Cases Before the Mixed Court Messrs. Butterfield & Swire, as agents for the Ocean Steamship Ca., were complainants in a case of cargo broaching from the—str. Telamon, which was heard at the Mixed Court on Monday. A sampan and a man named Yang, described as unemployed, were charged with being concerned in the theft, while a Chinese watchman, detained on suspicion, was discharged.
Mr. Gregson, who _prosecuted,. reminded the Court of the fact that a number of coolies were recently convicted to serve- various terms of imprisonment for a similar offence, and the practice of pilfering cargo was -growing more common. The str. Telamon, he went on, arrived in port on March 8. At 3 a.m. on the morning of the lith instant the attention of the River Police was attracted by the sound of a whistle, and they noticed the crew of a sampan endeavouring to put off hurriedly from the ship's side. On being observed by the police, they dropped the stolen goods "into the river. Police Syt. Murphy succeeded in picking up 11 cases of the stolen cargo.
Sentence of one year's imprisonment was passed on each of the Captain J. Cairn, master of the Egremont Castle, was complainant in a second case of pil-forage, when one of his Chinese quartermasters was brought up for stealing 13 packets of cigarettes from the cargo at Nagasaki. The accused was employed in the hold to prevent thieving.
Mr. Campbell, third officer, said that while discharging cargo the prisoner was told off to relieve an apprentice who was on duty in the hold. Witness went below deck and found the quartermaster taking cigarettes from a bale of cargo. The cases had since been examined and it was found that over 4,000 cigarettes were missing.
'The accused denied the theft, saying that when he found the bales broken into, he put a few packets of cigarettes into his. pocket. Recalled, Mr. Campbell' said that the man had no right to be near the cargo in question.
The prisoner was-sent to prison for three months.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.