The proprietor of a native theatre at the corner of Hankow and Hupeh Road charged with staging an indecent play, The play portrays the amours of celebrated Yangtzepoo ruffian who wanted by the police for a variety of crimes ranging from theft to murder. A similar was staged some time ago under the of © Ssu Alezu."
The defendant w: alternative, 3 months' langu ud 2 years' imprisonment.
Sth September. istrate) and Mr. Assessor)
The Charge of Arson.
The proprietor of the shop 210, Honan ad, and his employee were again the Court on" the charge of son on those and the ad-Mr. L. E. P. Jones prosecuted and Mr. A. S. P. White-Cooper defended.
The small apprentice who gave evidence at the Inst hearing was_cross-examined i He said he had proprietor of the adjoining te te what he should say in evid fires in the tea-shop were put 0 by pouring water over and not by raking Cit the ashes, Bean oil was used the shop but there was none there at the the fires, He sow the haunt the wall from the twiew: it was the each and wats that own, He (not see any people walking over the the h the shed re the stra ud the stag. ing of the prisoner's hous Cho Ab-pin, the proprietor of the teashop, said he did not live on those premises but on the other side of the Soochow Creek. Including the last witness he employed ten assistants, all whom slept_at the shop. The first fire broke out near the cooking stove, near which reeds had been stored: he thought that was the cause of the outbreak and scolded his assistants. After the second fire in the same place he saw the hole in the wall and sent for the police. On a second visit to the police station, two detectives were sent to investigate. In the prisoners' premises they found matches close to the hole in the wall. Witness knew neither of the prisoners before. They only commenced business in the fifth' moon of this rear, after occupying the premises with Glosed doors we moons and trying to sell the shop. Witness had been in business for four his shop was finally burnt out on ay of the <erenth moon. Up to this year he was insured for $700. but the insurance company had ref ed to renew his heeanse he stored The company of the premiums He believe had been eased by the pri whom he had no grudge, as he did not Know them. Tt was a usual thing to soak paper in bean all to use to light fires. He could not tell whether the paper Fin that wa elt Tike that now produces as he could not smell.
He estimated the maze done 10 his pre strings of cash.
The native detective who accom: 1 Detective Eadie fo the premises described the disc ory of the wet il paper close to the in the wall, and also of the n the roof. The bos contain ance policy was found upstairs near the door in a sort of i 1 would be quite a natu al place to cha paper.
When questioned by Detective lie, the proprietor prisoner at first deni that he was the master of the shop. rgeants Schmeling and Ro tral Police Station were complaints of fire had been laid dete sent to. make in-
An old man assistant in the tea-shop said all the men there helped to put out the fires: he had told the apprentice to mark the hand if he saw it come through the wall again. He knew of no dispute between masters of the two shops.
A waiter in the tea-shop also said there five fires at the shop, that attempts were made to get into' the prisoners' premises and that eventually he was set tw watch the door to see that none came From it 'This concluded' the ease for the prose-caution.
In opening the defence Mr. White-Cooper pointed out that the prosecution ad to prove not that this was a ease of son but that prisoners committed the he evidence brought had been with the exception the hand, which the apparent ribed as being more like a boy's than a man's. The prose-1 were apparently of opinion that the fire prisoners would benefit at the expense of the Commercial Union Tnsurance Company: but that was not tle case, fe would also be shown that one of thei was a yuan of substance not likely to be tempted to do a risky thing like this for Une sake of Tls. 800.
Kerr, agent for the Commercial aid hatin April last year instirance was effected on the premises 210, Honan Road, but not in the name of cither of the present prisoners. The Jiey was for Tls, 500 on furniture and fixtures. On the 7th July, the policy was ukered to distribute the is. 500° over clothes and. private effects, Ths, 2005 furniture and fixtures, 'THs. 200; and stock THs. 100, On the 3rd July a fre th policy Chinese doctor practising foreign edlecine for Tls. 300.
This was to cover of morphia which prisoners were to sell for him. When Detective Eadie ported the fire to him he inspected the ud came to the conclusion that 50 would easily cover the whole value of the stoc ion was subse quently _modifie clerk, which returned the stock at $206. Detective Eadie had told him it was the clearest ease of arson he had ever secu, asked him to engage a lawyer to Witness replied that the pro-matter for the police; his ce had athing to proseetite on 8 inst them had yet been made. witness that he sent Glbs.
to prisoner's shop but. took again as none was sold. Witness told Mr. Bland on the telephone that. he was satisfied that the stork was not over insured.
mined—He had never said to Detective Eadie about pro-securing these men. His firm had a Cantonese compradore, who took him to con the hole in the wall and said it was hot his enowzh for a hand to be passed The man in whose name the icy was taken out had dis-red.
Tfe believed another valuation of wack had been made by Noi, Murray and Ca.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.