A Query as to Mixed Court's Jurisdiction judment concerned with the recent hostilities in the neighbourhood of the Settlement, and of! particular interest in view of the! belief amongst the Chinese that shortly there is to be a renewal of, the fighting, was given in the Mixed Court on Wednesday by Mr. C. E. Whitamore (British Assessor) and Magistrate Li, Chu Yang-an, Chinese soldier, was arrested on! November 8 for bri revolver Jand Some ammunition into the Settlement. and was sentenced—to) three months! imprisonment, Yes terday,. Mr. A. M. Preston, of Messrs. Ellis & Hays, instructed by /Gen. Bei Bao-shan, made an appliication that the man be handed over to the Chinese military authorities.
Mr. Preston said that it was doubtful in the first instance! whether the Court really had jurisdiction in the case. In any. event, the man would have _been punished by the military authorities] Jand his sentence would have been much heavier than that. imposed the Mixed Court. Ie suggested that it was more expedient for the military authorities to deal with! the prisoner, because if he served his sentence' in the Settlement his! regiment might move elsewhere, he would lose his pay and then would become a derelict.
Mr. Preston quoted extracts from Criminal soldiers were not ject to the! civil authorities.
Inspector Mackenzie stated in answer to the Court that the police did not oppose handing over the Drisoner, but they did object to handing back the weapon and ammunition, Col. Sze said that he had instruetions to take the prisoner awa; An order was made that the prisoner should be handed over to the military authorities and Col, Sze was asked to, instruct his men not to enter the Settlement.
The Assessor remarked that the! prisoner was. very obstreperous when arrested and apparently at: tempted to assault the police that was why he was given 80 sentence. The man already to Col. troyed in the meantime,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.