To the Editor of the "Norra-Caiva Darty News." Jetiers of Me. Dud} ce lent the Watered Sim,—The very undignified and hysterical Cotton case which have appeared in your columns carry with them their own refutation but, lest silence should be supposed to imply concurrence, I send you a few lines on the subject.
points were apparently raised at the outset on behalf of the defendant. First, was the cotton watered; secondly, was the prosecutor, Mr. Rosenfeld, an employee of messrs. Ibert & Ca. (or the Laou-kung-mow the employ of the Watered ation, and if so, did not the dual position render his evidence of less weight than it would have had been employed in the ostesed if be latter capacity only?
As to the first point. Judgio: by the report that appears in your columns it seems that Mr. Kerfoot, the Manager of the Ewo Cotton Mill, stated generally that the best Shanghai cotton this year contains percent. of moisture; that they often fill; that anything above that he would 12 per cent in the cotton, at the Ewo call No. 2 cotton, and that it would be called market cargo; afd that anything over 13 percent is purposely adulterated. AS the cotton in question he stated that in his opinion the percentage of moisture was "certainly not more than 18 per cent," and further said, "I am sure this cotton was not watered purposely." There was therefore strong evidence for the defence from a foreign expert of the highest standing in Shanghai that there was not an undue amount of moisture in the cotton, and that it was not intentionally watered.
Asto the second point. The Court refused to allow the matter to be gone late by the witnesses on the one side or the other. The facts therefore are still unknown.
Tu both letters Mr. Dudgeon refers to the very high position which he holds as Chairman of certain institutions, a matter which has nothing to do with the points raised in the case, and one can only regret that anyone holding such positions should permit himself to pen, and to print such productions as have appeared in your columns. The last paragraph in the letter publish! this morning is distinctly amusing as it suggests that terrible things might have occurred if he had been a small man instead of the great man that he is.
Tam, etc., W. V. Drvsxoxp.
Shanghai, 10th June, 1902.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.