Threat of Lynch Law At Blenheim Made Osgood Surrender His Bail

NZ Truth, Issue 1226, 30 May 1929, Page 7

Threat of Lynch Law At Blenheim Made Osgood Surrender His Bail

THESE men, who planned to apply lynch law at Blenheim, forgetful of the conseauences of their contemplated action, were, keyed up to. h pitch of flaming anger and disgust, and they decided to invoke the penalty of "Judge Lynch"; to commit an act known In America as lynching. j This crime, for crime it is, is unknown m New Zealand, but its contemplation by the men concerned clearly indicates the feeling roused m Blenheim by the terrible outrage committed by Osgood. Here, then, was the essence of another tragedy, .' and one that would have created a big sensation throughout the Dominion, and probably the world; but, providentially, not only for the men concerned, but also for Osgood himself, Sam Osgood, the son of the brutal maimer, happened to hear of tho plot. This was probably to be expected, for young Osgood was a regular visitor to the township, driving his motor truck, , and when he heard the significant mutterings of a band of men, he speeded for .his home, the bearer of a grim Warning that was to cause further consternation In the Osgood household. „ If that warning had not been given In time, the imagination can best supply the sequel to the proposed raid by six desperate men. Osgood realised the, seriousness of his staying at his hopiei and, while the men who knew him' -once as "Bill," were preparing for their assault upon him, Osgood! made all haste to the Blenheim police station, where he intimated I ' his desire to surrender his bail bond and remain m prison until his' trial. While, he enjoyed th,e security of his cell, the men who were determined to wreak ''vengeance upon him heard of his flight, and al- ' though they found their- plans had been thwarted, it by no means lessened their almost overpowering feelings of resentment and disgust. Osgood ' could consider ' himself a Inckv man as he lay that night on the hard bed m his prison cell and pondered the terrible end that, might have hppn his if .he had stayed on at his home. . ' ±.-.x ;■•.' .... . . It wns late m the afternoon of May 4 last .that Archie Bennie Meek, who two days before had,"received a letter from Osgood, went- to'the latter's home .it Yelverton, some -little distance from thf> Blenheim township. ; . .--..■■■> The letter which induced the boy to take this step read as' follows : •' - • • .' May 2,' 1929. A. Meek,— > A certain female of my and

.A your acquaintance has brought, a seri-i • o v s criminal charge against you. You must call and see me at my home ..on Saturday, 4th.' If iyou fail to come I shall put it m the hands of the' police at once. Wm. H. Osgood, Yelverton.

Call Saturday , Constable "Tim" afternoon at 3 ' Healey. o'clock. - What would any boy or man . do Upon receipt of a letter couched In terms such as the letter young Meek received? The letter charged him first with a criminal offence, and it also contained a threat that he would have the police on his track if he did not obey the summons to attend at the house. This boy who, during his nineteen years of life, has been a prominent member of the- younger set m Blenheim, whose prowess as a footballer and athlete and member of the^local pipe band has gained for him an undoubted and deserved popularity, had two days to con- . sider the letter. He took his mind "back over his happy days m Blenheim, and could not fathom what Osgood could possibly mean by the allegations m the letter. He wanted to be certain that everything would be all right, and he showed the letter to a relative, who, seeing with the eyes of age and experience, warned the boy to take no notice of it. ■ * But Archie Meek, his conscience clear and untroubled, but merely curious to find out exactly what Osgood meant, heeded not the warning, but followed his own instincts and made his .way to the home of Osgood on that fateful Saturday. The house is. set back from the roadway m a large area of flat land, and is a typical country spot.

