Charged with selling a book the nature of which was such that it would tend to foment trouble in China, Zau Nan-hoong, keeper of a bookshop in Foochow Road, was on trial at the Mixed Court on Tuesday before Mr. Tenney, American assessor, and Magistrate Kwan. He was let off with a reprimand.
Prosecuting for the Police, Mr. Faithfull said the book in question was called "The Light," and would seem it was a volume of dis tinctly Bolshevik tendency, Mr. Faithfull describing it as "an invit tion for China to uproot everything."
The book states they do not want any form of government, prisons, and other things, and it says crime is a result of society, said Mr. Faithfull, adding that he thought it only right to say when the accused was informed of the spirit of the book he returned the remaining 199 copies to the place whence they came. "If a book of this kind got into common circulation it would cause a lot of trouble," the Court was told.
'A Chinese employee of" the Criminal Investigation Department, who had translated the book, said it was written against the present form of government in China, and were it circulated it might cause much trouble, Cross examined by Mr. Haskell, who appeared for the accused, this police witness said "If the present Government is good or not, it is not my business to say."
The Assessor, (Mr. Tenney)—We will caution the accused.
Mr, Faithful—The accused has twice been before the Court, on the last occasion he was fined $300. If a fine is of no use, a caution decidedly is of no use.
The Assessor—We will caution the accused.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.