Ex-Officer Charged with Assault An extraordinary case of assault at the Palace Hotel was the subject of proceedings in H, M. Police Court last Friday, before Mr. G. W. King. The complainants were M. Jean Pernod d'Arriere and his wife, Madame Therese Pernod} d'Arriere, and the defendant, F. B. Chapman, who is staying at the hotel, was charged with having committed an assault upon both complainants, causing actual bod ily harm to M\ Pernod.
Mr. K. E. Newman appeared! for complainants and Mr. Linebarger for defendant.
In opening the case, Mr. New man stated that complainants were distinguished French visitors passing through Shanghai. On March 15 they spent the evening at the Palace Hotel, and after dinner Madame Pernod left the dining room to go to her room on the fourth floor. There were two men in the lift as she went down, and one of them, the defendant, without any warning put his arm round her and attempted to kiss her. She pushed him away and he then hit her on the face with his fist, causing her nose to bleed. Very excited, she got to her room, the two men following. At that moment her husband came down the cor-rider and asked what the two men were doing. They slipped away and separated and, naturally infuriated, M. Pernod ran to find them. Ultimately, he went to the bar upstairs and he had only half! opened the door when he received a smashing blow on the head from a champagne bottle. Neither complainant nor his wife had ever seen the two men before. Just before the assault. defendant went into the bar and asked for a bottle. The boy refused to give him one. whereupon defendant threatened} that if he did not hand one over something would happen. The boy then gave him a bottle and ran away.
Madame Pernod then gave evidence, stating that she was a visitor
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