Two men, a coolie and a shroff, were charged one with stealing a cheque for 177.87, drawn on the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank in favour of Mr. D. W. Lyon, and the other with forging Mr. Lyon's name as an endorsement and attempting to utter the cheque.
fr. Lyon said that on Tuesday afternoon at about 2 p.m., ho sent his coolie to deliver a chit. At 2.30 his shroff went to the Bank to cash a cheque. While there his attention was directed to a coolie who was also trying to cash a cheque drawn in favour of witness. The shroff was asked did he know the coolie, and replied that he did. Seeing that his movements were obserr: d the coolie made a dash for the door, but was captured and brought back to the shroff. Witness had never before seen the cheque that the coolie was endeavouring to cash, but had been expecting its arrival for some days. The coolie afterwards returned to the office, and was arrested by the Police, with whom witness had communicated as soon as he had heard from the shroff.
Inspector Mathevon—At tha Police Station the coolie said he kad given the cheque to the second accused to have it endorsed.
Mr. Lyon—The letter accompanying the cheque in question has never conic to hand, and has probably been destroyed. T have written for a duplicate.
A small boy, aged 14, admitted signing, the name D. W. Lyon on the back of the cheque.
Detective Moore—Tho accused shroff gave the boy 50 cents and a ticket for the theatre for writing the name. He did not know the effect of what he was doing. In the first place the coolie took the cheque to the Bank, but was refused Payment on account of the cheque lacking endorsement.
After hearing the evidence of Mr. Lyon's shroff the Court sentenced the coolie to 500 blows and six months' imprisonment, and the shroff to 500 blows and three months' imprisonment. The boy who signed the name was permitted to go.
Larceny of Bristles, A man was charged with stealing a quantity of pigs' bristles, valued at Tls. 48, on the 10th instant.
A representative of Messrs. Carlowitz and Ca. said that yesterday he was visited by a policeman, who reported that robbery of bristles had occurred at the wharf, and was asked if he could identify the stolen property. He found that the packing on the stolen was identical with that used by their firm in Tientsin, and on referrin~ te the Shipping Office ascertained that a shipment of 28 cases had arrived per the Vorwaerts for transhipment to Europe.
'He could not of course absolutely identify the particular bristles recovered as-the property of the firm, but the packing was identical. 'Though the amount taken was small, it was worth Tls. 48, as the bristles were 6} inches in length.' He could not say how the robbery occurred, as he was not aware of it till asked by the police to identify the goods.
The accused was sentenced to 500 blows and one month's cangue.
Shanghai, 12th December. Before Mr. Citaxe (Magistrate), and: Mr.
Gites (British Assess), Stealing the Council's Cement.
Four men were charged with stealing 8 casks of cement valued at $48 from the Municipal Council's works in Fearon and Haining Roads between the ist and the 4th inst., and a contractor, of Sinza Road, was charged with receiving 4 casks of the same, well knowing it to have been stolen.
The case was originally before the Court on Monday last, when it was remanded to Binco. that, time, Detective-sergonat Me permit of further enquiries being made.
cell had been hard at work and had succeeded in tracing the men to whom the stolen property was sold, and it is prineipally due to his efforts that the men were brought to book.
From the evidence, which did not vary from that given on Monday last, ib ras clearly shown that the men had stolen the cement and sold it to the contractor, and two foremen were sentenced ench to receive 300 blows, to be cangued for one month, imprisoned for six months, and expelled the Settlement; one coolie was onlered 390 blows. one' month's cangue atid deportation, and the other 300 blows and deportation; while the contractor was tined $100.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.