Six Chinese Charged with Offences from Kidnapping to Murder Six Chinese, including two women, appeared at the Mixed Court last Friday on charges arising out of the shooting affray in East Seward "Road on, October 31. The charges preferred against them "were:—being. members of armed gang of "kidnappers; committing Various' crimes; being!
possession of firearms; abducting and holding people to ransom, contrary to. the laws relating to brigands; abducting' and holding Yau Choh-ching and Jan Jik-shang and Tsew Ah-tow (six_yeurs old); and a seven year old chil ing Wong Tsung. old) in Kwenming Road; attempting
years old) in Kwenming Road on to. murder Wong Kyi September 9; attempting to murder Dong 'Tseng-paring, a Chinese detective in' the employ of the Shanghai Municipal polices a tempting to murder James. Crotel shank, detective in the. Shangh Municipal police; and with assaulting the police and obstructing them in the execution of their official duties.
Mr. E, T. Maitland (Prosecuting Soticitor) was present for the police, and Mr. L, K. Kentwell defended the first prisoner, Street Firing 'Chief Inspr, Cruickshank was the! first. witness called, He said that'
October 31, one of his detectives, having received information to the effect that two men who were leading members of an armed gang Kddnappers were just coming into harbour, telephoned and reported to witness and dashed down to the wharf to intercept them, He found them in the act of boarding a waiting motor ur. As he called on them to stop' the first accused Grew a pistol and fired a shot at kim which missed, They were ove powered, however, and taken to the French Policg station but were later Handed over to. the Municipal police. They admitted the char against them and said "Well, we'll cell you everything." Give us a chance." They said they would take them to the place where the rest of the gang were, and took tthe police to Yuhang Road and later to East Seward Road, when they fed to the back door of a house} in an alleyway. Detectives were sent to the front door and witness stood at the rear. When he got to the back door, the woman with the baby slammed the door in his face and within a few seconds there came a fusillade of soots from in side the house, Witness tried burst open the back door but he failed. The fifth accused fired at him from an upper verandah as he stood in the doorway and witness tried to shoot back over his should: er. After firing a few shots, the miscreant fell down and witness Knocked him unconscious with his stick, He then burst into the house, and saw a robber lying on the floor dead, and a dotestive wounded. The shooting wag still going on at this time. One of the accused ran along the roof and jumped into a neigh-Louring house. He, too, was captured. A search was than made. The man whom witness had knocked out, had one magazine in his pocket and three or four fect away was found another. He did not have the pistol but witness Inter found this.
5 The Question of Statements Mr. Maitland questioned witness regarding the statements which aceitsed made to the police and the reply was that the statements had been made in the presence of wit ness and the Chinese interpreter who took down notes. The first accused said "I know that if I am taken before the court I will be hot. Please eave my life." Witness replied that he could not do this but he would put the request before the magistrate. The murder of the small child was then brought up and witness said that there, was nothing direct against accused regarding this but their statements, They had been abducted and when demands for ransom had been refused one little boy was shot} through the head.
Cross-examined by Mr. Kentwell as to whether the accused had been warned before they made the state-
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