We publish to-day the evidence taken before: the Mixed Court in the case, Sun A; chn.". Chang Fung-chuan, and a memo-random which reduces. the. rather. chaotic mass. of; petitions and statements. to athing intelligible.. The, affair has two 00, b which in itself; ig manifold,' and the other as it concerns status and relations of the City and municipality. authorities. In regard'to the former aspect, it can. only be said that neither accuser nor accused seem to be doserving.of much sympathy. Sun A-chu, who-bears the reputation of being a rowdy, appears. to have beaten a man within an inch of his life because this man's daughter, servant in a brothel, would not produce pawn-ticket said to have been lost stolen. Chang interfered on the man's behalf, but in such a°manner that Sun brought an action against him for false imprisonment, assault &e. His grounds' for complaining of Chang seem to have been of.rather a sentimental nature, however, for, in the special instance Chang's interference can scarcely be deemed very Dlameworthy. And in order to push the matter Sun resorted to a proce-ure as unjustifiable in foreign eyes as, it isto be presumed, that which urged him, to, it appeared to Chinese. He and la friends. seized Chang and carried him into the City, to the Che-hsien's yamen, handling him roughly and robbing him of clothing, watch, umbrella, as. they went. When they reached the yamen, the- magistrate then and there administer slight correction of 50 blows on the' check, to both parties. Following Chang's arrest, a number of petitions were sent in, upon which he was indicted generally for having set himself up oan authority to settle and decide disputes, interfering in cases with which he had no concern, fomenting litigation and acting as a sort of unlicensed attorney, and squeezing and annoying his native fellow-residents. The case having been looked into by the Mixed Court, was handed over to the Taotai and H.B, M. Acting Consul, Mr. Alabaster. On Tuesday sentence was communicated through that Court, of six months imprisonment, in passing which, Chen ani-adverted on the serious nature of Chang's offences and said he might, under Chinese law, be banished to a distance of 4,000 li, but that the Taotai had, under the eircumstances, resolved to show leniency by in-fioting only a short term of imprisonment.
Next comes the case against Sun and eight others, brought by the Municipal Council, for setting the Regulations at defiance and practically ignoring the Municipal authority. As Chang was carried straight to the Ohehsion's yamen, and the refinements of jurisdiction are probably not very clearly understood by the people generally, the culprits here refused to be convinced of the enormity of their offence; but the authorities, recognising the importance of maintaining the Police Regulation that all arrests made within lithe Settlement' shall be with the cognizance of the Municipal Police, punished the principal offender, Sun, with six months' imprisonment, 6 others with 5 days cangue, and gave the remainder severe repu The Chehsien is also to blame to some extent for having accepted the arrest as regular and stubbornly refusing to acknowledge its illegality when called upon by Mr. McClatchie. We understand that ho has since expressed regret that, before proceeding with the case against Chang Fung-chuan, hechd not refer to H, M.'s Consul, asthe man claimed tobe in foreign employ. 'The Taotai seems to have acted fairly. On Mr. Alabaster's representation, he promptly admitted the impropriety of the Chehsien dealing with the case of a man in foreign' employ, without previous communication with the Consul, as well as the illegality of the arrest, and ordered Chang's rel Ho has also allowed Chang a respite of a fortnight before putting the eentence of imprisonment in force, in order that he may settle up matters of business with his late employer.
This is the case so far as it has gone, but other charges) and counter charges have yet to be heard. Four were partially gone into on Tuesday, in which Chang had to defend himself against accusations of abduction, swindling, false imprisonment, &c.; and on the other hand, he,' has a case against Sun and his confreres for violence and robbery.
All this rascality interests us very little, excepting as it reveals the condition of fish. things which led to an outrage upon our Municipal police authority; and as the case has resulted in the formal recognition of that authority within the. Settlement, and the sole right of the, Mixed Court to. deal with cases where foreigners are concerned—as to which the Chehsien received a lesson at the first hearing—its settlement will, we hope, give us, a guarintes against action of the kind in future. As an individual who has become obnoxious to the City authorities, Chang will probably have to undergo rigorous confinement and the rough treatment of Chinese prison life at its roughest, but it may be doubted whether Sun, who appears to be a rowdy of a class who give much trouble to the Settlement, will not be able to reduce his sentence to something perfectly nominal. Mr. Penfold made a fow state. ments in Court explanatory of the dangerous, defiant and lawless character of Sun's class, which showed how desirable it is that when they are caught they should receive severe punishment, and that of a nature from which there could be no escape. Till that halcyon day arrives, however, when we shall not only govern ourselves but our native ce-residents, and adequate provision be made for the punishment of rowdies under the eyo of the police, we must continue to live in doubt whether, when justice is dispensed, it does not receive but a partial fulfilment, It would be more satisfactory if there were a special place ofconfinement within the Settlement for criminals convicted there, in fact a Municipal jail in connection with, the Municipal Police.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.