglars decamped with three magazine rifles. The thieving fraternity is paying more attention in the town than formerly; want of proper vigilance on the part of the native authorities is badly felt.
CORRESPONDENCE.
JAPAN DURING THE WAR : ASSURANCE TO TOURISTS,
TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS.
Japanese Consulate, Hongkong, 19th April. SIR, As requested by the mayors of the principal cities of Japau, I beg to ask that you will be good enough to insert the enclosed telegraphic communication received from our Foreign Minister, Baron Komura, in your news columns of the 20th instant. Yours faithfully,
MASAICHI NOMA,
Consul for Japan.
[ENCLOSURE.]
In answer to enquiries, too numerous to be dealt with individually, and in the hope of cor- recting certain erroneous impressions that prevail abroad, we, the Mayors of the principal cities of Japan, beg to give our assurance that throughout the Empire of Japan normal con- ditions prevail, and the country is now, in war time, as orderly as in times of реаса. Business men and travellers contem- plating a visit to our Empire will encounter no inconvenience nor be exposed to any danger. The ordinary means of communication by land and sea are not, and cannot be, interrupted, as Japan and its territorial waters are not included within the war zone, and by reason of the posi- tions and advantages of our fleet and armies, Japan is insured against invasion.
(Signed) Mayors of Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Nagasaki, Saikyo, Kobe, and Nagoya,
The following jury was empanelled-Messrs. K. C. H. Newman, J. Lysaught, G. Pickering. M. Steger, D. K. Moss, T. C. Downing, and E. J. Judah.
The Attorney-General said that he did not propose to proceed with this case as several wit- nesses could not be found; the case was not a very strong. one.
His Lordship directed the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty.
The jury returned a verdict accordingly. Accused was discharged.
His Lordship ordered that the recognis- ances of the missing witnesses be estreated.
FORGING AN ORDER.
Ip Lam, a boatman, was charged with having on 4th April offered a forged [request for the delivery of seven piculs of rice purporting to be chopped by the Fung Yan Loong firm.
He pleaded not guilty.
The Attorney-General in opening the case stated that on the morning of the day in ques- tion, about ten o'clock, the accused went to a shop called the Yee Fung and asked for and got some samples of rice. About mid-day he returned and said he was satisfied with the samples and brought an order for seven piculs of rice. The rice was delivered to him on this order and was taken away to his boat. Meantime the Yee Fung firm sent the bill to the Fung Yan Loong firm upon whose supposed order the rice had been delivered. The latter repudiated the order. The Yee Fung there upon did their best to get their rice back and recovered it on board the defendant's boat. He himself was found on a Canton boat, concealed in the crew's quarters, and was arrested. His defence was that he did not know that the order was a forgery.
The jury, after hearing evidence, found the charge proven.
His Lordship passed sentence of 18 months' imprisonment.
CHARGE OF ARSON.
Leung Pan Wan and Sin Man Wan were empanelled on a charge of having on 20th March set fire to the dwelling-house No. 45 Gough Street, certain persons being then there.
in.
They pleaded not guilty.
store was &
were
Wednesday, 20th April.
IN CRIMINAL JURISDICTION.
BEFORE HIS HONOUR SIR WILLIAM M. GOODMAN (CHIEF JUSTICE).
ARSON CASE.
There was again called the adjourned case in which Leung Pan Wan and Sin Man Wan were charged with arson.
The following Was the jury-Messrs, K. C. H. Newman, J. Lysaught, G. Pickering, M. Steger, D. K. Moss, T. C. Downing, and E. J. Judah.
The jury having been charged by his Lordship brought in a verdict of guilty against both defendants.
His Lordship before passing sentence asked the prisoners how long they had been connected with this shop.
Both declared that they had come down from Canton only a day or two before the fire.
His Lordship remarked that there was no doubt they were employed as trusted emissaries. to burn down this place, the master taking good care to get out of the way by going off to Canton. Both men would have
to go to prison for seven years with hard labour, and he would ask the police to make a note that at the end of their term they be deported from the Colony as undesirable characters. In passing this sentence his Lordship said he had taken into account the fact that the house was not burned down.
A BRIBERY CASE.
Tsoi Wai, a meat contractor, was charged with having, on 11th April, procured a bribe of 820 to be offered to A. Watson, a public servant, the senior inspector in charge of the Government depot for animals and slaughter- house, with a view to influence his conduct as a public servant in connection with the inspection and slaughtering of animals brought by Tsoi Wai to the depot and slaughter-house.
He pleaded not guilty.
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Hon. Sir Henry S. Berkeley, Attorney- General (instructed by Mr. F. B. L. Bowley, Crown Solicitor), conducted the prosecution; and Mr. M. W. Slade, barrister-at- law (instructed by Mr. J. Hastings, solicitor), appeared for the defence.
and P. Dow.
Mr. E. H. Sharp, K.C., who represented the Attorney-General, stated in his opening the case that the accused were an accountant and a coolie respectively of a miscellaneous store on the ground floor of No. 55, Gough Street, of which the upper floors
The following jury was empanelled :---Messrs. occupied as a Chinese boarding-house. The | J. D. Morrison, G. L. Duncan, E. R. Udall, new business, begun on 27th J. F. M. White, J. O. E. Meyer, E. O. Murphy, January. The master of the shop put in a certain amount of stock, and then proceeded to Latest news of the everlasting Acheen war insure it, effecting insurances amounting to comes from Pangkalan Brandan --The last $10,000, beside $1500 in respect of his clothing expedition under von Daalen, which set out on and furniture. After this the master disappear 29th February, was very successful. It is ed and on 15th March the first prisoner took unnecessary to speak of many small skirmishes, over the charge of the shop. On the night of for mention is needed only of the larger engage- the following day the people on the first floor ments which were at Rercho, Pasir, Pepareg, saw a fire on the floor below and called out to and Kotta Lintang, in the course of which 541 the people in the shop, who shouted back an ex- Bataks were shot by the Dutch troops. 310 planation about upsetting a lamp. On the 19th dead was the result of the fight at Pepareg. a quantity of goods were taken away from the Rajah Bakit and all his followers fled to the shop. On the following morning at half-past mountains. The Dutch casualties were 3 killed four the people on the first floor were wakened and 30 wounded. The expedition is advancing. I by shouts of "fire" coming from the floor above,
The Attorney-General in opening the case stated that Inspector Watson was senior in spector in charge of the Government cattle depot and slaughter-house at Kennedy. town. Prisoner was a butcher and held s meat contract for supplying the military authorities [sic]. He habitually had cattle in the depot. The inspector therefore was a person with whom prisoner would wish to stand well; that was a fair inference to be brought from their relative positions. Prisoner was indicted for an offence against the bribery law as set forth in section 4 of Ordinance 3 of 1898, under which it was an offence to cause
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