CRIMINAL SESSIONS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVI, Issue 43, 19 August 1908, Page 3

CRIMINAL SESSIONS.

CHRISTCHURCH CASES.

[BY TELEGRAPH. — PBESS ASSOCIATION.] CHRISTCHURCH, 18th August. At the Supreme Court to-day Leonard Sutherland, found guilty of forgery, was sentenced to three months' imprisonment. Charlotte Elizabeth Moraghan was charged that on 18th April last, at Ash-. burton, she committed the crime of bigamy by marrying George Wanacott, her husband, James Stephen Moraghan, being still alive. Hia Honour put the issue to the jury whether when accused went through the second marriage ceremony she had honest and reasonable belief that her husband was dead. After a retirement of about half an hour the jury returned with the answer "No" to the issue submitted, with the addition that the jury wished his Honour to deal leniently with, accused. His Honour said that the jury's answer was equivalent to a verdict of guilty. Addressing accused, his Honour said she had no doubt been guilty in law of bigamy. After referring to the, serious aspects of the crime in certain circumstances, his Honour said thafc though in th« present case the jury had properly found that the woman had acted recklessly, and though there were suspicious circumstances connected with the second marriage ceremony, there appeared to have been some suggestion that her first husband was d«>ad. Ha thought he would be giving full effect to the recommendation of the jury if he ordered accused to enter into her own recognisances to coma up for sentence when called on. Thomas Vickery was charged that on 21st May last, in the Magistrate's Court at Oxford, he committed perjury. After a retirement of twenty minutes the jury returned a verdict of not guilty. John Page was indicted on a charge that he committed perjury in a case heard at the Magistrate's Court, Christ? church, on 10th May last. The case was not finished when the court rose for the day. MANSLAUGHTER CHARGE IX DUNEDIN. DUNEDIN, 18th August. The hearing of the charge of manslaughter against Richard Cornish, till recently licensee of the Stirling Hotel, was > commenced at the Supreme Court to-day. Cornish was charged with that he did kill his wife, Catherine Elizabeth Corflish, on Ist May. Accused pleaded not guilty. The Crown Prosecutor _(Mr. li'raser) laid stress on tho contradictory nature of some of the evidence. He pointed out th© contradictory nature of statemonth of the accused, who had told the police repeatedly at first that he got up at 10 a.m. on Ist May and stumbled over tho dead body of his wife in a passage, and then he changed the time of his awakening from 10 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. The Crown Prosecutor called the jury's attention to the enormous strength of accused, to his wife's weakness for drink, and to accused's own statement that when she drank they quarrelled, and said that in one of these quarrels Cornish might have under-estimated feu strength. Elizabeth Gore, tho cook, gave similar evidence to that given by her at Baiolutha, repeating her statement that after Cornish took her to see the dead woman he had said, "I always said I would. murder her, and I've done it." Mr Hanlon submitted witness to a severe cross-examination. I Medical evidence was given. The hearing will be resumed to-mor-I row.