at $37,500
There was a sensational case at the Mixed Court on Saturday when Zung San-ding was charged with stealing from a broker and tea merchant named Wong, diamonds and pearls to the value of $37,500.
According to evidence called by the police, prisoner and a man called Nieh went to the broker's! house in the French Concession. The accused told the complainant that a friend named Chang, whose elder brother, he said, was an official and had been shot by President Li Yuan-hung, owned millions of dollars. This wealth had been handed over to prisoner's accomplice Chang, it was stated. Chang lived at the Hoyokwan Hotel, the accused told the broker, and had just received a draft of $300,000. Chang, the complainant learned from the accused, wanted to buy pearls.
The complainant Wong, after relating the circumstances in which ho met prisoner, said that he dined with him and Chang. A day or two later, as a result of this meeting, witness took, to room 66 at the Oriental Hotel, pearls to the value of &4.700. The defendant Zung was staying there, with Chang. The latter ostentaficusly displayed drafts for $5,000 and $10,000, but these could not then be negotiated. The pearls were approved of, but the man said he wanted some more, of a superior quality, for his mother. In order to get the draft. transferred to the complainant, it was suggested that he had better bring to the hotel $5,300, the balance in cash, to exchange for the bank draft. Complainant complied with this request, withdrew the money from a Chinese bank, and proceeded to the hotel. Prisoner took the money and the pearls. The accomplice, Chang, arrived later. The man Neb brought oura number of banknotes. Complainant was asked' to buy $5,300 of chips, and gamble. He refused, saying he "id net know how to gamble. Prisoner then gave a signal to Chang. The latter and Nich then snatched at witness's package of valuables, and got away. There was a cry of: "Save life" raised, and shortly after the police appeared on the scene.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.