SUPREME COURT.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVI, Issue 42, 18 August 1908, Page 2

SUPREME COURT.

CRIMINAL SITTINGS. BREAKING AND ENTERING. Hearing of the case against Henry Mather and James Madder on a charge of entering and theft was continued before Mr. 'Justice Cooper in the Supremo Court yesterday afternoon. Evidence was called for the defence. William Henry Walton, missioner, called by the defendant Madder, stated that on the 26th July the prisoner Madder came into the Mission Church in Taranaki-street at evening service drunk, and began to cry, and in a maudlin way asked the lady behind for a handkerchief. She gave him one. Louisa Mitchell, shorthand writer and typist," etated that she had given the prisoner a handkerchief on the evening m question very much like the one produced, i Charles Augustus Fletcher, called by ■ tho defendant Mather, was asked if ho. had not carried on business as a chemist in Willis-street three months before. "No," replied the witness. In his address to the jury Madder admitted going round to Mr. Rdckard'e house on tho morning of the 20th. ' Mather also spoke of the whole idea. ioi leaving circulars at one house and ! breaking into the next as entirely "unfeasible." His Honour, in summing up the case, declared that only two articles of the stolen property had been identified. Tho handkerchief and the bean could not be positively identified. The shirt had been identified, and the pillbox was stated by Mr. Rickard to have Ms own writing upon it Tho pillbox was a very important feature of tho case. The words on the box, according to Mather, were blurred. Jf the jury were satisfied that the box had been in Mr. Rickard's house on the 20th and was in the possession of the prison&ra on the 27th July, then the prisoner's account was not true and the explanation contradictory. The shirt and underpants must bo regarded as properly identified as stolen property, and strengthened the chain of evidence. If there had not been circumstances such , as the footprints, the presence of the • men at Kelburne/ and the discovery of some property in. ( the accused's room, the case would noi be so strong. After half-an-hour's retirement the jury returned! a verdict of guilty against both prisoners, who were remanded until . 10 o'clock to-morrow morning for sentence. THEFT FROM THE PERSON. A charge of stealing two gold watches.' and a chain from the person of James Watson on the 14th March was brought against a labouring man named James Smith, alias Griffo. Mr. , O'Leary represented the accused. Sydney James Watson, carpenter, Kent-terrace, stated that at, 7. p.m. on the 14th March he went into town wearing the watch and chain produced. Ho visited various hotels during the evening. In the Central Hotel a man tried to force his way into the company of witness. Later, before getting home, the witness missed his watches and chain. Next morning he reported the loss to the police, and recovered one watch later through their aid. ' To Mr. O'Leary : He had called at two hotels on the way. down. He then went to.sthe Central Hotel and stayed there till closing time. Ho got home about 11 o'clock. Joseph Barslit, watchmaker and jeweller, 7, Lambton-quay, " deposed to' knowing the accused for about seven years. Smith brought him a watch (the gold one produced, for sale. He said he had bought the watch at Schofield's in Manners-street. To Mr. O'Leary : Accused had always been known to him as Smith. William Reynold Schofield gave evidence that he had never sold the accused such a watch. Detective Cassells stated he had arrested the accused in the Martinborough district. Smith denied selling tho watch to Barsht, whom he said he did not even know. Barsht had shown the witness the watch and chain on the 16th March. , James Smith, the accused, stated he was a shearer, usually working about Martinborough. He came down Christmas time with £50 or £60 and stayed in Wellington until March. He had never been in the Central Hotel since about the New Year. He Mad bought ths watch from a man in the street near the Duke of Edinburgh corner. .He took the watch to Barsht, who gavev him another watch and some change. After counsel had addressed the jury, | and his Honour had summed up, the iiry after a short retirement brought in a verdict of guilty of having been in pc-psession of stolen property. The prisoner was remanded for sentence until to-morrow morning. NO BILL. No bill was found in the case of Patrick Ryan, charged with indecent assault at Wellington. CHRISTCHURCH TRIALS. [BY. TELEGBAPH. — PREsk ASSOCIATION.] CHRISTCHURCH, 17th August. In the Supremo Court, William Cameron was indicted on two counts of breaking and entering. The prisoner pleaded not guilty to both counts. After a, quarter of an hour's retirement the jury returned with a vordict of guilty. * The second count of the indictment, charging Cameron with having broken into the warehouse of Ross and Glendining, and having stolen goods valued at £23 11s 3d, was proceeded with. The jury. without retiring, brought in a verdict of guilty. His Honour, in sentencing prisoner, told him that the next time he came before the court he would bo treated as an habitual criminal, and be locked up for life. He was sentenced to live years' imprisonment, to run concurrently with tho sentence of four years that the prisoner was .serving. William Bell was charged with having on 14th July stolen a black pony mare from Jobcph Clark, of Oxford, valued at £16. He pleaded not guilty. After a retirement of a quarter of an hour the jury found accused not guilty. Leonard Sutherland was indicted- on a charge of having, on 9th July, at Winslow, made a false document by signing the name of Barney Kent, and of having obtained possession from the Railway Department of a case of whisky. The hearing of the case was not concluded when the court adjourned till tomorrow. DUNEDIN CASES. DUNEDIN, 17th August. The jury returned a verdict of not guilty in the case of Augu=t Erickson, charged with receiving property know-, ing it to be stolen, and a similar charge against Robert Wells was proceeding when the Court adjourned.

According to a report received by the police authorities the three-roomed house, with stock, and furniture, of William Bainbridge, storekeeper, Dyer Settlement, were destroyed by fire. There was no water supply. The building and stock wero insured for £100, but there was no insurance on the furniture. The Wellington Fire Brigade received no loss than three false alarms last evening ; one from corner Victoria and Harbour-streets, another from Abel Smith-blrect, and tho final ono from Wahh-strcett