THE SLIMES CASE.

Gisborne Times, Volume VIII, Issue 503, 16 August 1902, Page 3

THE SLIMES CASE.

FINN AND EDGAR BEFORE THE

(Special to Times.) Auckland, last night,

The hearing of tho charge of theft against Douglas Finn, an ex-Gisbornite, and Edgar, has occupied the Court for the past two days. Much interest has been centred in the case. Finn looked very pulo in tho box, and since his arrest has grown a beard. Mr Cotter addressed the jury, and pointed out the various links in the chain of evidence, which pointed to the accuseds connection with tho theft. Mr Martin, whoso address to the jury lasted fifty minutes, said that there was no direct ovidenco against tho accused. The verdict must bo returned on inferences drawn from purely circumstantial evidence, and unless the facts adduced supported the inference of guilt, and that only, the accused must be given tho benefit of tho doubt It was to be regretted that the evidence o Hargreaves, who had been in charge of tin Waikino battery, was not available to show whether tho room had been locked up the night beforo tho robbery. It was nol likely, if the accused were the guilty persons, that they would have left a trail of incriminating droppings ending opposite their house, or have planted a portion of i lie slimes near the same locality. This was more likely to bo tho act of other persons wishing to throw suspicion on the accused. Itcgarding tho fire in accused s hut, it was strange that no attempt was made to sccuro the ashes, as if the clothes which were being burnt had been stained with slimes tho ovidonco could not have boon destroyed. As to tho accused calling attention to some wheel marks, when Mr Hopkins was searching for tho slimes, thoro was nothing significant in that as Hopkins had then turned away from tbo spot whero tho slimes wero afterwards found. Regarding tho assumption that tho accused had removed slimes from the river bank in April, 1901, it was evident from tho timo thoy spont at Mackaytown on tho night of tho 16th, that if they had removed anything it must have been in broad daylight. Tho man Essox had been freely mentioned in connection with tho case, but why had he not beon brought forward to givo evidence ? Then why did tho prosecution not call Cartor to show whether tho accused wore or wero not telling the truth in regard to the alleged authority to uso tho battery ? Detective Miller said ho had tracod the slimos found in accused’s possession as far as Auckland ; but why were they not traced further ? Thero had been no secrecy in tho way accused journeyed to Tapu, and Finn’s requost, that their names should bo kept out of the papers, was an ovidonco that tho accused wero dazed when confronted by the police tho request being such a ridiculous one in view of tho importance of tho case. As to the identification of the slimes, thero was nothing in the slimes themselves to show that thoy wero thoso stolen. If tho prisoners had mado a find, say at Opitonui, or in that direction, and had had their quartz reduced to slimes, they would have to come to Auckland, and travel back to Tapu to got to tho battery there, in order to make their assay, and tho evidence had shown that the slimes had been traced to Auckland. His Honor, in summing up, said it was very evident that no person honestly dealing with slimes would carry them about in a sack, as ovory pound weight of the exudations would bo worth about £2. The search for tho stolen property seemed to have been carried out in a very slovenly way, and in respect to tho fire in accuseds’ hut it was remarkable if the ashes wero expected -to prove anything that no attempt was mado to preserve thorn. The evidence relating to the proceedings at tho Mahora Royal battery was the most important as .favoring the assumption that the accused were dealing with stolen property. He agreed with Mr Martin that in fairness to the accused Carter ought to have been called. His Honor commented on the falsehoods told at tho Battery by the accused, the absence of explanations, and the admissions, “ And,” said His Honor to tho jury, “ What rnoro do you want?” Mr Martin had said that no direct evidence had beon adduced against tho accused. This was quite truo, but even in the most serious charges such as, for instanco, those of murder, direct ovidenco was very often entered wanting. A number of links, unimportant in themselves, often formed a strong chain of circumstantial evidence, and in the present caso jtho accumulation of such ovidenco would bo quito sufficient to justify the jury in returning a verdict of guilty. The jury retired at 3.30 p.m„ and at 4 p.m. roturnod with a verdict of guilty against both accused on each of the four counts. His Honor said ho would dofer passing sentence on the prisoners for a week. He was quito certain that thero was a considerable plant of tho stolen property somewhere, and the sentence would largely depend on tho information given by the prisoners in regard to the recovery of tho property. His Honor ordored that tho slimes, etc., produced in court be re rurned to the Waihi Company