STRANGE SCENE IN A COURT OF JUSTICE.

Manawatu Herald, 6 September 1889, Page 4

STRANGE SCENE IN A COURT OF JUSTICE.

•■■ .' it 'i — s At the Eesident Magistrate's Court, Christchurch, last week, shortly af tor, , the commencement of the proceedings, a Chinaman rushed into the court-room, and prostrating himself with his stomach on the floor, went through some posturing, which, however well understood in the land of his birth, was perfectly novel in a colonial establishment, and at first appeared, to the astonished ench, to be the contortions of an epileptic subject or the freaks of a lunatic Impressed Jwith an idea of this kind, «i genial, but scandalised, policeman, se-zing him by his upper garment, adjured him to "get up, thin, wid ye," but the Chinaman wiiggled Mmself free, and while his pigtail flourished in the air, he bumped his forehead on the floor nine times, chanting the while iii his native language a sort of song, which was understood by very few of those present. After this grand koo to">, in which he seemed to really worship hio Worship, Ah Jim — for this turned out to bo his name — regained his feet, and, with great volubility, proved his acquaintance, to a certain extent, with pidgin English. But all his efforts only left on the minds of his hearers a confused notion of the story he essayed to tell. " Why didn't you bring an interpreter?" said his Worship. " Interpleter," replied Ah Jim, " he wantee too muchee money!" " c then went on to say — so far as could be gathered — that somebody had broken open his box, and stolen out of it a lot of money. Finally he was despatched, in charge of the policeman, to the police depot, where an information would be laid in the ordinary way ; but, on leaving the Court, it w£s with the utmost difficulty that his escort prevented him from renewing the extraordinary performance with which he opened his case.