The Shanghai Power Ca. were complainants iti a charge which was preferred against a pawnshop keeper of 438 Kaifeng Road in the Shanghai Special District Court on September 5 of stealing electricity between January i and August Judge Leo imposed a fine of $260 and said that complainants woul have to go to the Civil Court if they wished to press a claim for Tis, 15) against accused.
Court Inspr. Hall said that every' time the meter in accused's house Was read, it was found to run very, very slowly, much slower than should. An examination was made and ix weis found that two exias wires had been used to preven: the current from reinning through the meter."
Det-Sgt. Larking said that he was sent to find.cut the reason why the meter had recorded such a low nit during the last two years. He went into accused's bedroom 12 sce If anything was wrong with the fuse box and he found a large ture hanging on the wall. Behind this was hidden the fuse box and a leg which lagged the wires. By plugging this in, the meter was prevented from recording properly' and the electricity was stopped from registering through the meter.
Court Inspr. Hall said that units recorded in 1929 and 1990. were very slow, the highest being 14 and the lowest 10. Accused had used ix lamps and, instead of the average of 11 units being used every month, 150 units should have been used. " Complainants estimated that the voice of the stolen current was Tls. 150
Mr. A. Payne, for the compl fant company, said that two meter caders went round monthly and it was surmised thab accused knew when the reader was coming, for, when the latter came, accused removed the plug and uso the current through the meter. The reader look ed-at the meter only and not at the fuses. The company discovered the larceny through their books, and witness was sent to make inquiries fas to the cause. Accused should have used 56 units a month but only 11 were used. The company thought that something was wrong with the meter so it was changed in July, 1919, but the slow registering continued. When the investigation was made in the present case, a fixture was found tahind the picture frame in accused's bedroom.
Accused said that he had hired an upstairs room from another man bat now he had taken over the whole house, He had paid the electricity BIN for one quarter only. He did not know who fixed the wires and stole the electricity. He knew noth-og about electricity. So far as he knew, the meter was all right when the meter reader came round.
After Mr. Y. T. Van had entered a plea of not guilty for accused, judgment was given as stated, Family Charged with Murdec Li Ching-fu, a Chinese constable attached to the Gordon Road Station, wife ark his two sons (one of whom is a conducter in the employ of the China General Omnibus Ca.) were brought before Judge Wu in the Shanghai Special District Court on' September 5 charge murdering the wife of the conductor of the Bus Ca. mentioned. A remand was ordered to enable the police to continue their investiga-
'Mr, Y. D. Wong, Assistant Municipal Advocate, informed the Court that Li Chang-sz, the deceased, pass-Jed' away suddenly on the night of August 28, and it was reported that! she had been murdered. Inquiries were made by detectives attached to the Gorgon Road Station and, as a result, accused were placed under detention. An inquest was held and a verdict of death by' strangulation was returned by Procurator Kuo in the Public Mortuary.
An undertaker, Sung Vu-san, said that, when he attended the home deceased, he found deceased beed-ing from the mouth and he noticed rope marks round her neck. He was! informed that deceased died of cholera, Accused, at the inquest, told Procurator Kuo that deceased became ill early on the evening of August 27 and was placed in bed, dying! an hour and 2 half later. "As death iseaze, she was immediately placed in a cetin and sent to a Chapel cemetery.
On September 5 they were ques-signed by Judge Wu, admitted that deceased had quarrelled with her mother-in-law and had hanged herself. In order to save "face", they told the neighbours that deceased had died of cholera.
Neighbours said that they had seen deceased last on the night of August 27. They did not know how she died but they suspected foul play.
At this juncture, Li Chen-s2, one of the accused and mathe-in-law of deceased, collapsed in dock and had to be removed from court, 'A remand was ordered, Kidnapping of Mr. Wang Pah-wei Charged with being concerned with cthers in the kidnapping of. Mr. Wang Pan-wel, proprietor of the "Eartern Times", al 25 Chekiang. Road last month, a boatman, Chow Wu, and a woman, Li Wang-sz, appeared before Judge Hyui in' the Shangaai Special District Court on September 6.
Judgment was reserved until Saturday morning next.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.