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About what time &- Between half past two and three o'clock.
In Mr. Kennie's handwriting ?—Yes. You afterwards destroyed that letter P--Yes. It was purely of a private nature.
You dictated it afterwards from memory to Mr. Master ?—Yes,
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is.
Will you see if this is correctly dictated P-It
Mrs. Bennie continued-On the morning of his death Mr. Rennie came home to tiffia. He had tiffia in my room and seemed quite obe:rful. | Now I see it. He was trying to make me believe he was cheerful. I asked im "Have you seen Sir Paul Chater?" He said "Yes, be made proposals to me, proposals which I told you before would come. I don't like to think about them." I said "Never mind you will pull through" and he said “yes.” After tiffin he said "I am coming home early to-night." I said I was glad because he was tired. l'e went downstairs and called out. I went on to the
verandab. I said goodbye to him over the
Terandah. It was the last time.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
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on smoothly at the mills",
and "A profit of $161,262.76 in the first eleven months of our working proves that we have established the busines; on sbaod basis and I confidently believe that at our next meeting we will be in position to propose a handsome distribution of profits." Such statements would certainly not convey to the ordinary mind that there was any cause for worry over, or anything substantially wrong with the affairs of the Company and our clients have in fact no reason whatever, to suppose, or any intimation whatever from Mr. Rennie, tha matters were running otherwise than most favourably in connection with the oncern.
It is further reported that evidence was given to the affect that Mr. Reonie was asked why be did not tell his partners (our clients) of them and replied that he had done so but that it was no good. We presume that by "partners are intended our clients, though actually they were not Mr. Rennie's partners, but directors of, and large shareholders in, the Milling Company, With regard to this part of the report, what Have you anything else to add ?—What I do we have written above is in point, but, we want to say is this I want to put my husband should add, it was not until the 11th instant right in the eyes of the world. He was an (three days before Mr. Rennie's death) that our absolutely honest man always. Any liabilities clients had the slightest suspicion that he incurred were not more than he knew his all was not well in connection with the own personal estate could always make right. affairs of the Mill. On that date, at a On the day of his death I was served with a Board Meeting of the Company, Mr. Rennie writ for $30,000. As to the right or wrong of in accordance with the requirements of the that this is not the time or the place to say, but Articles of Association, intimated that he that transaction and other things worried him. desired to have a meeting of the shareholders of Had he received from the Hongkong Milling the company convened for the purpose of Company his dues he would have been in a
obtaining authori'y from them to obarge the position to pay his indebtedness. He never Company's property in favour of their Bankers thought of himself. For three years he worked and he then put before our clients, as directors at that place and yt at the end of that a slatement, which is now in our hands, showing time he was asked by the company to relinquish a loss as estimated by him, of $41,000 odd upon one half of what he had earned. For his three the milling and sale of the wheat then in years' work he received a paltry 830,000 from the Company's godowns, which statement the Hongkong Milling Company. They are in a Mr. Rennie then informed our clients he position. They got it. Well they will prob-parposed placing before the Company's Bankers. ably try to do something to revive it. While he was there they did nothing to help him, His one aim was to make Hongkong self sup porting. He spent his life and his money freely. He was willing to work. He loved work and be loved life. His life was thrown away.
Mrs. Rennie left the box shaken with emotion and was assisted out of court by Mr. and Mrs. Master.
His Worship then addre red the jury. He did not propose, he said, to read the letter. The evidence showed that decensed had died by his own act and it remained for them to decide whether they would returu a verdict of suicide simply or suicide whilst of unsound mind. The evidence showed that his mind had been deranged and that he had been very much worried by the financial affairs of the company.
The jury unanimously returned a verdict of suicide during temporary insanity.
CORRESPONDENCE.
JUNK BAY MILLS.
C4
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS."]
April 30th.
