CHINESE CASE.
ALLEGED ASSAULT AND ROBBERY.
Mr. Kettle, S.M., held an early sitting at the Auckland Police Court this morning to deal with a case in wh'ch two young Chinamen named Mung You and All Fong were charged with assaulting Ah Ming in a house in Wakefield-sfcreet o:a Sunday night last and robbing him of a £10 note.
Sub-Inspector Black prosecuted, and Mr. J. C. Martin appeared for the accused.
Ah Ming said he was sitting in the house of Ah Mcc in Wakefield-street at about nine o'clock on Sunday evening playing with dominoes, when the two accused men came in. Mung You caught him by the throat and'dragged him to the floor, while Ah Fong kicked him and took a £10 note from his pocl&t. In the struggle Ah Ming got up and rushed to an adjoining room, but Mung You followed him, caught hold of him, and threw him down again. Another Chinaman named Gum Sing then separated them, and witness cleared off by a back door and complained to the police. In company with Sergeant Hansen he returned to the house, but found they had disappeared. They were traced, and 'found in some Chinese houses in Hobson-street and Victoria-street, and were there arrested.
To Mr. Martin: Witness said the £10 note which was taken from him was got by him from the machine on the racecourse at the last Avondale race meeting. He had formerly been working in the gardens, but had been ill lately, and was not now working. lie. however, possessed 100 when he left Victoria-street over a year aio, but did not bank it. He could not name anybody who could confirm his statement that he possessed this sum of money, unless it were Ah Sam, his former partner, whose whereabouts he did not now know. It was not true that he borrowed money flora Mr. Nerheny when he left Victoriastreet, to stock his shop with bananas, nor did he owe any rent to Mr. Nerheny. Shortly afterwards he went to Wellingtion to get work, but failed to find it. It was not true that he kept a brothel there, or was ordered by the police to leave Wellington under threat of prosecution. He went on to Stratford, and soon afterwards returned to Auckland, residing at different times at Victoriastreet, Chapel-street. Ponsonbv. Archhill, and Grey-street. It was true that while at Ponsonby he was arrested, but it was not for having two girls there who Were under the age of consent. There was one girl there—she was 19 years of age. He was not aware that it was found that she was only one month over age. While in Victoriastreet a girl was arrested in his house. He took between £7 and £8 to the racecourse at Avondale on the occasion previously refei'red to. and won about £30.
Ah Choy, a gardener of Alexandrastreet, said he witnessed the assault, and saw Ah Fong fe-el Ah Ming's pockets.
In reply to Mr Martin, His Worship said that on the evidence given by Ming he would not feel justified in convicting the men of the theft. But there appeared to have been an assault committed.
Mr Martin said the defence on thn' point was that the fight was the result of n dispute at dominoes.
Ming You was the first of the accused to be examined. He stated that he visited -Ah Jlee's house, where Ah Ming invited him to play dominoes. He consented. The stakes were 1/ a gamo, and witness won the first game and asked for the money. Ming refused, and swore at him, and witness knocked him down. Ah Fong pushed Ah Ming away, but did not kick him, and took no money. To Sub-Inspector Black: Witness was cousin to Wah Lee and witness knew that Wah Lee was fined recently for sly gvog-selling. He understood that Ah Ming was the informant on that occasion, but that wa.3 not the reason of the assault on Ah Ming. All Fong gave similar evidence. His Worship at this stage said he considered that the prosecutor, All Ming, had exaggerated the a-ssault, which evidently arose out of a dispute at dominoes. He was not satisfied that Ah Fong to-ok an} part in the assault, and he would be dismissed. Ming You was obviously provoked by the prosecutor, but he was not justified in committing the assault. He would be fined £1. Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 269, 10 November 1905, Page 2