CAPTURE OF E. J. COX AT WELLINGTON. EXAMINATION OF THE PRISONER.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIII, Issue 3017, 28 March 1867, Page 6

CAPTURE OF E. J. COX AT WELLINGTON. EXAMINATION OF THE PRISONER.

At the Resident MagtatraVs Court, W«Uington, bn Much 20, befori JT F. E. Wnght, Em., J.P., Edwwd J. Cox was placed in tSe dock, charged' with having, onthe 25th of JTebruary lasy*jno«Jf stolen andWedawayacertambond, ofJfce value Of £ , the property of No. 1 Land Society of She M.U. Order of Odd Fellow* of Auckland, - with intent to defraud. , * &! Buckley appeared to defend the pnaoner. jimwßuni*, prLter, residing iaWellin ßton, denoiJd •I do not know the prisoner. lam * member S3Shareholder of the No. 1 Odd Fellows' Land Sooiety, Auckland. E. J. Cox,. solicitor, of Auok. land, was solicitor for fbii Sooiety, and was one of : the trustee*. As solicitor he drew up the bond for I the lecretary. Mr. Buckley: Did you see this boud drawn up ? Witness: I did not. Mr. .Buckley •• Do you know anything of your Own knowledge about it? Witness: Ido not, I know of my own knowledge that this Mr. Cox was solicitor to the lj Society. The Bench: What do you know about the bond ? Witness: I only believe that he drew it up. I tare his own statement that he took it away. v Mr. Buckley: On Bjich evidence as this the ' prisoner cannot be detained. Mr. Inspector Atchison: I think it will be better to hear the whole of the evidence, your Worship. His Worship: Did you hear Cox make this statement about taking the bond away ? Witness: I did not, but I saw a letter in the newspapers in which he stated that lie had made away ■with the bond, and could give no account of it. Mr. Inspector: He swears to the best of his belief,, your Worship. " «..'-«. Mt. Buckley: That is not sufficient. This is a criminal charge, and the witness comes here with a lof what he sees in the newspapers «s all the -'titfdence he can giv*. If such a thing wallowed, •there will be no safety for any single person in the community. ~ ' Hi* Worship to the witness : Have you any other information to give on this subject ? ' ■ Witnesß: No, your Worship, but I wish to have the prisoner remanded, and I can bring evidenoe to prove that he was a trustee of the Society as well as solicitor, and was entrusted with the obarge of documents belonging to the Society. I shall be able < to substantiate the charge against him. ! Mr.Tjtßnckley: Take care, sir,, that he may not have a very serious charge against you for giving information on such grounds as you do. What do you know about these documents ? Witness : Ido not myself know, but— Mr. Buckley : Then, how dare you make such a statement here ? Did he gire this document to you ? Witness : He did not. His Worship : Do you, know of your own know* ledge that he had the bond in his possession 2 Witness: I do not. .• Mr. Buckley: I believe you know nothing at all about this information except from hearsay. , Witness: I know it from hearsay, from a letter that I received from Auckland, and from the public newspapers. Mr. Buckley: That is nothing more than hearsay. You say that the prisoner was solicitor to the Society: how is the solicitor appointed t ' Witness: He is appointed by the members. Mr. Buckley: Were you present when he was appointed ? Witness: I was not. Mr. Buckley: You do not, then, know that he was appointed ? How do you come to make the statement that he was solicitor to the Society ? Witness: Because I saw his name appended to the rules. That is how I know. Mr. Buckley: I submit, your Worship, that suoh evidence is not sufficient even to justify a remand. Mr. Inspector Atchison said that he would like to. be pat in the box, as he could give fuffioient evidence to allow of a remand being granted. The depositions were then read oven to the witness, who stated that he wished to have them amended, io as to show clearly what the bond alluded to was for. Mr. Buckley: How dare you ask such a thing, when you know nothing about the bond ? i-The . witness pressed for the amendment, as, without it, the depositions had no meaning; and they were amended to the effect that prisoner had drawn up the bond for the secretary of the Society. At Mr. Buckley's request the Bench asked witness whether he knew anything about the bond, to which he replied that he did not, The Bench: Did you ever see the bond 2. Witness: Idid not. if> These replies were also added to the depositions. Frederick Atchison, Inspector of Police, deposed: I know tile prisoner j from information received, the prisoner has absconded from Auckland; if a remand .was granted I should be able to bring witnesses to support the charge. Mr.jßnckJey applied that, if a remand waagranted, prisoner might be allowed bail. Mr. Inspector Atohison: If bail is allowed I shall ask that it be heavy and substantial; . Mr. Buckley: That'will not rest with you. The Court must settle the amount. His Worship- then granted a remand for eight days; bail allowed, the prisoner in £1,000 and two sureties in £500 eaoh. Prisoner was then removed.

. Oar police report of yesterday will show that E. J. Cox, the solicitor, who absconded from Auckland, leaving large defalcation! behind, has been brought before the Court here, and has been remanded for farther evidence. When he heard on Wednesday that a -warrant had been taken out against him, he voluntarily surrendered himself to the police. We give a report of a meeting of his creditors in Auckland, at which a letter from him was read, in which he stated that he had only taken away £100'vrith him. When he was searched on Wednesday afternoon, nothing was found on him ; and we believe that,' through the adrioe of some persons with whom he was acquainted here, he remitted the amount, deducting the cost of his fpas- ' sage from Auckland, to that place, to be appropriated to the liquidation of some portion of his debts. He does not appear to have had any settled mode of escape from here, and was so indifferent about being seen that on Tuesday he paid a visit to his brother in the gaol. ■ He -was admitted to bail by the Resident Magistrate in sums of £1,000 by himself, and £500 each by two sureties. - Mr. G. Didsbury, and Mr. liewis, of the- pefenoe Office, entered into the necessary reeognjaances, and Cox was liberated yesterday afternoon.— Wellington Advertiser: