7 Another beggar chief appeared before Messrs. Li and Blackburn at wu the Mixed Court last Friday charged with extortion.
Det.-Sgt. Douglas, who appeared for the Police, said that. on September 20 a complaint was received from a number of coal shops stating that certain beggars were pilfering their coal from the Yangking-pang Jetty and demanding payment of $4 a month for protection given. Inquiries were made and the accused was arrested. He told a Chinese detective that he was the owner of a coal shop, but this story was later retracted) and accused admitted that he was head of a gang of beggar thieves whose business it was to steal coal and cause trouble. The nuisance had become so great that the coal shops were compelled to engage the services of a polied watchman to look after their.coal. Accused had approached the shopkeepers and demanded the money ($4 from each of them) otherwise he would not be responsible for any trouble that his '"subrdinates" might create, or for any theft. In fact, he had said that if}, he did not receive the money he would not allow the landing of the coal. Should this money be paid, he would guarantee its safety.
This evidence was corroborated by a Chinese' detective and several shopkeepers.
In answer to the Magistrate, acused said that he only went to one shop and demanded money. He Zam-Buk is obtainable in handy sized boxes of all chemists and medicine denied any knowledge of the others. dealers in Hongkong, Shanghai and The Straits. Free Sample Box and address e said that he represented: the of nearest agent can be had from The Zam-Buk Laboratories, Leeds, England. beggax's and what he had done was for the benefit of both parties—the beggars would receive some money and the shopkeepers would be left in peace, As the accused had been convicted on four previous occasions and expelled from the Settlement, the Court sentenced him to a year's imprisonment, after which he is to be re-expelled.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.