Three Men Sent to Gaol:
Pawn Shops Fined for Receiving Goods Four persons were brought before the Mixed Court last Friday fon the charge of theft. It would seem from the evidence given that the accused persons on June 27 broke into a godown on the Hongkew wharf, and stole the contents of a packing case which contained several rolls of blue serge. This they had cut up into various lengths and had pawned fat no less than five different pawn shops, receiving sums ranging from '10 to 18 dollars euch, 'The accused when questioned admitted the charge. 'The first received six months and expulsion, the second tone month and re-expulsion, the fourth three months, whilst' the third accused, who was only aged 17 was sent to a reformatory.
With regard to the pawnshops the police stated that a circular had been sent to all pawnshops notifying them of the theft. spite of this they had made no attempt to inform the police. In defence the—pawnshop owners, sated that the stolen goods did not answer to description in view of the fact that they had been cut into various lengths. Two of the pawn shops were first class. shops and the fact that all five, though quite unknown to each other, had acted in the same manner was in itself significant. They were however fined $20 each, the view of the Court being that® people of the class of those who had committed theft would not be in possession such material save by illegal means, which fact the pawn shop owners should have recognized.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.