Adjoining the house and on the same property is a large wooden house which formerly was used by the family as a residence, but which , has now given place to the modern establishment near by. Young Meek, without a 'fear m the world, entered' the homo of Osgood on the fateful day and was shortly afterwards m earnest con- , versation with him. Osgood's daughter was introduced into the conversation, and Meek then found that it was she who' had levelled a grave accusation against, -him. . Her father' charged, him with being responsible for the girl's condition and •asked him if he was going to play the man, and dp something for the girl. Although Meek' madf strenuous -denials of culpability m any shape or form, Osgood' .would not believe him. The. conversation developed into an argument, and Meek persistently told Osgood that he was not to blame and did not see why he should be called .upon to take the responsibility pf another's actions. ; Osgood closed the conversation by inviting young Meek to .accompany him to the other house across the paddock. Archie Meek, with his boyish smile . and his thoughts of- the future as rosy and as ambitious as those of any other boy of his age, fearlessly walked beside Osgood, and, leaving the house, made m the direction of the other building, Meek had how come to the decision that Osgood waa : satisfied, at last, that he had had nothing to do with his daughter. One must pause at this stage and wonder what this young lad would have done could he have seen , the interior of the room he was going to be asked to enter, or into the mind of the man he was following. It must be remembered that Osgood wrote his letter of invitation and threat two days prior to this meeting, and his cunning brain had not been

Idle during the intervening period. There, on the table m the room, sharpened to a razor edge, lay a penknife, the blade of which seemed to glint with the freshness given It from constant application to the grindstone. It had been carefully sterilised, andit was even then awaiting use at. the hands of the man who was luring the boy to his undoing. There were no suspicious circum- . stances to st^y*. Meek's footsteps as he followed Osgftbd; and the pair entered the buildingf ' VTher^was not a thought of any imjjiehaihgV trouble to disturb the mind of/the lad, and, as he mounted the steps behind Osgb'p.d, there was no warning cry, nothing to 'clutch his arm and "draw v him quickly" Tja'ck into the air and to speed his footsteps to safety. As Archie Meek walked* higher up the stairs he was leaving behind him \ his manhood." '"''. ■". :s '-'.'. '"" ' "Into that chamber, of horror walked , "the, uhsuspectipg boy— -the door closed and he was alone with the man who had determined on a ghastly crime. V The boy turned with a query on his lips as the door closed on him, but it was never uttered. At the very moment he turned he received a cowardly blow on the jaw that felled him like a log. He was not unconscious, but, as he struggled to rise, Osgood dealt him another smashing blow to the jaw, and everything then became a blank. Lying there on the floor, a limp heap of humanity, his jaw broken and bleeding ..from the blow, Archie Meek must have presented a sight that would have moved most men to pity. After all he was only a boy ; v but Osgood had nothing but callousness m his make-up; he had decided on what , he was going to do, and the mere sight of his young victim lying uncon- '■ scious at his feet was nothing to him. His heart carried no spark of humanity. 1 Osgood made his preparations, and, taking the knife from the ' table, performed the operation that left Meek shorn of his manhood. It can scarcely be conceded that it was any act of sympathy that prompted the brutal* maimer to carry the mutilated boy to a bed. Pie had commi.tted the foul deed, and it was only with the idea of stopping the flow of blood that Osgood proceeded to bandage the bleeding boy. For many years Osgood had been ! treating animals, and he had now ; treated Meek m the same way. . . But even this cold-blooded individual, hardened as he was, at last became [ frightened when the flow of blood con- ' tinued in' spite of his efforts to stop it. ' He began to lose his nerve, and' im- ( mediately telephoned for Dr. Bennett. Is it to be taken for granted ' that, but for the ceaseless flow of blood, Osgood would have kept 1 . the boy at his house until he had - recovered from the foul attack, and ' tried that way to keep the boy's 1 parents and the police from knowing what had. happened? When Dr. Bennett arrived -at the house he recognised that the boy was

