Round THE Corners

New Zealand Mail, Issue 764, 22 October 1886, Page 17

Round THE Corners

Yes, the Supreme Court sittings just concluded have been remarkable for the singular failure of the Crown to sustain prosecutions. I think that’s about as fine as I can put it—“ Failure to sustain prosecutions.” And whose fault was it ? The technicalities of law? The obtuseness of jurymen? The super-smartness of counsel for the defence? Or what ? The Judge notioed it, too, and was outspoken, as is the wont of Mr Justice Richmond when there’s anything to speak out about. He also had to put it finely. After having passed through the jury mill it is almost presumptuous, not to say risky, -to complain of ill-ground grist. And yet we are none of us satisfied with certain of the verdicts. Men don’t seem to feel that justice has been done, and the question is asked—Where does the fault lie in a system trumpeted throughout the world for its perfection in meting out even-handed justice, and yet capable of such lamentable failures ? J uries ought not' to aliow themselves to be humbugged by counsel any more than they should tolerate brow-beating by a Judge. Bring common sense, business “ nous,” and.'as much perception as possible, to bear upon cases submitted to them, arid not be overpowered by the blarney of counsel, and the ferocity of the Bench, when it is ferocious) but especially the former.

- There is not a great deal of margin to boast about in the subscription to our last floated blessed loan. ’Ti3 a blessed, thing, no doubt, to get the money when we want it, but it is very evident, at last, that we shall have to approach the English money market in future with much carefulness, and substantial recommendation for good behaviour, before we can hope, to succeed. It is no longer “ help yourself, my dear,” bub instead, “prove your worthiness before we unloose our purse strings. Have you really done with squandering; political bribery, local jobbery, and are you prepared to properly apply the hard-earned sovereigns we have to lend,' for the benefit of the Colony in particular and the empire generally ? Prove this to us and we shall let you see there are yet a few millions at the service of New Zealand. But take care that no more British capital is * chucked ’ into the sea in the insane striving after harbor manufacturing. There has been too much of that sort of thing ; more of it will not be tolerated.”

That, I take it, is about the tenor of the remarks of the sensible English money-lender. But then sensible colonials have cause to complain of the senseless avidity with which loans of all kinds are snapped at in the Old Country. It will be well for the Colony, and still better for the British money-lender, if all local loan 3 are crucially tested before they are subscribed for in Britain. Especially loans for harbormaking purposes. The Colony does -not guarantee them, and what the Colony does not guarantee ought to be regarded with the greatest suspicion by money-lenders. Harbormaking on top of railways is something that even a complacent, easy-going, British investor might very well be excused if he shied at. But if he will persist in attempting to negotiate such a very bad fence he, or anybody else, need not be surprised if he and they come down croppers.

New Zealand is talked about very freely in the Old Country.- She is well advertised there, for even the intelligent yokel, between the plough stilts, has something to say about the Colony’s borrowing and wasting capacity. ’Tis the talk of some country districts. Perhaps there are no districts in England so conservative, so self-contained, so indifferent to outside doings as Wilts and Somerset. And yet a letter “ coomed from them there parts ’tother day,” and my word the writer did rub it into us properly, and no mistake, about the money we were wasting in harbor-making. Fancy such a missive from th 9 heart of Wiltshire, where it might be supposed they knew as much about our internal affairs as we do about theirs. But the fact remains, nevertheless, that they of the Downes county, White Horse Vale and Stonehenge, somehow have managed to get the run of New Zealand ropes. Well, it must be admitted that people who indulge in Stark purchases, Hakateramea railways, and Oamaru breakwaters want looking after.

The admission of strangers to behind the scenes of the Supreme Court, or to occupy the high places of the Court, is a custom much more honored in the breach than in the observance. There is no position in the world so

sacred, so solemn, or one that ought to be farther removed from the vulgar touch than, that of a Supreme Court Judge. We look to him as the incarnation of righteousness and purity, far, far above suspicion, the one thingabove all others that may be thoroughly trusted, implicitly relied upon, so far as poor humaoi fallibility may be relied on. His place* upon the Bench should be a veritable holy oE holies, commanding the instinctive reverence* of all who approach ic. That it should be open, to the profane touch of women of rank in theOld Country is .a shame and a scandal, and the Judges themselves are to blame for tolerating it. Of course their conservatism —for the Bench is conservative, and therein it cannot very well 1 help itself —hesitates to act in the face of long-established precedent, and so the practice is unabated. And the Duchess of this and my Lady that intrude glibly and in fine array where they ought to make the approach barefooted. It is to be hoped the bad habit will not take root in this or any other colony. I notice that something akin to it did happen the other day at Christchurch, ar.d I sincerely hope it will be the last to be placed on record. The Bench is for - the Judge, his assessors—when required—and the Sheriff. Everyone else, male or female, is out of place there.

