132
The Chief Justice in passing sentence stated that prisoner had appropriated to his own use this money belonging to his master. He spent the money in extravagant living; for among the items of bis expenses were 8250 for the ransom of a girl. $100 for wine, and $200 for presents. His salary was $14 a month with $3 extra for night work. Therefore he must have known that he could not indulge in extrava- gance of this kind and still be honest. His Lordship took into consideration the fact that the prisoner was only 22 years of age, and although the maximum punishment was 14 years. he would pass sentence of 12 mouths on each of the three counte-in all three years.
ROW IN A BARBER'S SHOP. Hau Woo was charged with having on 5th August assaulted Sam Kee and wounded him with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
He pleaded not guilty, stating that he went to get shaved, that he had trouble with com. plainant, and that the latter got cut.
The following jury were empanelled :· Messrs. J. 8. Levy, A. Loureira, J. Cruik. shank, C. Konig, E. A. Grigson, K. Sayce and J. E. Bingham.
The Attorney-General in opening the case said that during the course of a quarrel which the prisoner had with another man in a barber's shop he inflicted upon the other man wounds with a chopper, causing the latter to lose two of his fingers. The quarrel, it appeared. was as to who should be shaved first. Prisoner stated that in the course of the quarrel com- plainant cut himself with a razor. But accord. ing to the medical evidence the wound was not such as to be inflicted by a razor cut.
The jury, after hearing evidence, found the prisoner guilty of unlawful wounding.
His Lordship said he quite agreed with the verdict, which he thought was the safest one in the circumstances. But it was more like a savage than a man to attack another with a chopper. Why not hit him with your fist or with a stick. Sentence-18 months' imprison- ment with hard labour.
Friday, 19th August.
IN CRIMINAL JurisdictiON.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
The following jury were empanelled :--Messrs. W. B. Boyce (foreman). A. E. Katsch, V. de Marney. B. D. Kapteyn. F. S. Levy. C. Konig. and C. J. F. Mittell.
The Hon. Attorney-General, Sir Henry 8. Berkeley (instructed by Mr. F. B. L. Bowley. Crown Solicitor), appeared for the Crown. In opening the case he said the prisoners were! charged with having been concerned in an extensive jewellery robbery. On 20th ult. Mr. Rombach left his shop late in the afternoon and went out with a bathing party, tak- ing with him his house-boy. On returning he found that his shop had been broken into and the thieves had taken away a white handkerchief, which had been left on the desk. and some 134 watches. There was no trace of the robbers to be found for some days. but on the 24th ult.. from information received. the police arrested the prisoner Lo Wai and found two of the stolen watches and the hand- kerchief in his possession. On searching round the pawnbrokers' shops they found 16 more watches. Four of the pawnbrokers identified the first prisoner as the man who had pawned the watches. Two identified the second prisoner as the man who had pawned two watches under a false name.
[August 22, 1904. Ottawa, Ont., April, 1904.
To the Secretary.
SIR, I have the honour on behalf of the Board of Trade of the City of Ottawa to request that you will bring the enclosed communication on the subject of "The Empire Cables" to the attention of your Association.
We entertain the hope that in the effort to advance the general interest, your co-operation may be counted on.
}
Be good enough to inform me of whatever action your Association may take, and by so doing greatly oblige
Your faithfully.
(81) CECIL BETHUNE, Secretary.
P. S.-I am requested to add to what is stated in the enclosed printed explanation, that the Empire Cables would, it is believed, directly on their completion reduce charges on long distance messages 50 per cent.. to be soon followed by a still greater reduction. The supreme import- ance of cheap telegraphy all round the Empire will be obvious to our people elsewhere.
(Sd.) CECIL BETHUNE.
It was agreed to reply that this Chamber sympathised with any scheme which had for its object increased facilities for telegraphic com- Both prisoners lived with Mr.munication, but being a cosmopolitan Chamber. Rombach's house-servant, who had gone with
the Committee were more inclined to encourage his master to the bathing party. At first, free trade in cables' as recommended in the suspicion rested on the house-boy, and it rested British Inter-Departmental Committee's Report upon him still, for being implicated in the affair. on Cable Communications laid before the Houses He was arrested, buthad to be discharged because of Parliament in May. 1902. there was not sufficient evidence against him. When charged at the Magistracy the first pri- soner admitted having taken part in the robbery, but said he only waited outside while three others went into the store. The fact that some of the stolen goods were found immediately afterwards in the possession of the prisoners was sufficient to justify the jury in finding them guilty of the robbery itself; at any rate they should be found guilty of receiving.
The jury found both prisoners guilty. His Lordship sentenced the first. Lo Wai, to seven years' imprisonment with hard labour; and the second. Chu Pun, to two years' imprisonment with hard labour, recommending both for banishment at the end of their respective terms of incarceration.
This concluded the list of cases and the
BEFORE HIS HONOUR SIE W. M. GOOD. | Sessions adjourned.
MAN (HIEF JUSTICE).
FORGING A CHEQUE,
Lam Fat was charged with having on 15th July uttered a forged bill of exchange purport- ing to be a cheque for $20 drawn by John Cronin on the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank with intent to defraud, he knowing the same to be forged; also with having obtained the sum of $20 on presentation of the cheque,
He pleaded guilty, stating that he knew the cheque was forged and that it was given to him by A Wing.
