320
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
to one ALLEGED LARCENY AS A BAILEE. [officer, who wished to be directed
Before Mr. J. H. Kemp at the Magistracy on Tuesday Dora Jackson of 41 Des Voeux Road Central, prosecuted Morris Bon on the charge of larceny as a bailee of $500. The complainant, it appears, laid a complaint at the Central Police Station in which she stated that she gave the defendant the sum of $500 to buy a draft, and to send it somewhere for her. As he did not return, she proceeded to make enquiries and even- tually found that he had left by the French mail steamer for Saigon. On arrival of the steamer at Saigon the defendant was arrested and brought back to Hongkong. Mr. C. E. H. Beavis (of Messrs. Wilkinson and Grist) appeared for the defendant, and the hearing of the case was adjourned.
The hearing of the case in which Morris Bon was charged with the larceny of $500 as a bailee concluded before Mr. J. H. Kemp at the Magis- tracy on Thursday.
Dora Jackson, who resides at 51, Des Voeux Road Central, deposed to giving defendant $500
on the 30th of last month. She asked him to get a draft for her, but he did not return. The money had since been refunded by defendant's friends, and she did not wish to proceed with the
саде.
His Worship-The return of the money is not sufficient reason for it to be withdrawn.
Inspector Hanson-The other witness has left the Colony The only evidence we have now is the uncorroborated statement of the complainant.
His Worship-The money has been returned by some one. Did the defendant make a state- ment?
Inspector Hanson-He said, “I deny the charge."
His Worship (to complainant)-There was. nothing said as to when he would bring back
the draft?-No.
Did he tell you he was leaving the Colony ?— No.
His Worship (to defendant)-Do you wish to make a statement ?—Noj
as
You realise, I suppose. that the case stands at present there is enough evidence to convict you ?-I leave the case in your worship's hands.
In reply to his worship, Inspector Hanson said nothing was known about the defendant.
His worship convicted the defendant and sentenced him to two months' hard labour. In fixing that sentence he had taken into account in defendant's favour the fact that the money had been returned.
AN ESCAPED PRISONER.
WHO WENT IN SEARCH OF A CHARACTER.
of the forts. While pointing the way to the officer, the prisoner struck the constable a blow on the wrist, freed himself, ran up by the Shaukiwan slaughter-house towards Stanley Road, and made good his escape. Until a few days ago the prisoner enjoyed his freedom, but from information received. Inspector Collett despatched a Chinese detective to West Point, and the defendant was apprehended in an opium divan in Queen's Road. When arrested he was found to have two and a half mace of prepared opium in his possession.
He appeared before Mr. F. A. Hazeland at the Magistracy yesterday on charges of assaulting the police and being in unlawful possession of opium. He admitted that he attempted to escape, but stated that he thought the other magistrate had discharged him, and that the constable had no right to be taking him to Shaukiwan,
His Worship recorded a conviction on each charge, but deferred sentence until Mr. Wood had dealt with him on the previous charge of being a rogue and a vagabond.
The prisoner who escaped from a European constable at Shaukiwan recently was again placed in the dock at the Magistracy on pril 15. Mr. J. R. Wood first took his seat on the bench to deal with the defendant for attempt ing to steal money, the property of the Electric Tramway Co.
*
His Worship-Are you the man who escaped from the police?
Prisoner Yes.
His Worship-Have you anything to say? Prisoner The other day I heard your Wor- ship tell the constable to take me away. thought I was discharged.
I
His Worship-I convict you, and sentence you to six weeks' imprisonment with hard labour. Mr. F. A. Hazeland succeeded Mr. Wood on the bench to pass sentence in the charges on which he had previously convicted. On the charge of assaulting the constable he sentenced the defendant to imprisonment with hard labour for six weeks, and six hours' exposure in the stocks. On the second charge of contravening the Opium Ordinance he imposed a fine of $8 with an alternative of fourteen days' hard labour. He further ordered that the two sentences be consecutive with the sentence in the other case, and instructed Inspector Collett to have the prisoner banished on completion of his sentence, as he was a desperate character.
A SMART CAPTURE.
to the value of $24, and the student must have
•
[April 17, 1909.
SUPPLYING A PRISONER WITH
FOOD.
An Indian warder employed in Victoria Jail
was place before Mr. J. H. Kemp at the Magis tracy on Thursday on a charge of conveying, or attempting to convey pork to & prisoner contrary to the jail regulations.
Mr. R. H. A. Craig, Assistant Superinten- dent of Victoria Jail, prosecuted, and Mr. J. H. Gardiner (of Messrs. Brutton & Hett) appeared for the defendant.
Prisoner No. 343 said be was undergoing a sentence of five years for robbery. On the night of the 11th instant the defendant threw two pieces of pork into his cell, and he threw them out. Defendant said No. 191 told him to give prisoner the pork. Witness reported the occurrence to the principal warder.
Mr. Gardiner said he did not think the section under which the case had been brought covered the charge
His Worship-It appears to cover it.