A very unsavory episode of real life has been presented in the Hall poisoning case. Truly a grevious crime was frustrated by the merest chance ; one of those crimes utterly repugnant to the national character. Brutal the race may be, given to violence, to wife beatings oppressing the weak; it has, in fact, many detestable characteristics amidst a whole galaxy of virtues; but those characteristics? do not include the cold-blooded devilishness that can smile, and smile, and poison the while to death. To cheer with the eyes and tongue—say comforting, loving words, and with the hands present the fatal chalice. To swear with the tongue to love and cherish a woman, and make hideous reservation in the heart of murderous motives. To take a woman to the heart, and all the while appraise her marketable value through the insurance offices. This is a horrid nightmarish form of slavery, reducing a woman to the position of a chattel indeed. I venture to assert that such another case, in all its bearings, is not on record in Anglo-Saxon annals. There have been plenty /

of poisonings, but not that of a young wife with her first-born, by her husband. A gallant bridegroom, truly ! Gods, what a devil! Yes, Judge, your are right; he is one of the most detestable of his species, and the pity of it is that the law would not let you hang him out of the way. As it stands now, he will become a moael prisoner, a veritable paragon of the broad arrow uniform, and by-and-bye, when time has shed a sort of oblivion on the past, some ultra philanthropist will get up a petition for mitigation of sentence, and the fellow will be let loose on society again. That will be about the size of it. Yes, it’s a thousand pities he can’t be bung. '

Having been declared not guilty by an enthusiastic, sympathetic, and sentimental jury of her countrymen, the female prisoner is now a free woman, without a stain on her character. Well, trial by jury is a glorious, thing, and a pretty woman may bet her combinations upon having the best of it, especially when she is championed by a young and ardent barrister, and has friends to vouch for her relationship with staid Scotch, or staid other families. It’s astonishing, however, howmuch of the devil is to be found in staid families; the staider the family the greater the need for a bright look out for squalls. This is merely a digression on my part, induced by the application of that word “staid.” Bless us, Doctor, never use it again when you are giving evidence in a poisoning case where young flesh and blood is concerned. ’Tis a wonder you didn’t floor the unfortunate young person quite entirely. You should have gone on the other tack. Thusly: Theyoungperson belongs to a real gay and lively family, your Honor and gentlemen of the jury; always aiaughing and going on like mad, the members of that family are, Judge and gents; never seen ’em look solemn yet. And as for that gal, why nothing could spress her; she’s bound to rise to every occasion and make light of it; aye, even if Old Nick himself was afore her.” Now the Court would have understood that, Doctor, properly, and her acquittal would have been more triumphant than it was, for I have no doubt, whatever —no, not the slightest—that the Judge would have done what he declined to do the other day—have made an order to the jury in a stainless direction. However, it is all over, or nearly so; the wretch Hall will not be seen again for some time, and as for the young and blooming; member of a staid family, she may loolc forward to at least a dozen offers of marriage before she is a month older.

By the way, however, what about poor old Captain Cain? Is there going to be an investigation as to how he came by his death Z The vitals and viscera, it is said, were saturated with antimony. Perhaps it might be as well to try and ascertain who administered it. It sets one musing, it does. Wcnder how that poor girl who was found in the bottom of the well came by her death ? We are told she was fished up from where truth resides, if so. truth ought to throw some light upon it. Won ier if she was “ antimonialised ?”

There is one person connected with the late poisoning proceedings who stands out in bright and bold relief. I allude to plucky Doctor Mclntyre, who dared to do that which even the police shrank from. But for the Doctor’s unflinching determination in thecause of right, poor Mrs Hall would now be in her grave ; the insurance companies would be trying to look pleasant after paying; and the public would have been at the mercy of a successful villainy. The public of New Zealand, aye, of the whole of Australasia, owe Doctor Mclntyre a good turn, one that ought to take substantial form without loss of I propose that subscriptions, not to exceed sixpence per donor, be opened throughout the Colony foe the purpose of providing a suitable testimonial for Doctor Mclntyre,

ASMODEOa.