SUPREME COURT. CRIMINAL SITTINGS.

Evening Post, Volume LXVII, Issue 26, 1 February 1904, Page 5

SUPREME COURT. CRIMINAL SITTINGS.

The quarterly sittings of the Supreme. Court commenced this morning, before th«; Chief Justice. THE GRAND JURY. . The following were empannelled as thn Grand Jury :— Messrs. 11. J. Williams (foreman), F. B. lnnis, A. P. Webster, T. Cavmichae], S. Hail, W. Parker, Carwell Cooko, J. A. Hannah. M. Murdoch^ Charles Rocves, G. L. Jennew, W. Hopkirk, W. J. Ilueston. E. B. Bmlow, A. Dixon, W. U. Mautell, F. Barues, .), M'Mahon, W. Mackay, H. C. Luff, P. R Howden, and J. E. Liudberg. HIS HONOUR'S CHARGE. His Honour, in charging the Jury, saidi the number of cases to be considered was not largo. He could not, however, say that there was any diminution of crime iv tho district, because if ho considered tho number of persons who had pleaded ' ' guilty and had bten eentenced by 'the Su« prime Court, it would be found that during.the past tlneo months the number of prisoners had not decreased. It did seem strange that thero were so many cases of theft when thero was plenty of employ* ' ment. No excuse whatever apparently could be given for persons choosing to take otlier people's property instead of trying to earn an honest living. Ho wits glad, however, that there wore not what might bo termed very serious coses on tho calendar. There were two cases, however, in regard to which he considered it very unfortunate that tbere should be such cases on tha calendar, via., men, somo of them old men, attacking littlo girls. Thero wort two very sad discs ot that class. One man, a very o'd man, and tho other apparently a middle-aged man, were charged with indecently assaulting girls of tender as?e. Apparently, remarked His Honour, oui littlo girls are not safe when men of that stamp are al> lowed to roam about. TRUE BILLS. Tho Grand Jury brought in True Bills in tho following cases : — Edward Winter, indecent assault , William Nicholls, theft; H<-nry Holland, theft; Alexandei Ogg, breaking and entering; Peter Stephens, breaches of tho Bankruptcy Actj Patrick M'Keogau, indecent assault ; Wm. Nicholls, assault and robbery ; Chas. Edwards, Albert Erdman, Jas. Wiggins, and John Glau, theft* Kurl Jdlcmar, wound* ing with intent." NO BILL. Th& Grand Jury found "No Bill" apniu&t E»feb«r Rnojy?, concealment of birtlv

Tho Grand Jury concluded its labours ihortly beforo 1 p.m., and was thanked lay His Honour, and discharged. CHARGE OF TUEFT. Henry Holland, a young man, was indicted on a churgo of having stolen a gold medal, the property of C. G. Lcwtbam, at Wellington, on 26th Deoeniber, 1903. Ho pleaded Not Guilty. Mr. Myers prosecuted for tho .Crown ; the prisoner was not defended by couii•cl. Mr, J. Robertson was chosen forenan of tho jury. Tho case for the prosecution wne tltat while outside tho Cricketers' Anna Hotel on the afternoon of Boxing Day a man named 1\ 11. Leigh, who wan with Leatham, saw prisoner twist a medal olf Lentham'a wntchguard. He charged Holland with tljo offence, but the latter denied it. However, ho gave- the man in SUargev and on being searched nt the Police- Station the medal was found on him. In his defence prisoner said ho picked the modal up on the floor of the liar of tlio lintel, and refused to givo it to Lcathanv when ho asked him tor it, as ho refused to givo a description- of it. If Leatham liad dono so ho would havo given it up. Aftor ten minutes' absence- the jury returned with a verdict of Guilty, and prisoner was romanded for sentence till Wednesday. His Honour remarked that ho Hid not know what to do with him. During tho post ten years he had had about ten years' imprisonment on various charges. It seemed like a farce, almost, Bonding him to gaol for a year or two, aa no sooner was ho out than ho was in trouble again. AN ABSENT WITNESS. An elderly man named Patrick M'Keegan pleaded Not Guilty to a chargo of attempting an offence against a girl | of eig-ht years of ago, at Wellington, on 19th December. i Before tho trial commenced tho witness j Daniel Lynch was called ou, but did not appear. His Honour declared his iecognraanco (£SO) forfeited, and mado an order for his attendanco. Tho trial meantimo wa« ordered to stand over. A SERIOUS CHARGE. Edward Winter, a young man, was arraigned on nn indictment charging him with, having indecently assaulted two little girls at Wellington oil 21st Dccoinber, 1903. Prisoner, for whom Mr. Hindmarsh appeared, pleaded Not Guilty. Mr. H. Moss was foreman of the jury. Tho case is proceeding. [BT TBLEOBAPH— I'KEaS A9BQCIATION.J NAPIER, This Day. Tho Supremo Court opened this morning beforo Mr. Justico Cooper. The calendar comprises nine charges ngainm eight prisoners. Referring to the absence of cases against natives from the calendar, his Honour said it was a matter for congratulation that in a district like this, with a considerable Maori population, thero should bo such an immunity. Norman Gustavus Hall, on a chargo of forgery, pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to two years' imprisonment. Frank Marsdcn, charged with theft of a portmanteau and clothes to tho value of £25, was sentenced to two years ; and Timothy Smith, charged with the theft of a cheque, was granted six months' probation. AUCKLAND, This- Day. At tho Supremo Court, Mr. Justice Edwards, in opening the criminal sittings, congratulated tho Grand Jury on tho comparatively light calendar, there being only one-fifth of tho number of cases set dowu for hearing at tho previous session. Tho only serious charges are one of alleged murder and one of attempted rape.