ih a critical condition. He rushed Meek to the Stafford Hospital and arranged for immediate attention. It was only this prompt action that saved Meek's fast-ebbing life. With the utmost callousness Osgood told Dr. Bennett that Meek would be better dead, and that he had performed the operation and made a good job or The law then stepped into the picture, and it seems to be the irony of Fate that Osgood, who had threatened to have Meek brought under the notice of the police, should hiniself be the man who was to feel- the heavy hand of the law fall upon his shoulder and lead him away to a prison cell. With no little" assurance, and after sleeping well that night, Osgood entered the police court the following day and was formally charged with a grave offence. It was necessary- to obtain a remand until Meek had sufficiently recovered to take his place m the witness-box, and Osgood applied for, and was successful m obtaining bail. Before Osgood had' made his appearance at the court all Blenheim knew wh.at had . happened, and the people were shocked beyond description at the ghastly affair that had come to shatter the peace of the district. A mother, who had inculcated the knowledge of the big things of life into her boy's heart and mind, required all the strength of her husband's arm when the dire news reached her at her home m Denniston. Mrs. Meek journeyed to Blenheim with all haste, and it was only when , she saw her boy and the doctor that she realised the full significance of what' had really happened to Archie. No words can describe the feelings of that, one-time happy family, made more poignant, perhaps, by the fact that Osgood, the perpetrator of the dastardly deed, was even then walking the streets : of Blenheim, for the time being a free man. It was this fact which, more than anything,' inflamed the residents of the district. To them it was bad enough that Osgood should have been responsible for a terrible crime, but to see him walking the, streets, flaunting him/ self m the faces of decent citizens, -vwts too much. to accept without a protest. The feelings of the citizens were gradually rising. to open revolt; their

Public Enraged

comments were unguarded and to the point; and the cauldron of hatred and disgust was beginning to boll over. One da.y, while Osgood was riding down the streets of Blenheim the affair almost came to a head. He was approaching a band of men who were standing on- the footpath talking of the crime and of the man himself, and they were laying the foundation of what nearly culminated m a terrible crime. As the maimer of Meek drew near, one of the men In the group sprang from the footpath- and made a wild grab at the riding man. ( Osgood swerved and managed to elude the grasping fingers, and, pedalling for his life, he rode out of the township and •sought the safety of his home. The man who had endeavored to catch Osgood fell heavily and scratched his face on the gravel, but he told "Truth" that it was worth it, although he would have been better pleased if he had been able to get one blow In. The murmurings of the 6rowd seemed to grow after that Incident, and six men gathered one afternoon m a street m Blenheim and outlined their plan of campaign. Men of the world, all of them felt deeply the terrible wrong 'that Meek had suffered, and they, m their simple way, wanted to show Osgood that he could not do a frightful thing like that without suffering some punishment. These men, while ordinarily lawabiding, gave not a thought to the consequence's. They wanted to act quickly and not wait for the slow wheels of justice to turn- their final revolu- • tion, so they came to a decision. They would attack the home of Osgood, get: their man, tar and feather him, and then make this despoiler of youth suffer the supreme penalty with a rope about his neck, the other end of which was to be over a branch of a tree. They were, m short, determined to lynch Osgood. Two of the men who were to lead this raiding party told "Truth's" representative that everything would have been carried out to the last detail but for the fact that Sam Osgood, son of the intended victim, came to hear of the plan and hurried with a warning to his father; Young Osgood was visiting the township the next day and he heard the ominous details of the approaching raid. He lost no time m securing his motor truck and speeding homewards, the bearer of grim news. Jumping from his truck at the gate of his home, he dashed into the house arid, with breathless haste, imparted the news to his father. Osgood, who had already seen and felt the high state of tension m the district, did not ignore the warning, and he made as much haste as possible to present himself at the local police station. He intimated to Constable "Tim" Healey, who had arrested him at the time of the ghastly affair, that he wanted to forfeit his bail bond and remain m prison until the trial. At this time the newspapers throughout New Zealand informed their readers that Osgood , took this / I

step because he was frightened that the worry he was suffering over the aifair would soon make him ill. That is the story Osgood told the police. "Truth," however, definitely dismisses this, explanation, if such it can be called, and states without fear of contradiction, that Osgood left his home and took his place'in a prison cell because he was/ really .frightened that his fellow-citizens would cause his sudden demise and not m the most pleasant manner. On the ' very day that Osgood forfeited his ball bond and entered his cell,' a miner, of the rugged type born and bred on the West Coast of the South Island, had made his preparations to walk to Blenheim, or ride when he got the chance, with the sole

idea of dealing with Osgood in^ his own way. The miners of the Denniston district are noted for their mode of living,

