BURNS v. HIGHWAY ROBBERY.

New Zealander, Volume XXIV, Issue 2603, 14 February 1866, Page 3

BURNS v. HIGHWAY ROBBERY.

To the Editor of the NeW-ZeALANDER. Sib, —With regard to the above, which appeared under the head of local in the " Penny-a-Liner,'' Wind-em up-strect, at the sign of the " Lanterns," and about which there has been so much fuss, the facts are simply these :—Several gentlemen hearing somebody moaning in the road near the Captain Cook public house proceeded to see what was the matter, when they found a cart upset on the side of the road and a drunken man.lying underneath, who, after being released, insisted on proceeding to this public house and that the said gentlemen should have something to drink for their trouble, when the said man Rums discovered that he had only a shilling when it came for payment. So much for being robbed, and the trumpery charge, with which the Commissioner of Polije need not have troubled, and which, I have no doubt, will appear in the ' Ilue-and-Crv." Gentlemen receive encouragement to render assistance if their acts of kindness are to be misconstrued into that of highway robbery and such like. I omitted to mention that the gentlemen in question took the horse and curt to Mr. Hunter, thinking that it was his, as the carter was in such a helpless state of inebriety that he could not take care of himself much less of the property entrusted t, his charge, which will, 1 have noubi, account for the carter telling the police that he had been robbed by four men in uniform. Yours, &c., A ROUS. Auckland, February 9, 1566. P..<.—The names of the gentlemen are Messrs. Perkin ami llanderch, jun., who will corroborate my statement, as I have it from tin." former gentleman, whose veracity I have no reason to doubt. [Our correspondent will see by yesterday's police report that a warrant has been i issued against the carter for giving false I inform itioil to the police, who, of course, believing the man's statement, at first gave ■ credence to it as in duty bound until thev I found it to be false, when they at once took a very proper mode of bringing the fellow to task, and we hope that he will receive the punishment he deserves.]