Sept. 22, an application Chief-Inspr. W. Whi on. behalf of the authorities of the Municipal Gaol, for the release of a Chinese woman who had been sentenced to ten years' imprisonment, but who had only served four months, for armed kidnapping, the ground that she had developed acute tuberculosis and the prison doctor had pronounced that she. could not live more than three months.
Accused, according to Chief Inspr. Whiting, had been sentenced fon June 23 in connection with an armed Kidnappifg affair in May last, After serving only a short! portion of her sentence, she had been removed to the prison hospital and later, in accordance with the Goctor's instructions, to the tuberculosis ward, As there was no "T.B." ward in the prison, the authorities could only send her to public hospital, but that would incur a large expense and, even then, it would be but a question of ime' before she died. The disease was an infectious one and was liable to be contracted by her. fellow-prisoners.
The Denaty, Mr.. B, Sevens remarked that, if sect at econedmiEME Infect many mone people.
Chief-Inspr. Whiting suggested that she might be sent back to her native city of Tongchow with the tid of money from the poor box the Court would grant the applieation, Mr. Stevens said that sickness alone should not prevent a prisoner from completing a prison sentence.
would be creating a precedent and encourage other sick people to break the lay.
The Judge said that there were no provisions in the Criminal Code providing for the release of Prisoners on medical grounds. Tha offender should at least have served two years or half of the sentence before an application could be mad for release. Accused ad been in prison only a few months and she Should be sent {o some isolate hospital.
Chief-Inspr. Whiting replied that isolation hospitals were attached to the prison and suggested that accused might be released on con-ition that she returned to serve the remainder of her sentence shoud she recover.
'A Chinese legal practitioner at this juncture informed the Judge that this Court, on moral grounds, could exerci ireretion releasing a prisoner and, after some feliteration, accused was released under article 93 of the Criminal Code.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.