A case came on for hearing at the Japanese Consulate last Friday morning, in which three Japanese are charged with illegally arresting and detaining at a house, No. 38, Nanzing Road, a Chinese merchant and' commission agent named Tsong Ven-ping, on the 30th of August, contrary to Munivipal Regulations. The report of the proceedings is unavoidably incomplete, as no reporters were allowed in Court and the charge sheet still lies at the Japanese Consulate-General.
The case for the Municipal Police was in the hands of InspectorMatheson, assisted by Detective-Sergeant Gilfillan, and the Chinese complainant had also instructed Mr. F, M. Brooks to act for him, more particularly in the civil action which will result from the criminal offence.
The case for the prosecution is as follows. Two of the Japanese defendants, Tak-matsu and Oki, have a store for the sale of Japanese goods, at No. 38, Nanzing Road, Hongkew. During the last six months they have employed the Chine: complainant, Tsong Ven-ping, to se goods for them on commission. During the month of August Takamatsu went to the complainant and said that as money was very "tight" in Japan, he would be glad if the complainant could negotiate for him a loan of $2,000. The compl ant, thinking that the goods he had in hand for sale on commission, and the moneys owing for such goods as had been sold, wore sufficient security, used his best' endeavours to arrange the loan, and managed to borrow for Takamatsu $670 in cash and Tls. 800 in native orders, which he duly paid over. Provious to this Takamatsu had expressed his intention of going to Japan, but on receipt of this money he apparently changed his mind. Later, he asked complainant to procure for him $2,000 worth of goods on credit in Shanghai. At this stage the complainant became suspicious, and asked for a settlement of the account between him and Takamatsu. On taking an account of the various transactions it was found that Tls. 480 was due to the complainant. On the 30th of August Takamatsu, Oki, and another Japanese ited the complainant's store, 245, Kiangse Road, and said they wished the complainant to come and see them at their store in Nanzing Road. The complainant was not in at the time of the it. At 7 pin. that day they came again, and two of them seized the complainant by the arms, while the third pushed him, and in this manner he was conveyed to the store in Nanzing Road. There his hands were tied and he was imprisoned in one of the top rooms. The complainant's friends found out what had occurred and communicated with the Police. Detective-sergeant Gilfillan visited the store in Nanzing Road, and from a tea-house opposite the store could see the complainant in the top room. He motioned to the complainant to come out, bat, ster held up his hands to show that they were tied. The detective then communicated with the Japanese Consulate and an official was sent to accompany the Police to the store, with the result that the complainant was released. When released, the marks of the ropes on his wrists could be plainly seen.
At the Japanese Consulate yesterday morning, the defendants were examined at some length, and the evidence of several witnesses for the prosecution was taken, after which the hearing of the charge was adjourned sine die,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.