THE DEAN CASE.

NZ Truth, Issue 215, 7 August 1909, Page 5

THE DEAN CASE.

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THE GUILTY KNOWLEDGE OF A GUILTY ATTORNEY.

What Dick Meagfaef Cost New South Wales.

' Mr Richard Denis Meagher, who was struck off the roll! of attorneys" of the Supreme Court of the State of New South Wales thirteen years ago for his complicity m the legal fraud generally known ;as "The Dean- Case," has been restored to the roll by a majority vote of three Judges sitting as a Full Court— Acting ■ Chief Justice Sir George Sinipsbri, BW Justice Cohen, and .Mr Justice Pring. Mr justice Sly positively declined to sit m judgment on the erring solicitor,' the reason being obvious, Mr Jftfiagtier havirig, with the' wisdom of the serpent, employed, to urge his case before the Court, tne leading firm oi solicitors of which the Judge's brotner is the head. Mr Just'iee Pring was the" dissenting Judge, Meagher 's connection — or implied connection — with certain land cases being, mainly the reason. In placing Mr Meagher's name upon the roll of those entitled to charge a suffering public 6s Bd, the Court ordered that Meagher should pay the costs to which the Law Institute had been put m its efforts still iio keep tiirii out Of^ the i anks of the Devil's Brigade. Whether the order covers the costs of each and every time thaii counsel appeared for the Law Institute against Meagher since he was struck off remains to be seen. Under any

set of circumstances, the costs will be" heavy ; but the man' m 'the street - and other inquisitive persons will naturally ask, "How about the costs incurred by the State ?" Whichever way one looks at the Dean case, from its start up to date, one is confronted 1 with a hug 6' expense m the' shape of law cpsfe. Starting with the initial prosecution: of Dean-,, for the ai>tempted murder of his wife by poisoning, there follow his- conviction, his sentence of death,, and his reprieve and commutation of sentence. Then come the" popular excitement and the general belief- : that an- innocent man had been condemned to a life's imprisonment, which was; strengthened by the unfortunate fact that Dean's mother-in-law had been a; woman Of evil repute, and that she and her daugh-ter— Dean's wife— were callers^ at a swell house of assignation on Surry Hills. AH these things strengthened the' case of those who urged a Royal Commission of inquiry, and the Commission 1 was granted. Public opinion, which made the demand, was not to be denied. During the whole of the time that the agitation for the" Royal Commission was 1 going on, Richard Denis- Meagher knew his client, Dean, was guilty, and by

the culprit's own confession. Meagherallowed ah expensive Commission to be appointed— Mr F. JB. Rogers, Q.C. (now a Judge), and Drs. McKellar and Sydney Jones. The Commission held extended sittings. The most expensive barrister then m practice, Julian K. Salomons, was retained, with others, for the Crown. A cloud of witnesses, professional and lay, was called. The public subscribed liberally to keep expensive cOunSC I_C. E. Pilcher, C^.C, and others— going for Dean. Mr Meagher attendedthe inquiry, and no doubt laughed in' his; sleeve at the successful manner m wfticbj he had befooled the Crown and the -.., pub-' lie- Meagher has been readmitted by a ■majority vote. Dean was released from 1 custody on a majority vote. Dean resumed his employment as mas-; tef of a Sydney Harbor ler'ry-boa-t-, and s was a hero m the eyes of the multitude,, while his unfortunate wile had to hide' j her head m shame, and was : treated with, contumely, . as the woman wnp' had 5 tried, to hang her innocent husband ; and,< wtiile Mrs Dean was sent to' Coventry, Richard Denis Meagher knew well that she was an injured woman. All the fat,, however, was m the fire f when, as admitted by himself and his

friends, Richard Denis Meagher,- charged with alcohol, m an incautious moment, and 'm a boastful mood, told,, of all menin the world, Julian IS. Salomons,- that' he had all along known of the absolute? guilt of Dean ; and when Salomons,- m a perturbed spirit, sought the advice of Chief Justice Darley, who did not counsel silence, another stage m the heavy expense, another heavy bill 61 costs, was commenced-. The prosecution: of Meagfter, Dean, Crick : and othets lor conspiracy is history. The convictiott of Meagher by a jury of MS countrymen, atidhis escape' from a well-earned penalty on a technicality, ale also matters of history., A third trial of (Jeofge Dean for perjury, committed m endeavoring to; save his. own neck from the' nafter of : the hangman, brought up the legal ex-* penses of the Dean case to an enormous' sum, which the State had to pay. The 1 law was concerned with the Dean . case from start to finish. The costs which Meagher has been ordered to pay to the* Law institute are but a drop m the' ocean to what it has cost the State' of New South Wales to set Dean, and' Meagher m the positions i<S which the crimes of the former and the crimes of the latter had justly entitled them.