SUPREME COURT.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXII, Issue 10039, 16 June 1925, Page 2

SUPREME COURT.

SESSION OPENS

A HEAVY LIST,

The quarterly session of the Supremo Court opened yesterday morning under the presidency of His Honor Mr. Justice (Mlor, who .is on his first official visit to Gisborne since his elevation to the Supreme Court Bench. •On this occasion His Honor was tendered an official welcome by Air. J. Blair, president of the Gisborne Law Society, on behalf of the Gisborne Bar, who were well represented in Court during these proceedings. The session is likely to be a fairly lengthy one on account of there being four criminal canes for trial, while the civil business will probably occupy some time. The Grand Jury was empannelled as follows: Charles G. Bloore (foreman), Thomas Todd, Thomas It. J. Adams, Arthur It. Hine, Dalton Win. Gambrill, Robert J. Clark, Arthur Frederick Langridge, Win. Baird, Francis G. Sharpe, Win. Cave, Wm. D. Michie, Henry Parnell, Harold E. Maude, Herbert H. .D';‘Costa, Arthur T. Spain, Richard Barker, Henry Jacobi, Kenneth F. Naismit'h, Gerald V. Smith, John Adair, George McLeod and Henry P. Smallbone. fin his charge to tlic Grand Jury His Honor said he desired to congratulate them on the district’s freedom from crime, the calendar containing only : live eases in which there were very j few charges of indecency. However, j there was one serious charge, that of : the alleged murder of an infant child ; against a waitress named Thelma i Manic, which would demand consider-! ation. Reviewing the facts in the ‘ charges of sheepstealing against a ' Hangaroa farmer, Alfred James MeGregor, llis Honor said that Mr. Mur- 1 phy, owner of the Tar.giluui station, had found sheep on McGregor’s station bearing the Ta.isgihau mark tus well as that of Alt Gregor’s. On a muster be-, ing made it was found that there were twenty-six sheep belonging to Murphy on* McGregor’s property and a later muster showed that there- were other sheep bearing Murphy’s mark in a neighboring property owned by Air. Voitch. In respect of the first lot of sheen, McGregor had made a statement admitting they were Afurphy’s slice]), but lie could not account for the remainder. In the case against a, voiiim man named Charles Grant AI (■Donald there wore three informations, namely, of assaulting a man named Carter with intent to commit bodily 'barm, with committing bodily harm, nr.d thirdly with assault. It appeared that Carter had been engaged to AlcDonald’s sister and bad broken the engagement off. One night later when McDonald was at the Opera House bo saw Carter there and a-iced him to come outside and. then assaulted him, inflicting severe injuries

Whatever the provocation, continued His Honor. McDonald should not have taken the law into his own hands. The charge of murder was the m >:t regrettable ea.se. The accused, a voting girl engaged as a waitress at the Manutahi Rote!, had given birth to a child, and in- her frantic efforts to conceal this she had pretended illness until another gir! informed the proprietor, and when an entrance to the room ’ had been forced it was found that the child was dead. His Honor then briefly reviewed the evidence. The duty of the jury was to decide whether a prima facie case had been made out. The question was: Did they think that the girl ought to have known tiiat in doing what she did was wrong? If so, then a prmm facie case waw made out. On the other hand, if they thought that the girl in her ignorance did what she thought to lie right and host in the circumstances, then no case had been made out. In the last ease there were three charges against a young man named McLaren of assault. It

appeared from the facts that the g-‘rl had g'me to the house of a Mr. Dick-

son about 7 o’clock one morning to see the paper and that while she was rending it the young man McLaren c-air.e along, sat with her, and it was alleged had attempted to indecently assault her.

COMMON JTEY

Common jurors were sworn in as follows: John D. Poll, John H. Hall, Frank V. Ladd, John E. McKinley. Frank Henshaw, John H. Smith, John H. I larke •>, Kenneth A. McKenzie, Henry A. Shone, Bruce Scott. Clifford Tatrcrsiield. Ernest Calculi. Samuel C. Clair. Henry E. Sargent. Caleb C. Caste’.!. Walter H. Ellis. .James Dow. James Duncan, John Fade. Hugh Patterson (Junr.). James 1L Scott. John J. Nicholson, Hugh Shields, Arthur Russell, Walter Seymour. Wm. C. Smith, George V. in. Sharplem Charles Shaun, Harold W. Black. Alexander Q. Campbell. John Morrow, Frank Ashton., Owen Paltridge, Jdm Kennedv, Alfred Gibbs. Samuel C. Nieol, Albert E. Bedctcw, Lewis T>. Cooper. Wm. C. Judd, Herbert A. Alley. OHffe Richmond, NO BILL.

The Grand Jury returned no bill in the ease of Rex v. Thelma Maule. in which child murder was alleged, but returned true bills in the other cases.