Three sons and two daughters came before tho Stipendiary Magistrate this morning in order that he might arrange the proportions of their maintenance of their mother, Jane Fuller. Their names arc : Henry arid Edward Fuller (represented by Messrs. Herdman and Hindmarsh), Stephen A. Fuller, Mrs. I. E. Williams, and Mrs. M. S. Grimstone. Mr. AVilford Appeared for the daughters, and said they already supplied their mother with a rentfree house, boing one of three cottages left them by thoir .father ;. tho other two brought in a total rental of lla a week. Mr. Herdman sdid that all the property, to the value of £1000 — (incredulous smile from the ladies)— had been left to the daughters, and had tho Testator's Family Maintenance Act been in force at the> timo, tho support of tho mother would have been ft charge on , that property. Tho sons were willing to contribute. His Worship mado an order against each son to pay 2s a week, and recorded the following note: — "Information ugninst the daughters withdrawn, they undertaking to supply tho house." Tho new Town Hall at the Upper Hutt ww» opened last week with a very successful social gathering. Minifio's string band supplied tho music. Mr. Wilford, M'.H.R.', formally opened the building, and complimented tho shareholders on their enterprise, and Mr. J. S. Swan, the architect, upon his design. A musical prograinmo was gone through ; Miss Whiteman played the accompaniments. The hall av«s built by Mr. Hayes, of the Lower Hutt, and most of tho timber was •implied by Messrs. Greenwood and Whiteman of Akatarawa. At the half-yearly meeting of the Wellington Zionists' Social Club held yesterday thero was a largo attendanco of members. After tho btdancc-sheet was read nnd adopted officers for the ensuing half year were elected aa follows : — President, Mr. D. Nathan ; Vice-Presi-dent, Mr. A. Berman ; Treoaurer, Mr. M. Schapiro ; Secretary, Mr. J. Berman (re-elected) ; Committee, Messrs. Gordon, B. Semeloff, Green, Boock, and J. Semeloff j Trusteeß, tho Rev. H. Van StaTtren and Mr. Mark Green ; Auditors, Mr. D. Davte nnd Mr. H. Zucker. A hearty voto of thanks was accorded, and it was, also resolved that a letter be sent to, tho retiring President (Mr. Gordon), thanking him for his past .tervices to the club. •> On Saturday evening the caretaker of the. Petone Waterworks sent word to Petone that tho fire which has been burning in the Korokoro Valley for tho past fortnight had attacked tho standing bush at the reservoir sito, and for a considerable distance down , stream. . Assistance was sent at an early hour, but fortunalply thu change of wind checked the progress of tho fire. It waa reported lu«,t evening thnt though the caretaker's lent and the bush had been fired in several placos by flying embers no serious damage had been dono at this portion of the watershed. As an instance of tho rapidity with which tho fire spread on Friday, Mr. Fawcett, who was working on Mr. Pnekwood's holding in f he Maungariki Settlement, wont into the houso shortly after 2 p.m. Somo tea was made, but nover drunk, the fire having in the meantime reached tho edge of tho clearing round the hou=e. In a few seconds the premises were in flames, and the house with its contents and a" dray and harness were totally destroyed. Mr. Packwood's loss over insurance is snid to be between £200 and £300, besides which the land will bo of no use to him until next spring or summer. Lower down the va,lley falling trees and boulders were responsible on Friday for two breaks in the water mains. The trial of Peter Stephens on a number of charges of breaches of the Bankruptcy Act has been fixed for Monday next.