Hankow, Apr. 22, A curious situation has developed; in connexion with the armed robbery the ex-Russian or Special District Administration with reference to the man Wang who was caught red handed by Policeman No. 20. As reported previously the District police investigated the affair and sent a report to Tupan Hsiao Yao-nan, with a request for further orders. Tupan Hsiao was not long jin reply for the answer was sent)
late the same was to the effect that Wang was guilty and according to the criminal, law should suffer capital punishment. This was all right but a hitch occurs jin the ruling of the (surely not the new Chinese Provisional Criminal Code,—Ed,, "N.-C.D.N.") that the execution to take place at the scene of the Now the Special District is Chinese territory, but one wants an execution within its boundaries, so to try and find a solution a: special Council meeting took place at 11 o'clock yesterday morning.
Tt was felt that Tupan Hsiao's order placed too big a burden on the police investigation ax it practically placed the onus of passing capital punishment on the inquiry. The last sentence of the law should come from a higher court. after! weighing all evidence and therefore to be fair it was suggested that the Judge Lu of the Wuchang Military Court should be appointed to try the case. Whether the case would be tried in his yamen or in the: concession it was left for the latter to decide, but it was to be requested that if this high court also passed capital punishment that: the execution should take—place outside the District area.
'The Director therefore is paying another visit to Wuchang to place this view before the Tupan, However, by yesterday evening the news that' Wuchang had sentenced the man to death had leaked out and quite a crowd of native spectators: gathered around the corner of the: Chu Shan Lee in expectation.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.