'A coolie was charged on suspicion with stealing a sum of money from the Church of Our Saviour, Broadway, on the 10th inst., the same being a collection, the property of the church.
Mr. James, minister of the church, said that as he was away last Sunday he asked 'Mr. Man to take the service. Mr. Man @id so, and, as usual a collection was taken.' Witness always took the collection away with him when he left church, but Mr. Man did not know this was the custom, and left the plate containing the money on the Holy Table. It. disappeared: Prisoner was a coolie who had charge of the keys of the church, and whose duty it was to clean up the church, ete. He disappeared on Sunday evening, and although he had formerly cleaned up the church every day, did not put in fan appearance again until Wednesday morning. Witness then gave him into "custody. The evidence against him was purely circumstantial as no one sav him take the money.
'Mr. Man corroborated Mr. James' story and the native pastor also gave evidence.
The Court ordered prisoner, who emphatically protested his innocence, to find security.
Shanghai, 18th April. Before Mr, Huaxc Hsvzx (Magistrate)
and Mr. H. H. Bristow (Assistant British Assessor).
A Gang of Ruffians Broken Up.
A gang of fourteenfCantonese loafers were brought before the Court, on four charges of burglary at various places and on various dates during March and April; also on a charge of attempting to kill native P.C. 535 by discharging a loaded revolver at him at 127, Haining Road, on the 23rd of March; and they were further charged with public gambling at 169, Wauchang Rona, on the 15th instant, and with being in possession of murderous weapons and instruments for the purpose of housebreaking.
Inspector Bourke said that at 9.15 p.m. on the 15th instant the Police made a raid on the premises, 165, Wuchang Road, as a result of information received which led them to think that the persons then occupying those premises belonged to a gang of ruffians who during the past few weeks had committed several armed burglaries and Jhad been a terror to all the natives in the locality. 'The police made the raid and caught the accused in the act of gambling, while a search of the premises resulted in the finding of the knives, fighting irons, burglars' tools, ete. now produced. There were several complainants present who would say that the weapons produced were similar to those with which they had been threatened and wounded by the ruffians who had burgled their houses. One of the complainants had identified one of the prisoners as a man who had threatened him with a knife in the course of a burglary at his house. Several other natives could give valuable evidence, but were afraid to do 80 as they were in terror of their lives, thinking that the prisoners' associates might wreak vengeance on them afterwards, There had been several burglaries and everything pointed to the fact that the present prisoners were the culprits. At 3 a, m. on the 6th of March a house in the Tiendong Road was broken into by four armed Cantonese and some of the inmates threatened with knives and revolvers, and others wounded by the burglars. An alarm was raised and the burglars got away. At 2.10 a.m. on the 15th of March another house in the same locality was entered by a similar gang of men. Native P. C. 428 saw aman loitering in the vicinity and questioned him, who upon the man drew a knife and almost cut the constable's hand in two. This nan also got away. At 1.45 a.m. on the 25th of March the Pau Luh Hai Temple in Haining Road was broken into, but an alarm was raised before anything had been stolen. Native P. C. 535 saw a man running away and chased him into Road, but the mau drew a revolver and discharged it at the constable. The latter blew his whistle, but the burglar got away before. other police arrived on the scene. At 5m. on the 13th instant, in Hanbury Road was broken into by s gang armed with revolvers and Imnives, who threatened the occupants and stole money' and' jewellery to the value of $465. The occupant of the house had identified one of the prisoners as the man who threatened him with a knife. At 815 pin. on the 14th instant, four armed Cantonese broke into a house in the Seohhong-jan-ka alleyway, and brutally beat a female inmate and gagged and ill-treated a ricsha coolie, also stealing goods and money to the value of $600. The woman received a blow with some heavy instrument across the eyes and her upper lip was badly ent. She was now in a critical state. It would be seen that on some of the knives and fighting irons found upon the prisoners, there were traces of blood. A sheath found at the scene of one of the burglaries exactly fitted one of the knives found during the raid. When the house was raided the prisoners were gambling. but the weapons were found underneath the cushions of the chairs they were sitting on. Four of the prisoners said they were firemen on coasting ships, but as they were gambling with the others they snust have some connection with them. One of the prisoners was the man who paid the rent of the house upon which the raid was made. Another man, not now before the Court, had been arrested upon a Mixed Court warrant, in connection with a gambling case in August last. Enquiries made proved him to be the nephew of the man whose house in the above-mentioned alleyway had been burgled on the 14th instant, and it was found that he left the house just previous to the burglary. It was vot at all unlikely that he was also connected with the gang.
An occupant of the house which was burgled in Hanbury Road gave evidence and identified one of the prisoners as the man who threatened him with a knife similar to those produced.
A woman who had been threatened and badly cut during one of the burglaries, said that the knives now produced were exactly like those carried by the burglars.
A'Chinaman who was wounded in the Tiendong Road burglary also gave similar evidence. He was very badly ent about the hands, and had completely lost the use of to fingers. The burglars' tools produced were left behind at his house by the burglars.
P. C. 428, whose hand had been almost severed by the man who attacked him, also gave evidence. He could not recog nisse the man, but said that he was a Cantonese.
The prisoners were examined at some length by the Magistrate, and some of the native witnesses were recalled.
Inspector Bourke drew particular attention to the fact that in all the burglaries the men were Cantonese, and the weapons carried by them were similar to those captured in the raid. He asked that a heavy sentence should be passed, and that the prisoners be. deported to Canton, so that the Police could lay hands on them if they returned to the Settlement.
The principal prisoner, who had, been identified by two of the witnesses, was enced to 500 blows, 10 years imprisonment, and to be deported. 'The remainder were sentenced to 200 blows and 6 months' imprisonment each, and to be deported.
Thefts from the Wharves.
'Two unemployed natives were charged with stealing a portion of a weighing machine, valued at $3, from the China Merchants' Central Wharf on the 20th of February; a portion of a weighing machine, of the same value, from the Pootung Wharf on the 18th instant; two similar portions of weighing' machines from the str. Paohua, lying at Jardine's Wharf, on the 2nd instant; and amongst other articles, a silver watch, valued at $10, from a shop in Tiendong Road, on the 13th instant.
Mr. Rodgers identified one of the parts of a weighing machine as having been stolen from. the Pootung Wharf. "He said that the parts stolen represented
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.