November 9, 1908.].
A CROWD OF PRISONERS. The soone at the Central Police Station yesterday was one of the greatest activity. There was an incessant ringing of telephones and a continuous dashing to and fro of officers. On the compound near the gate a squid of armed Indian policemen were kept in readiners, and as soon
as they were despatched to any quarter, another squad quietly lined up to await orders. At the Magistracy yesterday morning, likewise, there was that air of business which is associated with anything of unusual occurrence. Squatting on the small compound above the steps leading up from the Charge Room were a crowd of rioters under guard of an escort of Indiaas. Calm and peacet ful enough they looked as they sat there awaiting their trial; it may be that they were preparing excuses to offer their Worships later in the day. The dock in the large Court, over which;Mr. J. B. Wood presided, was filled, and charges of attempting to break into shops and riotous behaviour
were the order of the
day. In some osses his Worship imposed fines
on the offenders, while in others they were committed to jail for terms of imprisonment ranging from one week to six months without the option. There were two charges of arson preferred against seven mer, and all the offenders, being found guilty, were punished. Over one hundred oases were dealt with at the Magistracy yesterday, and a number of others will be heard to.day. When offenders were charged, the usual Chinese excuses were forthcoming in many instances. One of the men charged said he was only out for a constitutional, while another informed the Court that he went to one of the shop looted to buy a lead pencil.
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
B A native who was shot on Monday has sinɔs succumbed in the Government Civil Hospital. Reports are current that six other Chinese were shot, but the police have received no information regarding this.
Wanol-ai has remained quiet through a'l the disturbance, and the police took all precautions to keep it quiescent. Special patrols were out yesterday, and as evening approached the strength of th se was increased. |
ALL QUIET.
•
num-
All was quiet as we went to press last night. Many of the mob loitered about the western end of the city until a late hour, but strong military and police patro ere s ationed at all quarters, and the riotere kept
16 on the move." Many of the native business ploes closed their shops after dark, while those who ventured to keep open had placards placed in their windows stating that they did not sell Japaneso goods. A ber of the bi native stores adoh as Look Hing's, which the mob had threatened to loot, had special guards over them, while on the applica tion of the Japanese Consul a strong guard was placed over the Mitsui Bussan Kaisha's godown. Throughout the riot however, not one Japanese store was interfered with, the boycotters con fining their attacks to Chinese shops suspected of selling Japanese goods..
A PEACEFUL DAY,
Qaite a number of the charges in connection with the riots have not yet been heard, but to date the cases below have been dealt with, the results being as follow ¿—
Two men were fined $2 or seven days, and the fines were paid.
15 men were fined $2 or seven days: two paid fines and the rest went to prison.
24 men were fined $25 or seven days: two paid fines and the remainder went to jail.
Five prisoners were discharged. Eight men were sentenced to six weeks' im- prisonment.
Eight men were committed to jail for three months.
Two received twelve strokes of the birch sach, and were detained for 24 hours.
Two men were fined $50, or seven days' im prisonment.
Four prisoners were sentenced to six months' hard labour.
►
THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT
AND EXTRADITION CASES.
INTERESTING ARGUMENT AT THE
MAGISTE LOT,
Before Mr. J. E. Wood at the Magistracy on the 3rd inst. the hearing of the applion- |tion for the surrender of Chan Sum Cheung to
the Chinese Government was continued.
Mr. Donnys (of the Crown Solicitor's office) made the application on behalf of the Chinese Government, and Mr. John Hastings (of Mesars. Hastings and Hastings) appeared for the defendant.
Mr. Hastings stated that the Chinese Govern- Viceroy of Canton, waq applying for the ex meat, or some person sent down here by the
committed armed robbery in the Sun Mai tradition of this man on the ground that he District in March last. His Worship would quite understand what a committal warrant meant in these cases. They were not dealing here he was going to my with a civilised Go- verament—bat he would say with a European Government. In the case of the Frensh, the German or
Mr. C. F. Dixon (of Messrs. Hastings and Hastings) applied to his Worship for a re-hear- ing in the case in which Leung Sing Tak was applying for an extradition, the grant probability any European Government, if committed to jail for six months for being a would be that the case was a true one, and that ringleader of the boycotters. He informed his the man would get a fair trial when he was Worship that the punishment would not taken to the country which was demanding his be a severe one if the man was guilty, but he extradition. But it was quite different in desl thought, after he had cross-examined the witing with a power like China.
His Worship nesses that his Worship might form a different opinion as to whether he was the ringleader or If he was proved not to be, his Worship might be disposed to lessen the sentence.
The re-hearing was granted and took place on the 4th inst.
not.
Mr. C. F. Dixon said he intended to call witnesses to show that prisoner was not a man likely to be a ringleader in an affair of this kind. He wished first, however, to ask Inspector Richie if he really thought that this man was a ringleader.
