MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 91, 17 April 1913, Page 8

MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE.

THE ONEHUNGA CASE. '.;'- The rehearing of the .-ehSTgie' .■of indecency against William McHugh .was continued yesterday '. afternoxm at'Onehunga after the ''Star'J went ;to press. '■ I Sergeant Rogers said that •in 35 years' experience he J had not' heard .a'man sostrongly protest his innocence when arrested as the defendant" had done. !..","'' William McHugh gave evidence bnhii own behalf. Touching his flnfihdal position, he said he lived in his; own free;hold property in Church Street, and had a substantial credit balance in the- bank. He might almost be called a teetotaller; aS he had only had one : glass >f hecr J ; since he came to-New 7 Zealand, six yeirs ago. On Easter T Monday he returned from work as usual evemng,_and never left his premise., again that night, retiring.to rest about 8 o'clock;.. '■''*/'-.-.'■..'. '.- The evidence, whi<h proved McHugh not guilty and sent him away without a stain on his character was given as J follows by a young . man ■ named William Claude Horsecrbft,an -engineer employed : in the Newmarket workshops". :On Easter- Monday- : night, thii. witness said, he-w*s sitting' fir theßed*don Memorial at; Ctaehungaf when jthe woman who had:given evidence in-'the case asked him to"-remove a'man'from the front of the memorial. Witness did hot see the man until receiving this request. When lie got out the man«M ' about 10yds. away at the,,hack oL.-the-~ memorial. He gave - chase,,hut, finding that he- was outdistanced, he gave the chase vp v . The '-■ other '.'man' must have been a sprinter, as ■he (witness) could run ; iOOvd* in Usee. He would say the : culprit'was ; about 25 years of age and V. little bigger, than" himself. ; He was' carrying A fawrr overcoat.' y. When witness returned -to ;the "Memorial the woman said the man. had been follow-, jhig' her! 'As soon ..'as he' saw' JMJcHugH' in gaol hie recognised him as a man. whomhe had known for some years-as a respectable person. Her was positive that: McHugh was not' the man- whdm;;he ~' chased' from the 'Seddon 'Memorial,'■ as '. the latter was a very, agile man and in •■'•■ no .way resembled McHugh, - : In 'the ■, face' of this evidence, the charge was dismissed, -and- McHugh was J set: at j liberty, the presiding Justitfe.-stating, that he left the Court -without a stain'on '-hi* character;;-• ■■■■■■ >T :-.■.-. - • -;-