which is rugrged and virile.' There are no effeminate individuals there. They are as rugged as the country m which they live and are as straight as the trees which shelter them. This lone miner, who is known to the Meek family, and who knew the young boy Meek, decided, after, he had seen the stricken parents of the boy, and after hearing of the brutality of the crime, to take all the consequences so long as Osgood was made to' pay to the utmost for his brutality. So it was 1 that two known; attempts which were to have been made on the life and limbs of Osgood were nipped m the bud by his wise move m giving himself over to the police, and if he

had not done this it, is not difficult to imagine what would' have happened. While all this was going on, and the mutterings of an inflamed people were filling the air, Osgood was safe m his sanctuary of a prison cell. Even if it were true that Osgood feared for his health, which theory has undoubtedly been exploded by "Truth," Osgood made a remarkably quick recovery. For the first two or three days he caused some little anxiety to his gaoler, because it was not known how he was going to behave. - There need have been no cause for this, however, as after a few days m the lock-up Osgood recovered his usual spirits, which had been more dampened by the threats against his life than by the thought of the brutal crime he had committed. He earned the right to be called the best prisoner ever held m the Blenheim gaol. Constable "Tim" Healey, who is a

bachelor, and sleeps at the police station, found that Osgood was an excellent man to have about the kitchen.

He assisted, the • constable m the culinary duties of the place and behaved like any reasonable man. «'.-.,' "Truth" was informed, m fact', that Osgood did not seem at all like a man who was about to be tried with having committed one of the most shocking crimes m the history of the country. Osgood's thoughts m the quiet watches of the long nights, were evidently not of the boy he had mutilated or the trial he was to face, as he rose each morning with the lark, and' not once did he 'suffer from a sleepless night or give any indication that he was worried, • On the morning of his appearance m court he rose early and made his preparations with the same studied disregard of his position he had shown previously. He walked beside Constable Healey down the streets to the courthouse and Chatted With his escort, with never an outward indication that he felt the "1 . , .

Lynching Threats

Muttered Comments

hostile looks and mutterings of th< crowds who watched him on his way. Meanwhile, a frail young fellow, with the ravagei of pain and suffering deeply ingrained on his face, and who had been allowed out of his bed only the day before, was being dressed prior to facing the ' terrible ordeal m the witness- bo*. He has suffered his pain with ar undying fortitude, and he has preferred to leave the past alone, while his eyes light Avith an unquenchable flame o: courage as he tells of what he wil yet do m the years to come. Everyone has been infected with his wonderful spirit, and throughout it al he has played "cricket," for a truei little sport never did take the field 6:

life and play th< game, as has Archil Bennie Meek. The shock having been somewha eased, the home o: Archie Meek's bro

ilther and sister-in-law, m Blenheim, j; not quite the desolate place it was. , When "Truth" paid a visit the ,day before the appearance of Osgood m court, Meek's sister was busy with the weekly washing, while her children were playing about m the garden, fortunately too ' young to understand the dread j ; spectre of gloom that had entered their home. No comment was forthcoming frorr i Mrs. Meek, but she told "Truth" thai i things, were progressing satisfactory with Archie and that she hoped to have • him home within a short time. ; It was the afternoon / before the tria!

that "Truth" essayed to speak with members of the Osgood family at Yelverton. Sam Osgood, the son who had carried the dread warning to his father, was whistling cheerily m the garden, and the daughter, Zeta, over whom all the trouble arose, was sitting m the front porch sunning herself and reading. It seemed apparent from the demeanor of Osgood's son and daughter that they were anything but upset about the proceedings, but of Mrs. Osgood there was ho sign. Little indeed has .been seen of . Mrs. Osgood since the frightful affair, and it is thought that she is prostrated with grief. It is known that Osgood told her he was going to horsewhip Archie Meek, and that is what the unfortunate woman thought Osgood was going to do when he took Meek to the other house. It is quite evident that Osgood has more than a hard streak m his make-

up. He took not the slightest interest ir vthe" court proceedings, and was seer to look frequently

