The proprietor of the Tuck Dah tea leaf hong, No. 171 North Honan Road, was charged with having wilfully tet fire to his premises on the night of the 12th instant, with intent to obtain the insurance money thereon.
Detective-Inspector McDowell having outlined the facts of the case, the: accused's neighbours gave evidence to the following effect. On February 26 two men engaged a room next to ac-On March 1, the two room about 4.30 p.n. and asked a neighbour to lock the door of their room and keep the key until they called for it. A short time afterwards an explosion occurred in the room, and, on unlocking and entering the room, the neighbour found volarness of smoke issuing from a box, which was filled with paper and rags saturated with Kerosene. Amongst the papers were tome envelopes addressed Tack Dal—the name of accused's firm. On the night of the 12th instant a fire broke out in a room separated from scoused's shop by a thin partition. A neighbour discovered the fire and attempted to extinguish it, but it had obtained too strong abeld. The accused had been seen to leave the premises just before the neighbours discovered the fire, and he must have known that his shop was on fire, but he gave no alarm. The contents of the shop were insured for Tls. 1,000.
'The Court sentenced scoused to five years' imprisonment and complimented the Police upon their work in connexion with the case, Before Mr. Pao Yr (M Mr. S. Barros (British Assessor).
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.