Portuguese Nationality Claimed by Woman Concerned Another case of shocking cruelty to a little slave girl was brought before the attention of Mr. Kuan Chun (senior Magistrate) and Mr. A. J. Martin (British Assessor) at the Mixed Court last Friday morning, when the case of Tsang Ah-foo, who
of Hope, was brought up.
Wag seeking sofage in the Door Det.-Sgt. Robinson informed Bench that when he went to ex-acute a warrant on a woman who was accused of infamous cruelty to a slave girl he was met by the husband of the woman who claimed to be duly registered as a Portuguese citizen. He produced papers in support of hig contention, these bearing the date of June, 1923, and stated the woman was his legal wife and was not subject to the jurisdiction of the Mixed Court. Witness was unable to do anything hence he wished to report the matter in order to receive directions.
Mr. Martin, with the concurrence of Magistrate Kuan, said that in this case a slave girl was brought before the Mixed Court by the Door of Hopa The child had been' shockingly ill-treated. It was suffering, according to a medical certificate prod, from bruises over the eye and other parts of the body, and had marks on its arms, which the child herself stated had been caused by pin-pricks inflicted by the woman named, Tsang Sung-sz.
The family, continued Mr, Martin, wag represented in Court by Mr. H. D. Rodger, who stated that the husband was in Court and was willing to give evidence, that he was a wealthy Cantonese broker. Mr. Rodger stated that his instructions were that the child's injuries had -been caused by a fall, and that a neighbour who had a private grudge against the family in which the slave girl lived had enticed the child away and taken her to the Police Station in order to bring the family into trouble.
Evidence was taken and the Court was satisfied that the child had run away as the result of the ill-treatment it had received and taken refuge in a neighbouring sweet-shop, and that the manager of the shop had very properly taken the child to the Police Station. A warrant was issued, stated that Assessor, for the arrest of the woman Tsang Sung-sz, and Mr. Rodger stated that he wished to withdraw from the case. Mr. Rodger made no statement regarding the nationality of the woman for whose arrest the warrant was issued. The first intimation of a claim of Portuguese nationality was received by the Police when they attempted to execute the warrant.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.