at Archie Meek sitting painfully beside the witness-^ box, without any apparent compassion or regret. . i Osgood appeared blissfully, unconscious of the fact, that as he walked to the courthouse from the police station, he was glowered at by scores of people who crowded^ 1 the doorways of the shops or stood about at the entrance to the court. The few muttered comments did not perturb him m the slightest, and he gave the impression of being the most composed man m the room when he was called, upon to enter the dock. ■ Osgood wore a blue serge 'suit, with a white shirt and no collar or, tie, and he turned an expressionless face to the magistrate. He made no reply to Mr. T. E. Maunsell, S.M., when the charge was read tp him that he did> with intent to do actual bodily harm, maim and disfigure Archie ; Bennie Meek V

j Osgood was represented by Mr.^A. A. McNab, of Blenheim, and Seniorsergeant Clarkson handled the case for the Crown. The courtroom was crowded, the gallery being occupied by several women, and the boy who has suffered this terrible outrage, sat m front of the. press bench. Although he looked ill and weak J from his experience, he seemed quite 1 composed, and dressed m a neat s double-breasted suit sat with bowed 1 head taking little notice of the motley 1 crowd which gazed with curious eyes. Senior-sergeant Clarkson opened the Crown case by stating that m response to a letter he received from the ac- £ cused, Meek went to Yelverton and a had a conversation with Osgood m his house. Shortly afterwards, Meek was invited _ to accompany Osgood to a shed at the t rear of the premises. It was alleged c that Meek then received a blow on the . jaw and that while unconscious a cer--3 tain operation was performed. Archie Meek was called and given a seat beside the witness-box. He told the court that he was a painter by occupation. Rejating the incidents on the day of the outrage (May 4) Meek said he had received a letter from the accused asking him to visit him. He went to the home of Osgood at Yelverton and when he entered i the house a conversation took t • place. This concerned Osgood's daughter. i Following on the conversation, he j was asked to go to the shed at the . back of the house. He agreed to the - suggestion and accompanied Osgood to the shed. ■ . r "He then hit me on the jaw, but I did not see what, he hit me -with; I could not say whether it was his fist or not," said Meek, As the result of the blow Meek was practically rendered unconscious.- He said he did not remember anything after that. He regained consciousness again ih the hospital the" following morning. .' . • , _ Meek said he had a faint rrecolle'ction of the accused carrying him upstairs, to a bed. He thought he could remember ;. the doctor coming to the house, but he could not be certain of it. I Meek also informed/the court i

Osgood's Letter

that he could .remember Mrs. Os- . j good giving him some brandy. He first discovered that something had happened to him when he came to himself on the Sunday morninfl. He was suffering pain and he then found, out what Osgood had done. He had been a patient at the Stafford Hospital and was still a patient. To Mr, McNab, who appeared for accused, Meek said he did not remember the exact wording of the letter he had received. Mr. McNab: That letter suggested that you had been guilty of some offence against ,the accused's daughter? — The Magistrate: The letter must speak for itself. , Mr. McNab (to Meek): That letter suggested to you that you had been guilty of some offence concerning the accused|s daughter? Meek: Yes. . You saw the threat m that letterthat if you did not. go to the house the police would be informed? The Magistrate: The letter must i speak for itself. I don't think it will stand, but it might have been a sheer bluff. ■ [ Mr. McNab: It is Meek who is .being. i cross-examined. ' [ The Magistrate: Yes, but I am not going to allow the question. Mr. McNab (indicating Meek); He is the witness; and I am cross- [ examining him. The Magistrate (testily): No, no, no! I won't allow it, but I will allow this, that when he read the letter he was aware it contained a threat. Meek, m reply to further questions, said that when he first went to the ■ house, he saw Mrs. Osgood, the girl and the son. Mr. McNab: I think you admitted that you had misbehaved with the girl on April 1. Meek: No, I never admitted that. , Did you admit having misbehaved with -her at .all? — No. Did you admit using force on the , girl? — No. I Are you telling the truth? — Yes, cer- . tainly I am. [ Why did you go to the Osgoods' m r response to the letter? — Because I was , curious to see what the offence was. ' •' Counsel: You did not have any idea l what the alleged offence was? Meek: I had no idea. Are you telling the truth?-— Certainly I am. Do you .remember being asked by the. accused what you, were going to do about it? — Yes, I believe he did say something about j that. Do you remember your reply ?— ! I replied that I was not going, to | do anything about it and I could „ not. <> ■ - - ■ Counsel: Do you remember the accused saying: "I give you 24 hours to think it over"? Meek: Yes, he did say that. What was' your reply?— -I don't thjnk I said anything to that. ; Did you not say you could not go the next day because you had band •practice tp attend? — No, it was a Sunday arid there was no band practice . on Sunday. v -.' V : ij"' J

