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January 23, 1909.]
The Hon. Mr. W. Rees Davies, K.C., Attorney General, who was instructed by Mr. Dennys, Jr., from the Crown Solicitor's Office, prosecuted, and the prisoners were undefended. ·
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The
CHINA ÖVERLAND TRADE REPORT. amining it the man caught him by the throat, tied him up, gaged him, put some wire through his hair and tied him to a stool. The people on the first floor then heard the noise, and owing to their shouting the six men ran away, but before doing so one of the men grabbed some money from the till in the accountant's room. A hinese constable heard the alarm, went to the house and found all the fokis tied up. Then he proceeded to a place called Circular Pathway where he arrested man, took him back to the shop, and he was identified as the first defendant. other three were subsequently arrested by the police. The whole case turned, as most of these cases did, on the subject of identification. The first and second accused were identified by no less than five witnesses who spoke positively as to these two men. When charged by the police, all four prisoners 'made statements, of an incriminating character, and it would be for the jury to say when they had heard the evidence what importance they attached to those state- The second accused, in his evidence before the Magistrate, said the admission he had made to the police sequence of inducement held out by them to him. He was assaulted by the police and asked to come forward to give evidence against the other men, consequently the admission he made was owing to the assault and the duress under which he was.
The Attorney-General informed his Lordship and the jurors that the prisoners were charged on two counts: the first alleging a robbery with others, and the second alleging ordinary larceny in a dwelling house. The object of discriminat- ing between the two charges was that, if the jurors were not satisfied that the money was obtained by means, of threat, it would open for them to find the prisoners guilty on the second count of the indict ment. The affair took place on November 29th at the village of Chinwan in the New Territory, about eight miles from the Shamsui- po Police Station. There appeared to have been, according to the evidence, an attack in force on the village by a large number of men, and from the Police evidence the jurors would learn that a large number of shops had been broken into. The prisoners were charged with breaking into the hun Yik shop, and the evid-ments. ence of one of the assistants would show that ten men entered that shop with revolvers and torches. The building was more or less looted, and it was alleged that $92 was stolen. This assistant identified the first and second prisoners, bat could not speak definitely regarding any of the others. Another man in the shop, however, identified the third prisoner as the man who pointed a revolver at him. These two witnesses reported the matter to the police, who arrived on the scene to find the whole village in disorder, and in a state of great excitement. The prisoners were arrested on December 10th, and a careful identification then took place, in which the three prisoners were picked out by the witnesses from a number of men. Tho whole question was one of identity; whether the jurors were satisfied that these three men were part of a band who committed this robbery.
After hearing the evidence the jury returned a unanimous verdict of guilty against the three accused. and his Lordship sentenced each man to five years' imprisonment with hard labour.
Tuesday, January 19th.
IN CRIMINAL JURISDICTION.
BEFORE HIS HONOUR SIR FRANCIS PIGGOTT (CHIEF Justice).
ALLEGED ROBBERY WITH VIOLENCE.
Lam Chun, Chan Wai Sik, Chan Shang and Tong Wah were arraigned on a charge of rob- bery on December 31st. risoners pleaded not guilty, and the following jury was empanelled:- R. V. Rutter (foreman), B. M. Castro, A. R. F Raven, J. T. d'Almada e Castro, A. Jahrand, H. A. Schluter and C. R. Crispin.
The Hon. Mr. W. Rees Davies, K.C., Attorney-General, who was instructed by Mr. Dennys, Jr., from the office of the Crown Solicitor, appeared for the Crown, the prisoner being undefended.
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The Attorney-General informed the Court and jurors that this was another charge of robbery with violence, a crime which appeared to be very rife in this olony. The robbery took place in an opium divan at 236, Queen's Road Central, on the 31st of last month. Six men were said to have taken part, but only four had been arrested in connection with it. The case for the prosecution, which was supported by a large number of witnesses, was that six men entered the opium divan at about tep o'clock on the evening in question, and remained there for a considerable time. After smoking opium for a while they were told to but
go, declined, saying they had not finished their smoke. After a time the six men got up, and the fokis, thinking they were going, went to take away the opium lamps. The pro- ceedings then appeared to have begun. Two of the man pushed one of the fokis aside, tied and ganged him, and then they bound the other. Two more of the robbers proceeded to the bed room of the master of the shop, wrapped him up in a quilt, and told him to be quiet or they would take his life, or used words to that effect. The master remained wrapped us in his blanket while the looting was going ou Then two of the intruders proceeded to the countant's room, and one of them approaching, offered him some money. While the accountant was ex-
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was iu con.
After hearing the evidence the jury brought in a verdict of guilty against the first three defendants, and found the fourth not guilty.
His Lordship sentenced the first, second and third men to four years' imprisonment with hard labour, und discharged the fourth defendant.