Inspector Bitchie considered he was seeing that he tried to braak open the doors and was leading the crowd,
The prisoner was called, and said he was employed in a fish monger's stall at the Central Market. On Sunday night he was sent out by his master to pay a bill, and on his way back to the market he met a friend. Seeing a crowd of over one thousand men in Queen's Road they went along to se what was Witness had a pair of clogs on at the time, and the matter. was afraid of walking too quickly lost he should tread on the feet of some of the crowd and get into trouble. As the crowd swayed his way he and his friend were pushed under the verandah and then up to the door of a shop which had iron bars in front of it. He was barging §
to these iron bars with both hands so that he should not fall when the police arrested him,
Have you ever attended any meeting in connection with the boycott P-No. I don't know the meaning of meeting yet.
You were arrested just outside of this shop Were you shouting and urging the orowd to attack the shop?-I called out a few times to my friend to let him know where I was, as 1 lost sight of him in the crowd.
The demonstration of the military, coupled with the exertions of the police, had the desired effect upon the boycotters. Strong military-Yes. and police patrols guarded the streets on M D. day night, and native loiterers were not dealt lightly with, the result being that when the soldiers were recalled to barracks at midnight all was quiet. On Tuesday morning the oity had assumed its normal state, and business was resumed in those places where on the previous day riot had been rampant. Most of the native shops dealing in Japanese goods, however, remained closed, it is said on the suggestion of the Registrar General, who recommended such shopkeepers to keep their shutters up until things quietened down somewhat
It now appears that the originators of the boycott were a body known as the Dare to Die" Society, and that the Triad Society had nothing whatever to do with the riot. It is now said that many shopkeepers dealing in Japanese commodities had received anonymous notes containing the following_warning, hear that you are a traitor. Take warning." The fate of a number of those who did not take warning has already been told.
"We
A widely spread rumour stated that one of the causes leading up to Monday's disorder was the cutting off of a man's ears, bat we have it on the best authority that no such event occurred.
After farther evidence had been heard Mr. Dixon asked his Worship to say that Inspector Ritchie had made a bona fide mistake, and dis charge the defendant.
His Worship re-affirmed his decision.
A LOSS TO THE MANILA COMMUNITY,
The Manila Cablen ws refers to the death of Mr. George Wolf in these terms: -
The entire business community was shocked at the announcement of the death of George Wolf, who for many years has been a recognised leader in commercial circles in the Philippine Islands. Mr. Wolf early established here a firm whose methods of doing basiness and whose broad and generous ideas gained for it a d stinot place. Personally he had a host of friends and only his domestic tastes and extreme modesty prevented his prominence in general circles. His word was his bond and those whom he liked would go far to oblige. His loss is a serious one to the Philippines.
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was perfectly "well aware that in these cases there WAK no He might say that the Magistrate's order for trial worthy of the name.
of the person ordered to be committed. committal was practically the death warrant
Therefore his Worship should scrutinise with the greatest possible care the evidence which was offered in support of the claim for extradi- tion; especially as it was common knowledge that these cases which were brought by the so- called Chinese Government, which was really not the Chiness Government at all, but some mandarin or other person who was charged with the duty of asking for these extraditions, From experiences in the past it was perfectly well known that these cases were too often entirely trumped up. That was to say that the mandarins who asked for the extradition wanted the for some purpose or other, and for that reason he impressed upon his Worship that the evidence in this case-as in all these cases- and sifted with the greatest possible care. required to be sorutinised, examined, weighed In the case of a his Worship would be sure when the prisoner European Government
got to the country asking for his extradition that the evidence would be weighed and justios would be done. We knew from our experience in these cases that such a thing as justice was unknown in China-justios from our point of view. Mr. Hastings asked his Worship to consider what was the nature of the evidence that the Chinese Government were
man
required to bring before him. This had been a matter of
very great controversy in the past, and his Worship was perfectly well aware how that controversy arose. The Treaty of Tientsia laid down that criminals were only to be handed over on proof of guilt. Then we came to the Ordinance in extradition cases: that laid down something in this Colony which regulated procedure very different. It said the magistrates mart have such proof as would be necessary to com mit a prisoner for trial at the Criminal Semions. This difference had been set at read by the judgment in Wong Ka Chuen's case, in whick the learned Chief Justice hads discussed the` points to which he (Mr. Hastings) bad alluded. The Chief Justice said the duty of the magistrate was to consider whether the evidence given raised a strong or probable presumption of the guilt of the accused, and that, of course, required very much stronger and more sogent evidence to satisfy. His Worship Would see by the Extradition Ordinance that anỹ pro- ceedings for au`extradition had to be aɔm- mence by a requisition from the Chinese authorities, aud such a requisition had been put in in this case. On 1t a warrant had been issued and the prisoner arrested. He was to be taken back to Chins by a man named Tam, who was mentioned in the requisition. They had in evidence, from
WES
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