Was it not then that you were invited to go outside? — -I. would .nipt*, be certain what his last words were, '■'■ but I was asked to go outside: Would you have gone to the house on the Monday if there had been no band practice? — No. Counsel: Why did you not say you would not go up again? \ Meek: Because I wanted to get it overhand done wi^h as soon. as possible. V ' What was it you wanted to get over? — This argument I had had regarding his daughter. ' •* You had no idea what the argument would be about before, you went up to the. house?- — No. You were out with this girl on .April 1? — No, I was not. You were out with her prior to that? —Yes, a few times. I took her home from a dance. The Magistrate: I must admit I cannot see the relevancy of this cross-examination. Either Osgood .did the deed or he did not. What a dance had to do with it I can't say. Mr. McNab replied that it was ' relevant to the question of motive. The Magistrate countered with the remark that it was only introduced m the matter as mitigation if the accused went up for sentence. Mr. McNab: I won't. have Mr. Meek present when he goes up. The Magistrate: I don't Want to stop you, but it is not relevant. I am concerned only with the question of the charge. » • . Continuing his cross-examination- of Meek, Mr. McNab asked him whether he remembered the date on which he last saw Miss Osgood home. Meek said he could not remember. At this stage the Magistrate inti^ mated that he would amend the information, and it was accordingly amended to read that Osgood, with -intent to maim, did grievous bodily; harm to Meek. ... \V Mr. McNab (to Meek) ;'.. You don't re-

member anything you, said to Mrs. Osgood after the assault? Meek: No. He had no idea of what had happened to him at the time. Mr. McNab: Osgood was under the impression that you had committed a grave offence against his daughter? The Magistrate: I will ■ not allow that question. V, Turning to 'the witness, the Magistrate asked: "What did he say?" Meek: He ' suggested to me. that I had been "guilty of a. grave offence against his daughter, v The Magistrate: Has there ever been any impropriety between , you and the girl? V . VV V „ Meek: Np, never; This concluded the cross-examina-tion of Meek, who then left the'court and was conveyed', back to Stafford Hospital. .' ".'.. , • ■ X . Dr. J. F. Bennett informed the court ! •that at. about 7.30 on the evening of the assault he was called by telephone to the home of Osgood. ' On arrival at the house he found the accused m a small ..bedroom upstairs with Meek, who was. lying down. .'" It was to. the doctor that there was ho need for -.a de-" tailed examination of the boy, wh*o, . at the t^me, was weak from loss . / of blood and m a semi-conscious ' condition. He rushed him into hospital. The doctor went on to say that Osgood admitted tb him at the time that he had maimed the :boy. The Magistrate: Gi,ve ua his actual words. W vDr. Bennett: 1 don't know the words he actually used, but he said he had dealt with him as he was' ftcciistomed to dealing with '; ■ V The doctor also stated that Osgood had told him that he had done the deed because Meek had committed a serious offence against his daughter. Osgood also told the doctor, according to the witness, that "Meek would be better dead," but' he then changed his mind and. expressed "the opinion that he (the doctor) had v better save his life. This was said after Osgood had calmed down. , The doctor went on „to relate that Osgood told him he desired as little publicity as possible, . as it would, mean years of. imprisonment. "Osgood's attitude at the time," continued the doctor, "was that of a 1 man who had got a little of his own back, but not as much as he wanted." Every statement Osgood'- had -made to the doctor was quite clear and unhurried. He . was proceeding to talk about the knife when . objection was taken to this line of evidence. ■-..' "Well," replied the doctor', "I asked him what he had done the ' deed with, and suggested that he should .tell me about the affair.". .- . Doctor Bennett then! produced the knife that Osgood had , given him, and added that he' was quite certain that Meek had been maimed for life. . ' , Oh arrival at the hospital hediscovered that ' Meek was suffering from a fractured jaw. He was ' able to speak, but he remembered

