Shanghai, Mar. 26.
Sentence of death was passed on two members of a robber gang in the First Special District Court yesterday for the murder of Lieutenant-Colonel Liang Tso-cheng and the robbery of Chinese army. funds amounintg to {$327,000 at Nanking in December 1937.
'The two men were Dah. Ung-foo and Chou 'Tsaung-ching, sentence be-jing passed for murder' and armed robbery. Two others, Zung Woosung and Zung Pso-sung (brothers), were given life imprisonment and eight years' penal servitude respectively on the same charges. All four were prosecuted by Mr. T. Y. Chang, manicipal attorney. explained in court, took place ip the Chou Hong village, near Chur Yung Hsten, a few miles outside Nanking just before the fall of the former capital in December 1937. A. bandit gang waylaid Lieut.-Col, Liang, his iG year old son and three subordin. ates in the village. After robbing the party of $27,000 belonging to.the army, the brigands killed all five men.
Lieut-Col, Liang was a divisional commander in the New Fourth Army under General Yeh Ting and he was fon his way to Nanking with army funds when he was waylaid and killed. "The stolen money, it was stated, was divided "among robber gangs' from three different villages around Nanking.and part of the money was used In buying rifles, Mauser pistols, sub-machine-guns and ammunition. Although the men were Sated to have confessed to the crime fat the police station, they pleaded not guilty at the trial, "The men were arrested in Shenghat about six months ago by detectives from West Hongkew station led by Detective-Sergeant J. W. Sanbrook and Detective-Inspecior Zang Woo. During the detention of the men, the police located three witnesses {0 the murder and these testified during the tial, It is understood that the min will appeal against the sentences in the Second Branch Kiangsu High Court The First Special District Court and the high tribunal were recently given the power to handle the case by the Supreme Court, Second Special Court
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.