CONSULAR CHANGES IN HINA. The following appointments were announced in the London Gazette a month ago :-
Sir Alexander Hosie to be his Majesty's Consul- General for the Provinces of Chihli and Shansi, to reside at Tientsin;
Mr. P. E. O'Brien-Butler to be his Majesty's Consul-General for the Province of Szechuen, to reside at Chengtu;
Mr. R. H. Mortimore to be his Majesty's Consul for the Prefecture of Tengchon Fu, in the Province of Shantung, to reside at Chefoo;
Mr. E. T. C. Werner to be his Majesty's Consul for the Consular District of Kinkiang, to reside at Kiukiang:
Mr. A. J. Sundius to be his Majesty's Consul for the Consular District of Amoy, to reside at Amoy;
Mr. W. J. (lennell to be his Majesty's Consul for the Prefecture of Chin Chou, and for that portion of the Prefecture of Feng district of Hai Cheng, to reside at Newchwang; T'ien south of the northern boundary of the
the Consular District of Wuhu;
Mr. H. Goffe to be his Majesty's Consul for
Mr. E. C. C. Wilton, C.M.G., to be his Majesty's (onsul for the Consular District of Changsha, to reside at Changsha;
Mr. F. E. Wilkinson to be his Majesty's Consul for the Consular District of Kiungchow and Pakhoi, to reside at Kinngchow;
for the Consular District of Tengyueh, to reside Mr. B. G. Tours to be his Majesty's Consul
at Têngyueh; and
Mr. H. A. Ottewill, Mr.. V. L. Savage, Mr. B. Giles, Mr. B. Twyman, Mr. S. F. Mayers, Mr. S. Barton, and Mr. J. L. Smith each to be one of his Majesty's Vice-Consuls in thina.
A DERELICT JUNK WITH A STARVING CREW.
Captain Mathieson of the N. Y. K. Kumano Mary which arrived on Tuesday reported:
The Kumano Maru left Hongkong on the 15th inst. and on the following day, at sea, about 255 miles off Ningpo, a signal was seen afar off on the waters as if calling for assist
ance.
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KULANGSU (AMOY) MUNICIPAL COUNCIL.
Minutes of a meeting of the Council, held at the Board Room, on the 29th December 1908. J. S. Fenwick, Huang Ts'an-chow, W. Kruse, Present:-Messrs. W. H. Wallace (Chairman), S. Okuyama, W. Wilson, the Health Officer and the Secretary, C. Berkeley Mitchell. The minutes of the last meeting are read and confirmed.
Captain Mathieson steered his vessel towards the object and, on getting near, saw it was a fishing junk with Ningpo men on board. who were in a state of starvation through their provisions having run out. A gig was immedi ately lowered from the Kumano Maru and the second officer went with it with a plentiful supply of provisions and fresh water for the starving men, enough to last them several days for the voyage home.
HEALTH REPORT.
The Health Officer's report for 1908 was read and passed for publication.
THE BUDGET.
The Budget for 1909 was read, approved and passed for publication.
CENSUS OF THE CHINESE POPULATION. A letter was read from Mr. H. Gottwaldt of the Land Commission, enclosing the result of a the time the Chinese property on the Island was census he took of the Chinese population during
being revalued.
The Secretary was directed to thank Mr. Gottwaldt for his work in the matter, and to forward to Mr. Gottwaldt's Chinese clerk the sum of $15 for services rendered in connection with same.
POLICE REPORT.
The Superintendent of Police reported that the following cases had been heard in the Mixed Court since the last meeting-Summonses- Debt, 2; Allowing pigs and cattle to stray, 16; Throwing rubbish &c. into the public drains, 6; Breach of Slaughter House Regulations (in buying the carcass of a pig to retail, unfit for human food) 1; Breach of Municipal Regula- tions (Disorderly house) 2. Summary Arresta : -Kidnapping, 1; Being a rogue and a vagabond &c. 4; Committing a nuisance, 3; Resisting the Police, 6; Creating a disturbance, 4 Attempting to sell the carcass of a pig, unfit for human food, 1; Breach of Sampan Regulations, 2; Cruelty to animals, 2; Burglary, 2; Drunk and creating a disturbance, 1; Theft 2.
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ENGLISHMAN MURDERED IN THE INTERIOR.
News has reached Tientsin of the murder of Mr. Brooke, who twelve months ago left Han- kow on an extended shooting trip in the extreme West of China.
His companion, Mr. Mears, a well-known traveller, who has made many adventurous journeys, cabled from Ningyuanfu, Western Szechuan, that Mr. Brooke and some of his followers had been massacred. Mr. Mears does not state if he himself escaped unhurt or not.
many exciting adventures and narrow escapes.
The two travellers during the past year had
On several occasions they were attacked by the wild Western tribes. The murder took place in the Independent Lolos country, or im- mediate neighbourhood.
*
In the Badminton" of October an account of the two men's travels is given.
OUR MILITARY CONTRIBUTION.
SOUTH AFRICAN COLONIES CONTRIBUTE
NOTHING.
Appendix 20 of the current year's Army Estimates tells an instructive tale! It shows that while the Crown Colonies of Ceylon and the Straits Settlements and Hongkong all pay substantial contributions to Army funds towards the upkeep of their garrisons, the self-governing colonies of South Africa contribute nothing. Regular soldiers are stationed at Colombo, Singapore, and Hongkong, because these ports are of first-class naval and commercial import- ance; but the garrison is for the most part maintained in South Africa for purely local purposes, and to save the white population from providing for its own security against internal troubles.-United Service Gazette.
Mr. H. T. S. Green, who has been the manager of the International Banking Corpora tion's Yokohama branch has been transferred to the Head Office on promotion. Mr. N. S. Marshall, of Kobe succeeds Mr. Green at
Yokohama.
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