Cavl Gunther, a German con-factioner, 62 years of age, at the Provisional Court on July 24 filed appeal against a. sentence posed on hin of two. yours' i prisonment upon a charge of traffck:
in arms. The accused, who was represented by Mr. N, A. I had served ten. mont rent for-a sill offence before.
'AE the first heating the police told the Court that an "informer" Thad told them that he had bought pistol from the accused. The Sinformec" aid not wish to give his nomic not appear in Court, - Consequently. the police made a raid on the accused's house and discovered 38 pistols, The accused denied Selling the pistols, and. said. that they were the stine ones that he had had when he was charged and sentenced before.
Mr, Tvanow" said that accused could' not be charged with' selling pistols as there were no witnesses {fo prove that he had sold them. The Gourt was satisfied with the atatement of the police and sentenced the face used to tivo years? imprisonment, whereupon as seated the accused Bled an appeal.
The appellant told the Court that since he hail served "his sentence in the Amoy Road Gaol, he had not sold any' arma at alle" He was Shoven a pistol and asked repeatedly {e'he sold it in May, 1929, each time saying that he had not.
The first witness was the "informer" who gave his name as Tamura, a Japanese, who stated that he had bought a pistol from the appellant in May, 1929, and the Japanese Consul who heard of it, sentenced him to 15 days" imprison: ment. When asked by the Court he said that he had met the appellant in a friend's house and was asked by if he wanted to buy some pistols. He went to the appellant's house on three occasions, each time purchasing n pistol, the Jost time being in Bay, 1929, The appellant said that he had bought 69 pistols from a steward of a German vessel, who had 500 of them. He said that he had sold 20, two being seized by the police, and 988 pistols were found in his house.
The Court reserved judgment.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.