Untitled

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7782, 30 October 1886, Page 4

The difficulty which has arisen re the appearance of Mr. Brassey in the prosecution of the men charged with the Great Barrier murder, is a very unseemly affair. Taking what has come before him in this correspondence, the Attorney-General must form a very poor opinion of the Auckland lawyers. Mr. Brassey, apparently, first communicated with the Attorney-General, telling him that it is quite unnecessary for the Grown to trouble itself with the prosecution in the Police - Court, for that the Taylor family mean to take charge of the matter themselves, and have empowered him to act. Of course, no attention was paid to this request, and Mr. Brassey was informed that the case must be conducted by the police and the Grown Prosecutor. We are surprised that Mr. Brassey should have made such a request, or could have anticipated that it would be granted. In a prosecution like this, for the most serious of all crimes, the Grown could not possibly abandon the conduct of the case to any young lawyer who chose to say that he would relieve the police and the Grown Prosecutor of all concern in the matter. Yet this is what Mr. Brassey virtually asks the Government to do. Seeing that there was no chance of his occupying the responsible and famous position of prosecutor in a charge for murder, Mr. Brassey consents to accept the role of appearing to watch the case on behalf of the Taylor family. On the case being called at the Police Court he stated that he appeared to watch the case on behalf of the Taylor family, but would take no part in conducting the proseqution. Of course, the Government could not object to his doing this, and could only warn the parties that the Grown would not be responsible for any part of the expense. We do not see that the case requires any 1! watching" on the part of Mrs. Taylor. It is true that reports have been afloat that the Taylors did not use Caffrey well, and had acted meanly towards him • but, even if these statements are true, they could not be set up as a defence in the case. But a letter from Mrs. Taylor to Mr. H. Williamson goes to show that Mr. Brassey had no authority for claiming to be admitted to take part in the trial at all. He had been doing some business for the Taylors, and had asked to be employed if the men accused were taken, and had been told that if Mrs. Taylor wanted a lawyer he would be engaged. But as the trial will be con-

ducted by the Grown, Mrs. Taylor does not want a lawyer, and she states that she can ill afford the expense. We submit that it is downright robbery of a poor afflicted woman to saddle her with the costs of a lawyer's " appearance" at a prolonged trial, and an appearance, moreover, which is entirely useless. The Taylor family are not wealthy enough to fee lawyers when there is no need for them to do so, and for a lawyer, in these circumstances, to thrust himself upon them, and charge a heavy fee—well, it may be strictly professional, but will be condemned by everybody who is not a lawyer. And if Mr. Brassey says that he is doing all this without fee or reward, then he acknowledges that he is simply endeavouring to thrust himself into the case for the purpose of getting the benefit of the excellent advertisement which his appearance in so famous a trial would be.