THE COURTS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1206, 12 April 1895, Page 31

THE COURTS.

SUPREME COURT.

The case in which E. J. Murdock appealed against an, affiliation order concluded before His Honor Mr Justice Richmond en Monday afternoon, after a hearing lasting over five days. His Honor, in giving his decision,' said it was a case which essentially depended upon the judgment to be formed of . the credibility of \ the witnesses. He was obliged in a case like this to act largely upon his long experience of witnesses, and he had not the slightest hesitation in saying that there was a great difference between the character of the evidence and the demeanour of the witnesses for the appellant and for the respondent. He had been profoundly, dissatisfied with the demeanour of most of the witnesses for the appellant. It seemed to him that the case for the appeal was really a manufactured- case, although he did not impute wilful perjury to all the witnesses called for the appellant. He might say that the whole of the proceedings appeared to him to show the very doubtful policy of allowing such appeals as this at all, as the temptation to bolster up a bad case in the interval between the proceedings before the Magistrate and the Supreme Court were very great. He had no hesitation in giving judgment in favour of the respondent. He agreed with the Magistrate, and his order must be confirmed. Judgment was entered up accordingly, with .£lO 10s ( costs. Mr Campbell, with whom was Mr Wilford, appeared for the appellant, and Mr Gray for the respondent. At the conclusion of the hearing His Honor complimented Mr Campbell on the remarkable moderation which he had shown in the conduct of his odious case.