The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED "The Evening News," "The Morning News," and "The Echo." TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1875.

Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1819, 14 December 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED "The Evening News," "The Morning News," and "The Echo."

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1875.

For the cause that lacks assistance, For the wrong that needs resistance, For the future in the distance, And the good that we can do.

We hare been appointed, without being asked, as the medium for condoning a criminal offence, with the hushing up of which we have not the smallest sympathy. We shall simply relate the circumstances, so that anyone interested may take what action he pleases. Two young men were detected on last Sunday morning in the act of robbing the cemetery by despoiling graves of roses and other flowers, planted and trained by the hands of affection. The public are generally aware of the frequency of the offence of desecrating the graves in the cemetery—not merely flowers, but ehrubs, shells, vases, even headstones and monuments being constantly subject to molests* tion at the hands of persons whose feelings are apparently only susceptible to the cat-o'-nine-taila. Again and again have efforts been made to catch the offenders. Rewards have been offered, and we believe relatives of the dead have even gone so far as hiding in ambush at unseasonable hours, in the hope of having one or two examples made, so that a wholesome terror may be inspired. Now these two offenders have been caught in the <rery act, and admitting their names and the commission of the offence, they were told by their captor, a person connected with the Cemetery, that if they paid ten shillings to the Orphan Home through the Evening Stak, he would not prosecute. That ten shillings has been paid and lies on the editorial table. We touch it not^save with the point of a stick. And there it shall lie till we hear more on the subject. We hold that there was no authority for giving such engagement. The crime was one against the law and not against any curator or trustee of the Cemetery, and as such we draw the attention of the police to the subject. If they or any other feel inclined to prosecute, and our own feeling is that the youths should get the utmost severity the law allows at Mount Eden, we shall place them in possession of particulars. We regard the engagement, not to prosecute, made by the captor as entirely ultra vives, and the unholy ten shillings offered to cover the crime of robbing the dead shall remain upon our table to be returned to the offenderajwhen in Mount Eden, or to be pitched into the tide. Will the police take this matter up ? Or shall we forego the opportunity of making mexxaxgl^ , and allow

tinually outraged by the reckless conduct of larrikins against whom not even the sacredness of the grave is a protection.