Inthe Provisional Court, on Tuesday, before Judge Ling, five pawn-_ brokers whose businesses were situated at 1499 Yangtszepoo Road, 420 Thorburn Road, 482" North Honan Toad, 411 North Honan Road, and 4210 Robison Road, were charged with reviving for deposit property which had been stolen, in contravention of the terms of their licences. The goods concerned were five long fur-lined gowns, one fur-lined gown, one fur-lined jacket, one fox. fur-lined jacket, five foreign gold rings, and two gold chains.
Mr, Josep Tuck appeared for the accused, and told the Court that his clients had no knowledge that the goods pawned at their shops were stolen. Counsel asked the Cours} for an order that the owners of the properties should redeem their property at the prices for which they were pawned.
Inspr, Mills objected strongly to such an' order being made, and said that each of the accused, had been, in fact, "an accessory after the fact", in each of the various robberies. "To. compel. the rightful owners of stolen property to pay bond money to the yavmbrokers for the recovery of what belonged to them was inflicting a double hardship upon them. The pawnbrokers in these kinds of transactions received the most benefit, for they obtained property for a fraction of what it was worth, and, if it were not redeemed in three months, they became owners of such property. The fact that the class of men who paw the goods in the eases under re-View was not satisfactory left the defendants with no, wat Henowing that they we The Court, in ting three the cused $60 each, a fourth ismiasing the charge a fifth accused, ordered that the property be returned to the Teal own without payment of bond money.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.