BRITISH OFFICER'S TRIAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2934, 8 June 1910, Page 40

BRITISH OFFICER'S TRIAL.

DAUGHTER'S FIANCE SHOT. An extraordinary drama had its conclusion in the Supreme Court at Capetown on March 17 (says the Daily Mail's correspondent), when Major Ronald Maclean, a retired officer of the British army, with a record of gallant service, was acquitted of the charge of murdering the fiance of his daughter Lilian, a man named Barone, on Christmas Eve. The daughter, 'according to the evi-; dence, met Barone while staying with' friends in Burghersdorp. and became engaged to him in spite of the violent opposition of her host and hostess. She returned home to .her father's farm at Cove Rock, East London, and introduced her lover. Major Maclean f took a hearty dislike to Barone and -caused inquiries to be made as to his. career. He found that his daughter's suitor was a married man, a bookmaker who had been warned off racecourses, and v ,a card-sharper well known to the police* He - told his daughter of his discoveries. She refused (either to believe him or to give up Barone. ~< On December 23 she left home for East London, after promising her father—who knew Barone was in the town—to be back early in the evening. He sat up all night waiting for her. She did not appear until the morning, having stayed with the proprietress of an hotel after meeting Barone. She drove back to the farm in a cab' with Barone. Not far from the house she saw her father walking towards them with a rifle. What happened in the next few minutes is even now a matter of partial conjecture. Major Maclean admits he fired three shots, but declares that he aimed into the air and that not one of the bullets could possibly have struck Barone. His daughter was so excited by the meeting with her father that she remembered nothing of what immediately followed. A quarter of an hour after the meeting Barone was found by the roadside with a bullet in his side. Miss l Maclean was driving back to East London when she saw "him. The wounded man was carried to a hospital in East London, where he expired in the presence of Miss Maclean at 11 o'clock on Christmas morning. After an operation had been performed' it was seen that death was inevitable, and the doctor asked Barone if he would like to see'anyone or to make a statement to the police. " The police?" said the dying man. "What for? It was an accident."

Thus there was doubt as to Major Maclean's intent to kill. But his counsel (secured his a-cquittal -without any recourse to arerument on that point. H«

traced Barone's career on card-sharping, suspected theft, and scoundrelism towards women. He showed that the dead man had betrayed two women, and pointed out that Major Maclean knew this and yet could not shake his daughter's belief in the honesty and uprightness of her suitor. He pictured the agony of mind of Major Maclean, • and declared boldly that he was most fully justified in shooting Barone. " a man of the vilest possible character." The judge declared, that if the jury found that the prisoner killed Barone in the heat of passion, their proper course was to declare him innocent. The verdict of not guilty was received with loud cheers, and the aged officer was warmly congratulated as he left the dock.