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SIE,-With reference to your report of the inquest attending the death of the late Mr. Rennie, whilst we are very loath to address you on this unhappy subject we feel that, ia justice to our clients Sir Paul Chater and Mr. Mody, we ought to ask you to publish the following statement of the actual facts in connection with certain of the matters referred to it such report. It is reported that a few days after the gen ral meeting of the Hongkong Milling Company Ltd. a change became apparent in Mr. Rennie, who complained of business worries and alleged that those who could help him would not do so. With regard to this, reference should be made to the statements of Mr. Rennie on the 7th ultimo on the occasion
This was absolutely the first intimation our clients received from Mr. Rennie that the affairs of the Company were not proceeding favourably. but, as the statement showed a loss of only one-forth of the profits that Mr. Rennie had stated at the annal general meeting had been already made by the company, our clients naturally did not view
matters in too serious or too unfavourable a
our
[May 2, 1908. expressed the view that this balance should be appropriated by declaring a dividend to the shareholders, in view of the fact that three years had elapsed since the incorporation of the Company. Mr. Ronnie was reluctant to accept this suggestion and stated that the company needed the money in its business and that their Bankers preferred such a course, whereppon Sir Paul Chater sid that, as Mr. Renuie proposed to give no dividend to the shareholders, he ought, in accordance with the not unusual practice, to forego at least a portion of his commission on the Com. pany's workings for the then past year (prior to which there had been no workings and conse- quently no commission earned) amounting to $60.000, and Mr. Reunie agreed to half such commission, thus receiving the sum of $30,000, in this counection. Mr. Rennie informed clients that he desired to obtain an advance to himself of a sum of $30,000 which Mr. Mody promptly volunteered and which, a few days later, he did in fact lend, receiving in return a promissory note therefor, which pro- missory note fell due on the 21st ultimo, but having the fallest confidenes in Mr. Rennie and his position, Mr. Mody did not then present the note for payment, but left it to Mr. Rennie to discharge as and when he saw fit, After Mr. Rennie's death our clients learnt for the first time that he bad effected considerable dealings with his holdings in the Millings Co., engen. dering considerable claims on his estate and Mr. Mody saw us in connection with the above nientioned loan, informing us of the dealings just referred to and placing his interests in our hands. On our advice proceedings were at once instituted against the deceased's estate, with the view of endeavouring to ass ire to Mr. Mody priority for his claim in respect of the loan referred to over the claims of other creditors of the deceased in respect of his said dealings, These proceedings were not instituted on the same day, but on the day following, Mr. Ranie's death and Mrs. Reunie was not served with the writ of summons, nor was it ever in service was effected by us on her then solicitors contemplation to so serve her and in fact
two days after Mr. Ronnie's death.
Finally, there is reported a suggestion to the effect that our clients have succeeded in obtaining possession of the Mill. With regard to this, the true facts are that after Mr. light and, having the most complete confidence Rennie's death the affairs of the Company were. in Mr. Ronnie, they accepted such statement as found to be so involved and disastrous that our accurate in every respect, though it has since clients, as the only remaining directors in the been ascertained that the Company's Bankers Colony, were advised and decided that, in the proved it to be otherwise. At the same time best interests of the shareholders, the only Mr. Ronnie mentioned to our clients that there proper course was to apply to the Court for a was a purchase of wheat which he had made winding up order and the appointment of a for June shipment, which he bad asked the liquidator, which was accordingly done. This Company's Bankers to finance, but which they liquidator is now in possession of the property were unwilling to do unless our clients personally of the Company on its behalf, but it is more than guaranteed the transaction, which amounted to probable that the realisation of such property some $500,00. The latter did not then refuse will be insufficient to pay the Company's to do this, but took the malterigto consideration.creditors and consequently leave nothing On the morning of the 14th instant, Mr. Ronnie rang up Sir Paul Chater on the telephone, stating that be was in trouble and desired to see Sir Paul, who, in reply, arranged to see Mr. Renuia at his office that morning and accordingly did
so. Mr. Rennie then informed Sir Paul Chater that there was trouble with regard to the Jane shipment above mentioned, that he had been notified that the steamer in connection there- with had been chartered and that acordingly the necessary credit must be sent and reiterated that if our clients would guarantee same it could be arranged through the Company's Bankers. Sir Paul Chater then Bugges ed to Mr. Rennie that it would be best in order to out the then apparent loss од
the shipment as much as possible, for Mr. Rennie to telegraph to cancel the contract and resell the shipment which Mr. Rennie then con- curred in doing and, in Sig Paul's presenOS wrote out a telegram for that purpose and handed it to Mr. Chard to despatch.
for the shareholders, of whom our clients hold two-thirds of the whole capital and accordingly are by far the greatest losers, from the confidence placed in Mr. Rennie, and the state in which his death left the affairs of the Company,
Thanking you in anticipation of the insertion of this,-We are yours obediently,
DEACON LOOKER AND DEACON.
PLAGUE AND RATS.
On April 28th, ten more plagna esses were notified, increasing the total to Ĭ12 at date.
It is singular that with the rapid spread of this disease this year, the number of plague infected rats fount should be less than before, It throws doubts on the scientific conclusions with regard to rats and plague,
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It may not be generally known that the plague inspectors at Hongkong, when they have a house under inspection, instal a tama rat there for five days, or until it dies, if the latter event happens within that period. The animal, which is regularly fed, but not provided with water is then returned to the Bacteriolo
It is also reported that [on the day of Mr. Rennie's death Mrs. Rennie was served with 8 writ for $30,000. : With of his presiding at the annual general meeting regard to this, in February last, prior to of the Milling Company; from this it will be the annual general meeting, and when seen that he stated that the outlook for the the accounts had been audited and a skeleton current year is more promising. "The demand statement in connec ion therewith got out, Mr.gical Laboratory. for our product continnes so strong that we
Rennie saw our clients therewith and as to the This week a second case of plagus broke out have difficulty in keeping pace with it.
disposition of the then estimated balance of some in a house in which the rat had shown no traces I am glad to say that everything is going $130,000 thereby appearing. Sir Paul Chater of disease.
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