SUPREME COURT SENSATION.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 148, 21 June 1912, Page 2

SUPREME COURT SENSATION.

JtISTMAW VISITS FBJSOKHIvS. THE IOB.Y BISCEABGED. lßy~ Telegraph-—Press Association.) BLENHEIM, this day. When the Supreme Court this morning entered upon the. hearing of conspiracy charges against John Binley and Edwin Walsh, matters took a somewhat sensational form. The Crown Prosecutor intimated to thr. judge that he. ha.d been informed by the sergeant of police that the foreman of the jury, Frank Clarke, had visited the police station last night, a.nd interviewed the prisoners- His Honor then entered upon a searching inquiry into the matter, examining several members of the police force and Clarke on oath. It was stated thai Clarke and another person approached accused in the corridor of the police cells and was ordered off the premises ■by the sergeant. . It. was-also mentioned that bottle of whisky was found in the possession of the prisoners. Clarfco. explained that he strongly held the opinion that the prisoners should not have been detained in the jraol for the night, and, that after failing in efforts to obtr-in their release, he went down to see.if they were ail Tight. He knew nothing about the whisky, and did not consider he was doing anything improper. The judge treated the matter as one of serious import, and with great Tegret applied, for the first time in the histoTv of the Dominion, section 431 of the Crimes Act, and discharged the jury. The case, was thus put ofr till next sittings. With reference to the supply of ■whisky to prisoners, counsel for Walsh said that a man in Court was prepared to say he gave the 'whisky to the prisoners. The judge said he preferred to leave investigation -of that part of the episode to the Crown Prosecutor.

BLrJey is a telegraph operator, who i? charred with having altered the r.ame? of horses, on a telegram endorsed by Walsh.]