His Lordship in passing sentence said that the prisoner and another messenger in the Naval Yard were parties to forging a cheque. Prisoner admitted that he saw it forged and then went and passed it over as a good cheque, the complainant having left his cheque book for a short time in an unlocked drawer by accident. Prisoner got $10 of the proceeds, and promptly spent it the same evening in gam bling, with the exception of $1.25. He was placed in his present position by his love of gambling. This was such a serious offence in a large commercial community like Hongkong that it had to be punished very severely indeed. He always tried to find if there were any mitigating circumstances in a case. He would bear in mind that the prisoner was only 19 years old, that he had pleaded guilty, and had not denied the offence: and he thought the justice of the case would be met by a sentence of 18 months' imprisonment with hard labour. Prisoner, he remarked, would have got a much more severe sentence if he had not been so
young.
THEFT OF WATCHES.
i
HONGKONG GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
At a monthly meeting of the General Com- mittee of the Hongkong General Chamber of Commerce held in the Chamber Room, City Hall, on Tuesday, 12th July, 1904, at 3,45 p.m. Present: Mr. E. A. Hewett, Chairman, Mr. D. R. Law (Vice-Chairman), Hon. W. J. Gres- son, Messrs. N. A. Siebs, J. R. M. Smith, H. L. Tomkins. R. C. Wilcox, A. G. Wood, Hon. R. Shewan (ex officio), and A. R. Lowe (Secre- tary.
MINUTES.
The minutes of the monthly meeting held on 7th June were read and confirmed.
THE CHAMBER'S REPRESENTATIVE IN LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. The Chairman said he felt quite safe in ex- pressing the pleasure it gave the Committee to see Mr. Shewan looking so well after his holi- day at home. It was decided to send Mr. H. E. Pollock a letter of thanks for his services on the Committee during Mr. Shewan's absence
QUARANTINE.
Letters were also read from the Hon. Colonial Secretary communicating the fact of the authorities at the undermentioned places having declared Hongkong infected by plague: -- Date 7 June Saizon.
44
15
23
Siam. Indo-China. Saigon.
COMMERCIAL EDUCATION AT SINGAPORE.
The report of the Examiners on the result of the examination for the commercial certificates of the Chamber was read, showing that 16 per- sons, aged 17 years and upwards, sat for the examination in English, Handwriting. Arithme- tic. Typewriting and Shorthand, of whom 6 were granted certificates of competency.
PROPOSED COLONIAL AND INDIAN EXHIBITION.
The following correspondence was read:
Colonial Secretary's Office.
30th June, 1904. SIR, I am directed to forward for the infor- letter from the Commissioner of the proposed mation of your Chamber the enclosed copy of a
Colonial and Indian Exhibition together with a syllabus broadly sketching the objects for which it is proposed to hold the Exhibition.
I shall be glad to be favoured with any remarks which your Chamber may be good enough to make with regard to the scheme.- I have, etc.,
(Sd) A. M. THOMSON,
Colonial Secretary. The Secretary, Chamber of Commerce.
(Enclosure)
Crystal Palace Company. 14, Victoria Street, Westminster, 23rd April, 1904. SIR.I am desired by the Directors of the Crystal Palace to forward you two copies of a scheme for a Colonial and Indian Exhibition, which will be held at the Crystal Palace during the summer of 1905, and to ask that you will be good enough to bring it before your Govern- ment with a view to their taking part in the Exhibition.
The objects of the proposed Exhibition are fully detailed in the enclosed prospectus, and I am to ask you to impress upon your Govern- ment the many advantages, direct and indirect, likely to result from their sending to the Crystal Palace a representative collection of such of the products and manufactures of your Colony which will bring before the people of the United Kingdom the resources Bud capabilities of your Colony, and are at the same time likely to obtain a remunerative market in this country.
In the event of your acceptin in principle the policy of being represented at
this Pan-Britannic Exhibition. the question of expenditure would next have to be considered. and I am glad to be able to point out that the architectural surroundings of the Crystal Palace render it unnecessary to make any con. The Board of Trade Report on Cotton Cul-siderable disbursements in the way of decora- itvation in the British Empire and Egypt, which had been courteously forwarded to the Chamber by the Hon. Colonial Secretary, was laid on the
Lo Wai was charged with having on 20th July broken into the store of J. A. Rombach, in Queen's Road Central, and stolen 134 watches, valued at $450. and a handkerchief, and Chu Pun and Lo Wai were charged | table. with having received 18 watches and the hand- kerchief, knowing them to have been stolen.
They pleaded not guilty.
29 British North Borneo. BLUE BOOK ON COTTON CULTIVATION.
EMPIRE CABLES.
The following letter was read : The Board of Trade of the City of Ottawa.
tion, and that little further expense is necessary beyond payment for the space, the freights and insurance of the exhibits, their installation. and a moderate sum for keeping them cleao. The heavy ontlay made at Paris, Chicago and St. Louis, as well as the Colonial and Indian Exhibition of 1886, is quite unnecessary.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.