Mr. Gardiner-I submit it does not. The pork is not alleged to have been brought in or taken out, by the prisoner.
His Worship-It may have been; we cannot tell yet,
In cross-examination, prisoner said he had been in jail between ten and twenty months He knew prisoner 191, but was not on good terms with him, and did not know why he should send him pork, He did not eat pork in jail because he could not get it.
Was this pork bad, that you wouldn't eat I don't know whether it was bad or not I didn't want it.
it
That same evening, didn't the defendant caution you from speaking in your cell?—No.
Didn't you think the defendant was doing you a good turn in giving you a piece of pork ? He intended to tell the principal warder to search my cell, with the object of getting me put on water and rice.
Is there any reason why he should try to get you into trouble?This Indian is a tender hearted man; because he was asked to bring something to me he did it.
Is it possible to pass pork from one cell to another?—It can be done.
I suppose the reason you didn't accept the pork so kindly sent by No. 191 was because you thought he was not a friend of yours? That
is so.
Re-exmamined-About fourteen days' ago 191 was taken from your party for having to- bacco and a belt in his possession P-Yes.
The case was adjourned.
RAILWAYS IN SIAM.
PROPOSED SAIGON LINE ENCOUNTERS MUCH OPPOSITION.
A coolie from Canton appeared before Mr. F. A. Hazeland at the Magistracy oh April 12 on a The Chinese prisoner who escaped from a
charge of robbery. Between two and five o'clock European constable at Shaukiwan last month on Sunday morning the defendant gained ad- has again been apprehended, and the story of mittance to the residence of a student at 390, his arrest, escape and re-arrest was told to Mr. Queen's Road West, by climbing up a rainwater F. A. Hazeland at the Magistracy on Wednesday pipe. He departed with clothing and money The prisoner, by name Chu Sam, boarded a tramcar near the terminus at Shaukiwan on the reported his loss shortly afterwards, for by six morning of March 14th. He took a seat in o'clock the defendant was arrested at Yaumati the second class compartment, but as
with most of the stolen property in his posses- as the tram was in motion changed to first sion. His capture was probably brought about class where, apparently, he knew that the by his appreciation of fine clothes, for his ap- conductor kept his books and cash in a pearance in a silk jacket and minus boots box under the rear seat. While the conduc- aroused the suspicions of a Yaumati detective, and the man was arrested. His Worship sen- tor was collecting the fares from the third tenced him to six weeks' imprisonment and six Saigon. All this traffic now goes to Bangkok
soon
hours exposure
in the stocks.
News of Siamese railway schemes to tap in- land Indo-China and to attract it to Bangkok have aroused alarm in the Colony. The countries to be reached are Laos and Cambodia, under French rule, which lie so far inland that the current of trade sets in to Bangkok rather than to Saigon. To mend matters, the build- ing of a railway from Saigon to Combodia and Laos has been proposed more than once, but nothing has come of it. The strongest argu- ment for the proposed line is that it would draw the trade of Cambodia and Southern Siam to
which alone profits by the trade carried on.
The
class passengers, the defendant endeavoured to break open the box containing the cash box, but was seen by the conductor through the car window. The conductor immediately trans- ferred himself to the first class, and as the pri- of Commerce respecting the loss of free port In reply to a letter by the Liverpool Chamber soner stood up, demanded his fare. The aconséd attempted to jump off the car, but the in East Asia, the Board of Trade stated they status by Vladivostock and other Russian ports conductor seized him and with the assistance understood that when the new law comes into of Bergeant Chinnery, R.G.A., who was on the force those articles which are to be dutiable will car at the time, took the man to Quarry Bay be subject to the conventional rate of duty if where he was handed over to a European con- they are the produce or manufacture of any out at once the proposed Saigon railroad.
stable.
J
On the following day the defendant was charcountry (including the British Dominions) which is entitled to most favoured nation treat- ged before Mr. J.R. Wood at the Magistracy, ment in Russia, and that this treatment will be and was remanded in police custody because he irrespective of the nationality of the carrying stated that he wished to call his late master to vessel give him a good character. That afternoon the change in the treatment of British vessels in the So far as the Board are aware, no defendant was taken back to Shaukiwan by ports of the Russian Far East will result from Constable Rutledge. After alighting from the operation of the new the car the constable was accosted by an
law.
While the Saigon railway enterprise thus hangs fire, a rival Siamese scheme to connect finding favour at the Siamese capital. Bangkok with Cambodia and Laos by rail is
the Cambodian trade, are actively, so it is said British and German merchants, who profit by agitating for the Siamese scheme. A Tonkin paper urges the French Government to frus- trate the Siamese railway scheme, and to carry The interests of Saigon demand it urgently. Of the British and German prompters of the iamese line, the Germans are more dreaded German traders and dealers flock into Indo- In Tonkin. Laos and Cochin-China, German China and stiffly hold their own in business.
wares abound, and, under the noses of French merchants, Germans monopolise a big slice of the trade.
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