CITY POLICE COURT.
Thursday, Maeoh 10.
(Before E. H. Carew, Eeq , R.M )
Affiliation.—After we went to press last night the oase of Margaret Topping v. George M'Beath was continued. Mr Hanlon appeared for the complainant, and Mr Macdonald for the defendant.—William Elder, chemist, of George street, was about to give evidence of a conversation he heard relative to the case, when Mr Hanlon ob- I jeoted, on the ground that the evidence was inadmissible, but the Bench said it would take the conversation for what it was worth. —Witness then went on to say that be heard a conversation between Bella Topping and another witness at the second day of the hearing of the last case. The other witness was Alice Gubbins. The girl Topping said: "Do you remember when we were talking of what we were going to say in Court last time ? ' The other girl replied in the affirmative. They were talking about Mr Macdonald, the lawyer, but there was no mention made of a mistake. Crossexamined: Witness was not subpoenaed, but was giving evidence at the request of Mr M'Beath. He was an intimate friend of Mr M'Beath, and thought George was an exemplary young man. Cross-examined : The conversation took place in the room of the clerk of the court. Witness did not like the tone of the remarks. They did not make any attempt to conceal what they said, but spoke quite loud. One of them Baid Bhe remembered what she had to say, but Mr Macdonald would not let her state all she wished to. Witness sent information to Mr Hanlon in respect to the matter, but did not know whether he received that information.—Alice Gubbins gave evidonce that before the case first came on Bhe did not know George M'Beath very well, and he was pointed out to her in Court. She would not swear positively that it was George M'Beath Bhe saw in George street, and immediately after the case Bhe told her mother that she believed then it was not George M'Beath. To the Bench: Witness could not remember that the person with Margaret ToppiDg in George street was described to her then as George M'Beath. She was never told what she had to say in her evidence. Crossexamined : Witness admitted saying in the last oase that she knew George M'Beath well by sight. She would not reply to counsel's question whether that statement was true or false. She also said she had seen them together on several occasions. Witnesß could not say whether the defendant in Court was the person sho had seen with the complainant, Witness did not get a subpeeaa, but she was ogainst going to Court; Sho thought that Mr M'Beath had seen her mother, and the latter told witness that she must attend. She always went by what her mother said, —The Bench inquired whether Mr hanlon could call evidence to prove that the complaiaant was in town on May 1, the day on which the money was alleged to have been given her by the defendant.—Mr Hanlon eaid he could call two witnesses to prove that Bhe was.—Mrs Gubbins deposed that the day after her daughter gave evidence sho had a conversation with her, in which she admitted that she knew nothing about the defendant exoept what had been told to her by Bella and Margaret Topping. She said she never saw his face.. She never saw or spoke to Mr M'Beath since tho last hearing, except on that morning when he said he expected her daughter would be wanted to give evidence.—The case was then adjourned till Tuesday.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ESD18920311.2.45
Bibliographic details
Evening Star, Issue 8771, 11 March 1892, Page 4
Word Count
603CITY POLICE COURT. Evening Star, Issue 8771, 11 March 1892, Page 4
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