DINIZULU'S JUDGES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 304, 17 September 1908, Page 7

DINIZULU'S JUDGES.

ONE FROM TRANSVAAL, TWO FROM ' NATAL. (BY TELEOItArH—MESS ASSOCIATION—corYiuairr.) Durban, Soptember 15. The Commissioners who will constitute the Special Court to try Dinizulu on charges of treason and murder will be Sir William J. Smith, Judge of the Trans-, vaal Supremo Court, formerly Chief Justico of British Guiana and of Cyprus. Mr. H. G. Boshoff, Judge of the Native High Court of Natal. Mr. H. C. Shepstono, son of the lato Sir Theophilus Shepstono, formerly Secretary for Native Affairs in Natal. STATEMENT BY ACCUSED. The Special Court has been constituted, Router's Agenoy learns, on the initiative of Natal in view of the trial of Dinizulu. Similar arrangomonts were made in the case of the Natal rebels in 1900. This step has been taken to ensuro a perfectly impartial trial. Any caseg of nativo crime committed before July I shall be tried by this Special Court, and there shall ho no appeal within the Colony. Dinizulu has issued the following written statement: "I emphatically say that I am innocent of the charges. If martial law had not been in operation in Zululand, and if my lawyers had not been prevented from obtaining evidence, I could have established my innocence. I havo been locked in gaol for months and deprived of the opportunity given by the law of the land to arrange my defence. "I am oven ignorant of the names of thoso whom I am accused of murdering. The prosecution has intentionally poisoned the publio mind by introducing hearsay evidence. Despite my counsel's protests, criminals and personal enemies have been selected to testify, and have, sworn deliberate untruths. '

"This was only consistent with the injustice, bias, and prejudice which have char-, aeterised the whole inquiry. I havo been kept apart from the whole world. J can only reserve my defenco for the day when I am permitted to avail myself of my rights under tho law."