The popularity of toy and water pistols as weapons of offence by armed robbers was again referred to at the Mixed Court last. Friday, when Messrs. Mead and Yui had before them a cook, former], ployed at the Great Eastern Hotel, and a coolie, en a charge of loitering with intent to commit a felony. A toy pistol wag found on the first accused.
P. C. Munson having given evidence of arrest, Det.-Sgt. Beer stated that armed robberies in which victims haa. been intimidate ed by toy weapons were becoming increasingly common in the Settlement. "To-morrow a man is being' brought before the, Court who is alleged to have committed four armed robberies with a water} pistol," added the oticer.
Mr. Chang Nieh-yun, who appeared for the first accused, said that the man left the employ of the Great Eastern Hotel about two months ago. On the night in question he had been to a theatre. After having supper at a restaur rant, he picked up the toy pistol in the roadway and decided to make a present of it to his little nephew in the country.
The Assessor, in passing sentence of two week's imprisonment on each offender, said that the evidence of the police was entirely different from that of the accused, but he preferred to believe the former. In view of the fact that the accused ran away on being approached by the foreign police officer, it was difficult to believe that the two men were not loitering for some unlawful purpose.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.