DESECRATION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 91, 10 January 1908, Page 7

DESECRATION.

' RRDGER'S CRAVE. THE CHARGES WITHDRAWN. BY TELEGBA.FII—PBESS ASSOCIATION—COI'IBItiHT, (Rec. Jan. 9, 10.10 p.m.) Pretoria, January 9. Tho chargos against two oflicors and all oxcivil servant, of desecrating • President Krugcr's grave, havo been withdrawn. THE ACCUSED. . PfiELIMINAEY HEARING.: . t Tho accused, who were committed for trial by ' Magistrate M'Fie in the Lower Court at Pretoria on November 2, are described in the newspaper reports as being all very, voung, the eldest being Lieut.'Henry. Wrn.Herring, R.E., who is aged 25 years. The other officer is Lieut. A: G. L. Clark, of the K.0.Y.L.1. Tho civilian, Sigurd A. Dickson; aged 24, had been recently retrenched from the Colonial Secretary's office. He is described as "■ very well known'iir social' circles, and a prominent amateur actor." ■ . ...... Tho evidence was very voluminous.and..very' confusing, and the following are typicn'l samples of it.— . .. Constable Kleynhaus deposed that early in the morning of.October 18 tho ornament on the tfiave of tho grandson of President ICruger was found, lo be broken off. The bust of the President, tlind ■ been removed. It was lying against another. tomb. .. H. T. Harlaiid, a probationary detective, stated that a piece of'marble had been chipped off the right shoulder of tho bust. Tho. head .Was,broken: off a small marble angel. ! Miss Molly Marshall, a . member of the Wheeler Gaiety Company,', deposed that she and Miss Bell,and Miss Grindley, on, the night of October 17, ■ attended 1 a supper "at the Grand Hotel, with Messrs. Dickson, Herring, Clark, and Benskin. Later on Miss Grindley and Mr. Clark rode off'together .on the same horse. Mr. Dickson was quite sober, but Mr. Herring was just a little bit elevated'. W. Pretorius, manager of the, Lombardy Hotel, deposed that Dickson, told him the police were after him for the graveyard scandal, and further said: "Do yon think I .ought to , give my pals away, or give'their names?" Witness said: "Well, if-they had nothing to do with it, why shouldn't you?" Counsel for tho defence ridiculed 'tho idea that ft young man was guilty -of these acts because ho carried a woman on tho pommel of. his saddle from the Grand Hotel to the Lombardy Hotel on the same riiglit as the offence took place. Counsel, without calling evidence, asked that the cases be dismissed. Ihe, Magistrate decided that there wns a case for the accused to answer, and he committed them for trial, fixing bail at £250.