A serious charge of torturing prisoners with the object of extorting confessions was preferred against three native detectives in the employ of the Council, at the Mixed Gourt on Friday. Tt appears that recently a native passenger by a steam launch from Soochow to Shanghai was robbed of a considerable sum of money on the journey. He accused two men who were employed on the launch of stealing the money and these two were accordingly arrested by the police. They denied their guilt, and were then taken by the three detectives charged yesterday to a tea-shop in Hongkew, where it is alleged they were subjected to various tortures to force them to make a confession. They maintained their innocence, and their employer took up the case and sent in a petition to the Council, with the result that an investigation was made and the three detectives placed under arrest. The complainants detailed the nature of the tortures inflicted, one showing marks on his thumbs, which he alleged had been made by thumb-and the other exhibiting his auk! scored by a rope or something of the kind. bore evidence of having been severd
A most formidable instrument of torture in the shape of a pair of heavy brass thumb-screws, which had been found in the tea-shop where the alleged torture took place, was produced in Court. The case was remanded until Monday next.
It may perhaps be remembered that some time ago a native correspondent asserted in our columns that torture was constantly employed by the native detectives, but his statements were poohpoohed by the police.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.