Paulo Argentino was found guilty of offending a public official and attempted extortion in the Italian Conular Court yesterday and was sentenced to 18' months imprisonment and costs by Consular Judge R. Rapex assisted by Colonel F. Righini and Commander L. de Luca, assessors.
Prior to passing sentence, Judge Rapex questioned M. P. Premet and he latter's secretary, M. M. Guily. Both witnesses told the court that the accused called at their offices towards she end of September asking them to give him the required legal assistance against his empl the cotton mills owned by Bedoni & Ca, S.A, at Tsungming Island and telling them that the mills in question actually belonged to some Chinese interests and were merely placed under the protection of the Italian flag for safety's sake. Subsequently, Mr. Premet said, his secretary requested the accused to let him have proofs of his claims and to produce witnesses and as he was not in a position to do so, the matter ended there as far es M. Premet was con-
A surge of several hundred wharf colies to embark at a pier close to he Soviet Consulate-General early esterday morning caused a native cargo boat to be so sharply tilted that ten men were thrown into the water and three of them drowned.
Some 600 coolies employed by the Associated Wharves were about to leave the jetty, below the Garden Bridge, at about 645 o'clock when ihe accident occurred. They were swarming aboard the launch Clutha and vessels towed by her, and the sudden rush caused one of the smaller boats to be dipped into the muddy water, Ten coolies were recovered from the river, but three of these were found to be dead when admitted te the Lester and St. Luke's Hospitals. The other seven men, who were likewise taken to hospital in Fire Brigade ambulances, responded to treatment.
The accident was witnessed by many persons on the Garden Bridge and in vessels about the busy river confluence. cerned, M. Guilly told the court that wh the accused showed him the threatening letters which he had dispatched te Messrs. L. Riggio and G. Vacchina respectively, Argentino was told of the danger into which he had placed himself. The accused then told him that he had not known thet there was anything like attempted extortion in the letter and told witness that he was sorry to have sent the letters.
Dr. Aw. Piero V. E. Terni, attorney for the defence, pointed out three main things. The initial threatening letters Italian he said could not possibly have been written by the accused, whose knowledge and education would not permit him brought against Argentino as a result of an insulting letter he had sent to Mr. Riggio who is the secretary of the local Fascio, the attorney toi the defence told the court that at the time of writing, the accused was in a fit of rage after he had been refused a indemnity of $70 to which he thought, he had a right.
The Judge and assessors then withdrew for over 30 minutes and subsequently gave judgement as io write them in this way. To prove this point, Dr. Terni read a note which the censed had written to him from th jail, which was very badly worded As the accused di not know a word of English, for there is no doubt that the English letters signed by him must also have been written by someone ele, Dr. Terni went on to All Heating Apparatus:
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.