Aftermath of a Gambling Bout Alleged Ill-treatment by Her Zung Boo-sung, for whose arrest a warrant had been issued almost) three years ago in connexion with the murder of a gambler in Chekiang Road on August 18, 1920, appeared before Messrs. Kuan and Jacobs at the Mixed Court on Tuesday and, through his lawyer, Mr. Yang Shun-chee, pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against im.
Chief Det.-Insp. Cruickshank, in giving an outline of the arrest, stated that besides a charge of murder a further charge of being the organizer of an unlicensed club had been preferred against the accused. A gambler was stabbed to death three years ago following a gambling bout, and warrants were issued for the arrest of six men. Two arrested in connexion with the matter were found not guilty, but were given three months each, with expulsion, for loafing, while an. other man received three years and expulsion, he having admitted that he did the stabbing. The accused ce id not be found until several days ago, when he was discovered in the French Concession. When arrested he made a statement to the effect that he was owner of the club. As the first_charge must fall through, said Chief Det.-Insp. Cruickshank, the police would ask that the accused be expelled on the second charge.
Mr. Yang—You stated that the first charge must fall through. What. do you mean? I take it that you have not sufficient evidence against him, and that you are prepared to withdraw the charge.
Witness—We leave that to the Court, but we have sufficient evidence to proceed. As one man has already admitted the stabbing and has been convicted, we can't very well ask for this man's conviction. Naturally he denies all knowledge, but there appears to be no doubt that he is an accessory.
Cross-examined by Mr. Yang. witness said he was sure that accused was master of the club. He had seen him there, but accused was not gambling although other persons were.
A brother of the deceased man stated that he knew nothing of the murder until several days after it took place. "My brother's family is in poor circumstances," he said, "but I know nothing about the accused excepting that I have heard that he has killed my brother."
The Magistrate—We cannot accept that as evidence.
The accused, in answer to the Magistrate, said that he was a public' writer and knew nothing about the affair; he had absolutely no knowledge whatever of the club.
In cautioning the accused, the court held that insufficient evidence
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.