SUPREME COURT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 275, 26 November 1897, Page 5

SUPREME COURT.

THIS DAY.

r-?H8

CRIMINAL SESSIONS.

(Before His Honor Mr Justice Conolly.)' r A Maori Bank.— The Court yesterday afternoon and this morning was occupied with the hearing of a charge of stealing money against a native at Rotorua. Henri I urewa, a young man, was charged with having on June 15th last stolen £10 18s trom the dwelling-house of Tamaran^i, a native, at Te Ngae, near Rotorua.—Mr i i '^°*c' cor""icted the prosecution, and Mr Theo. Cooper appeared for the accused, who pleaded not guilty.—Tamarangi, an old native, who acted as banker and custodian of the guide fees from Tikitere for a number of natives of the Ngati" whakaue tribe, and whose residence is at ie Ngae, the old mission station als Rotorua, stated that he had the money in a box in his house, and that he gave the accused the key while he (witness) went away to Mokoia Island, in Lake Rotorua. When he returned lie found the money was missing. Subsequently, when playing cards, the accused, who was a loser, threw down a pound note, which was identified as one of those placed in Tamarangi's charge. A number of other Maori witnesses were examined.—The defence was a denial of the charge, the accused denying having borrowed the key at .all. He said he got the note referred to amongst the change of a cheque which he cashed afc a store in Rotorua.—The jury, to-day returned a verdict of "not guilty," an<J Purewa was discharged. Not Guilty.—A young man namea Robert Dixon was charged with the thefli of a horse, the property of Charles Phair, at Coromandel, on May 21st last.—Mr Tole conducted the prosecution and Mr Theo. Cooper appeared for the accused, who pleaded not guilty. Evidence in support of the charge was given by Phair and George Cantle. The case turned on the contents of a certain agreement under which the horse had been hired by Dixon, and the evidence not being at all conclusive, Mr Tole said, after Cantle's examination, that he would not proceed further with the case. His Honor directed the jury to return a verdict of not guilty, which they did, and the accused was discharged. Alleged Child Desertion.—A woman named Mary Ann Barton was charged with the desertion of her infant child in Auckland on September 11th.—The accused pleaded not guilty.—Orlando Nap. Mazzolini deposed to hearing a child cry while lie was going past the Western Park early on the morning of the date mentioned, and on going into the park he found a baby underneath a tree.—Several other witnesses gave evidence to show that the child was that of the accused. — The jury returned a verdict of guilty, with a strong recommendation to probation, if it could be applied. His Honor, however, said the prisoner was a bad case, and sentenced her to four months' imprisonment with hard labour.