In the Provisional Court, on Tuesday, before Judge Wan,' two Chinese were charyed with attempted theft from Mr, Ulistein, a ian of the Embassy Theatre.
Schink, a German Lady, said that she was riding in a tram ear on Avenue Road and her attention was drawn to the prisoners by reason of the fact that they refused to sit, although there was pi of room on the seats. They edged up to Mr. Ullstein and, whilst one held his straw hat as a screen, the other endeavoured to extract' Mr. Ullstein's watch and chain, eventual. ly giving up the effort, as he found a difficulty in getting the chain through a buttonhole. He signalled to the other man in a negative way, When the ear came to a stopping: place, she called a policeman, who arrested the accused.
Inspector Mills said that one of the men had been convicted nine times and he asked for the maximum penalty, because, thanks to Mrs. Schink's observation and courage, the two had been caught red-handed, For the defence, it was urged that the accused were well-to-do men, and the fact that one of them had gold watch and a gold ring was emphasized as evidence of this.
Inspr, Mills—Perhaps the police had better not ask how they got them!
The Inspector urged that the Court must take into consideration the previous record of one of the men and the fact that he obviously was in association "with the other. It would, be ridiculous, he said, te note it. Otherwise, what evidence could the police offer. In the citcumstances, the police did not. much object to the second man being: iven the benefit of any doubt there might be, but he strongly pressed for the maximum penalty for the other.
The man alleged to have actually attempted to steal the watch was sentenced to two months' imprisonment and the other was acquitted.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.