nothing. The boy was suffering from intense shock and cerebral irritation which was reactionary to concussion. Osgood asked the constable, on hearing the charge^ read out: "Do you want me now?'' He also asked. If the boy was all right, and'had. also said that .his wife had thought he was going to horsewhip Meek. Osgood, continued the constable, said that that would-be no good as he (Meek) would, forget it m a week. The accused -also told him that Meek had; ruined his girl for life and that he hacl given Meek something to remember, for the rest of his days. On - arrival at the police^ station Osgood asked the constable to telephone the hospital to inquire '- about Meek's condition. The purport of 'vthe message received from the hospital authorities was that the boy had had a good .night. Osgood then told the constable that he would hot like to see the boy die. . He told the constable that he had been accustomed to performing a certain operation,' and that he had made a good job of itV In reply to Mr. McNab, the constable said that Osgood . surrendered to his bail on May- 9. '•■-';' Corroborative evidence was given' by Senior-sergeant Clarkson, who added that' 'Osgood,, when being "-- interviewed at the police station, had told him that he would make no charge against Meek as he hadvbeen' punished and would remember it all his life. Osgood also* told- him that he was sorry he had * done it, but it could not be helped. Osgood ' further stated to the . seniot-sei-geant that Meek would get, over it and become a good citizen. This vclosedvthe case for the Crown. Mr. _ McNab intimated that no evidence would be called for the defence, and a pica of guilty was entered. . Osgood was then r committed to the Supreme Court at Wellington for sentence.V- ' ' V 1 '"VV "• V-' '■ There had been not a little speculation among the residents, of. Bienheim concerning the plea to be entered, by Osgood, but it was the general opinion that he could have done 'toothing else than admit his guilt. When Osgood was^ being escorted back to' the prison the crowd from the couft made haste to get into the street, and' although it was a quiet and goodtempered crowd, it would not have taken more'than an audible word to set blazing the -bitter resentment felt by everyone, v V. V.. .Fortunately, everything was quiet, and Constable Helaley had no trouble m getting, his prisoner vback to i the cells. - ." The news of the trial had quickly'

en came the Intimation that Osgood was to be „ taken to Welling-' ton that same night. ... With this m view, and w.ith the idea of seeing Osgood J for.: the last timej vthere was a latge^number of people at - the station; just before the:- train pulled. outV'on Its way to Osgood m ade his appearance m the. company of

Constable Healey, and he carried, on his shoulder a large brown paper parcel. He entered the guard's van' with his escort, and displayed the; same disregard for his surroundings as he had from the first. ;6n the wharf at Plcton, Osgood attracted a great deal of attention;; Osgood boarded the "Tamahine" : arid was taken immediately to his cabin. V When "Truth's" investigator -gisited the cabin some time after the boat was - under way," Osgood spoke a cheerful |[opd, evening,.. and, lying m his bunk, , seemed at ease with himself : and the world at large. When Osgood appeared.' before . the Chief Justice (Hon. M. Myers) for sen^ tehee on Wednesday the body of the Supreme' Court. Vyas filled with interested spectators: Oscrood^ represented by Mr. McNab, seemed unperturbed as. counsel pleaded for leniency, urging that, .while Osgood was'riot insane, he was not normal when he committed the offence. ■His Honor commented that fitting and adequate' punishment" must be meted out. Osgoo'd had ruined young Meek' for. life and the public must be protected; from such -criminal acts. His Honor then sentenced Osgood to seven years* ""imprisonment with hard labor. V The prisoner ; -heard the sentence unipovecL. -XX JX, ]X V ..; [ ; V ''V.