Hiram Parkes Wilkinson, Exquire, Crowa Advocate, who for our lord the King prosecutes la this behalf, comes int B. M,'s Supreme Court for China and Corea held at Shanghai on the 6th day of Febraary 1911 and for oar lord the King charges Harold Juba Craig for that be the said Harold Jobo Craig on or about the 16th day cof March 1910 in the year of oar Lord 1910 and on divers other days there-alter between the said last mentioned and the 16th day of May 1910 unlawfully frandolently and deceit-{ally did conspire confederate and agree together with one William Pitts and with divers other persons whose names fare to the said Crown Advocate unknown by divers false pretences and anlawfal and subtle ways means stra-tages and devices to obtain and acquire to themselves of and from the jak Indrapoera Rubber Concessions, Ld., " Company registered in Hongkong with Limited Liability and carrying on business at Shanghai, divers wrge sams of money, the property of the said Sisk Indrapoera Rubber Con-Ld., to wit the eum of Shanghai Tle, 40,000 and certain valuable securities the property of the said Siak Indrapoera Raber Concessions Ld., to wit certain certificates for 45,000 shares of and in the said Sisk Indrapoera Rabber Concessions Ld., of the same against the peace of our lord the King, his Crown and Dignity.
The Crown Advocate (Mr. H. P. Wilkinson) assisted by Mr. S. H. MacKesn, prosecuted, and accused was represented by Mr. R. N. Macleod, and Mr. W. A.C. Platt When the indictment was-reed.over-by. the Clerk of the Court, aod prisoner he answered His Lordship asked the Crown Advocate if he wished to address the The Crown Advocate replied that he desired to do so. Outlining the case for the Crown he said that in the territory of the Rajah of Siak were three properties, Songei Siak,, Sungei Dak, and Loebos Ampoi, which had" been partially dealt with as rubber estates. Those estates passed, on the death of the Rsjab, into the hands of an administrator, the Asaistant Rovident at Bengksles, and steps were taken to realize the property. One Dr. Nijhais, a Datch subject, a Doctor of Laws, and a prospector, wrote on Janoary 25 last year to Mr. McLellan, the Singapore Manager of the Later-national Bsnk, who had bad business relations there with Messrs. Lind and Pitts, and proposed to sell the Siak estates, the purchase price stated being per cent lest than the valuation of an expert, whom it was proposed to send, if necessary by Dr. Nijhais himed!. There was no reply to that letter, and a report, bot no valuation of the estates, was made by Mr. Van Hengst, " local man, who bad been in charge of the estates on befall of the family of the Rajah. The Assistant Resident at Bengkales also made a report, containing. details of the trees, eto., which on the whole was favourable one, He referred not only to Para Rubber trees, of which there was a certain number, bat also tothe Gotch Balam trees, a species of wild jangle robber, which might or might not prov able under European supervision, The natives [themselves used these trees, but there were wide differences of opinion aa to the possibilities of working it at a profit ander Europeans, This report of Mr. Van Hong er with the report of the Assistant Resident of Bengkales, wore enclosed in a letter, together with a draft prospectus drawn ap by Dr. Nijhuis himself and sent with private letter to Lind and Pitts, on Febroary 910, That letter had been put io in the Lower Court. The opening sentence referred to the previous letter to Mr, McLellan. There was ® price then mentioned by Dr. Nijhuis, in case the estates were bought by Lied and Pitts, or anyone else in Shanghsi—a ronnd price of Singapore $370,000. This letter was acknowledged by Lind and Pitts in a letter dated February 26, in which they stated that they wished to have the option of purchase of these estates them. selves for $370,000, for two days after Dr. Ni arrival in Shanghai. Nijhais.was then on his Shaogbsi on March 3, a Saturday, saw Pitts, and was by him introduced to the accused, With Pitts, Dr. Nijhuis visited accused at his house the following day (Sanday, March 4) and the matter of these estates as di For clearness' sake it was necessary now to refer to the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.