SUPREME COURT SITTINGS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3088, 21 May 1913, Page 34

SUPREME COURT SITTINGS.

AUCKLAND, May 12. At the opening of the criminal sessions of the Supreme Court to-day, Mr Justice Cooper, in his address to the Grand' Jury, said that while the number of charges they would have to investigate was not above the average number in the district —indeed, it was slightly below it —the for the present quarterly sittings consisted of many" more serious crimes than that it was usually the duty of the Grand Jury to investigate. Practically all the more serious crimes known to the law were on the list. There were charges of murder, manslaughter, abortion, indecent assault, incest, theft from the person, breaking and entering, and other charges of a more or less serious degree, lie regretted that in this district there should be so much serious crime to be dealt with. At the present sittings altogether there were 24 charges on the list. Alfred Rawson, found guilty of the theft of a watch and chain from William Mumford, was sentenced to six montlis’ imprisonment. James Edward Mangan, found guilty of stealing a cheque for £ls, the property of George Nicoll, was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment. Decrees nisi were granted by Mr Justice Edwards in the cases of William Vereker Bindon v. Kate Bindon, Ellen Emma Poll v. Carl Poll, Matilda Garton v. Charles Weldon Garton, Martha Steurt v. Basil Skeurt, and William Anderson Pye v. Annie Pye. May 13. At the criminal sittings to-day Leonard Molloy, for theft of a cheque for £ls, was sentenced to two years’ reformative treatment. Thomas George Little, theft from the person, received 18 months’ imprisonment. Arthur Ramsay (79), for indecent assault on a child of eight years, was sentenced to five years’ reformative treatment. May 16. At the Supreme Court to-day, in the charge of bigamy against Henry Ford, Mr Justice Cooper decided that there was no case to go before a jury, but agreed to state a special case before the Board of Anneal. Tamati Mokraka was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for forgery and false pretences. May 17. In the Supreme Court to-day decrees nisi were granted in the case of Mary Ann Burrows v. Piere Fench Burrows (of New Plymouth), desertion; Thomas Frederick Fletcher v. Estel Fletcher and John Waldon, misconduct; and Josephine Chapman Briggs v. Michael Briggs, desertion. The following decrees were granted by Mr Justice Edwards, sitting in divorce today :— Lydia Mabel Torbett v. Francis George Torbett. George Powell v. Lizzie Powell, Edith Victoria M'Kiimon v. Frank M'Kinnon, Edith Maude Hurle v. Henry Isaac William Hurle, Annie Shiele v. Robert Shiels. Thomas Phillips v. Sarah Ruth Phillips, and Mary Evelyn Aitken v. Thomas Aitken. Publication of rlie evidence in the last caee was forbidden bv the Bench. May 19. In the case against Edward Sheehan, who shot his companion, George Fyfe, at Parahekei, the charge was reduced to manslaughter. The accused pleaded “ Guilty. ' The Judge said he would not send the boy to gaol, but to a reformatory. The accused was remanded for sentence till Tuesday. Decrees nisi were granted to-day in the following cases:—Alice Haul v. Jas. V. Haul , for misconduct; William Charles Standen v. Edith Standen, misconduct; Agnes Rosina Parker v. Francis Parker, desertion; Clara Anna Tregonning v. Thomas Tregonning, desertion; Isabella ■Smith v. Alfred Norton Smith, desertion; George Harry Martin v. Ann Martin, desertion ; Edith Sarah Stringer v. Thomas Arthur Stringer, misconduct and drunkenness; Hannah Ebzabeth Norling v. August Emmanuel .sorling, drunkenness and cruelty; Olive Clare Gordon v. John

Gordon, drunkenness and cruelty; Edwin Goodwin v. Edith Goodwin, misconduct; Gilbert Johnstone v. Catherine Agnes Johnstone, misconduct; Ada Mary Howard v. Waiter George Nesbit Howard, desertion ; Hepsibar Flo.rence Wilson v. John Edward Wilson, desertion. WELLINGTON, May 12. The criminal sessions of the Supreme Court commenced to-day. In h : s charge to the Grand Jury, the Chief Justice (Sir R' Stout) eaid that none of the charges was serious, but, considering the district, and considering also the number of persons who had pleaded guilty in the lower court, the number of criminals was far in excess of the number in some of the southern districts. He did not say there was an increase of crime in the district, but he could not say there was a decrease. The Grand Jury returned no bill in the case against Walter Litchfield of causing a threatening letter to be received. The case arose out of the recent slaughtermen’s strike, the accused, it was alleged, having sent a threatening letter to Mr M. J. Reardon, secretary of the union. Glyn Ivor Hazle, for breaking and entering and theft from jewellers’ shops at Levin and Mastcrton, was sentenced to four years’ reformative treatment. Thomas Darroch, for receiving goods from Hazle, was ordered to come o>p for sentence when called upon. James Miles, an old man, for carnal knowledge of r.n imbecile girl, was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment. The Chief Justice had something to say regarding the system of working the Burnham Industrial School when sentencing a /prisoner to-day. The accused was a halfcaste Maori named William Duncan, who had pleaded guilty to charges of theft at Waitara, and forgery, breaking, and entering at Eltham. The prisoner is only /21 years old, but had been in court before, having been sentenced to two years’ imprisonment on a charge of carnal knowledge in 1908, and later to three months for theft. On the theft charges his Honor sentenced the prisoner to two years’ imprisonment. For breaking and entering he imposed a term of 12 months’ hard labour, and for forgery one year. The terms were mad© concurrent, and the prisoner was declared an habitual criminal. “It is a sad thing to see such a number of Burnham boys coming before me,” observed his Honor. “ I don’t understand how it is, but I suppose it is because such a number of bad boys go to the' school.” Whether some other means of attempting to reform such boys, something like the George Junior Republic in America, should bo adopted, he did not know'. The prisoner was only 21, but had embarked on a career of crime. “ Burnham doesn’t seem to have done any good,” said his Honor. “It ever you want your liberty you will have to reform. There is no outlook for you except that you behave yourself.” May 13. At to-day’s sittings of the Supreme Court a charge of breaking and entering was brought against Carl Pedersen. The jury returned a verdict of guilty, but expressed the opinion that the prisoner was not responsible for his action, owing to the amount of liquor he had consumed. His Honor ordered the prisoner to come up for sentence when called upon. Patrick O’Donnell, residing near Ekctahuna, was charged with having wounded another farmer (William Fraser) with intent to do him grievous bodily harm. The case was the outcome of a neighbours’ quarrel. Counsel urged that the prisoner only fired his gun to frighten Fraser. He pleaded guilty to a minor count, and was fined £7 7s. May 15. At the Supreme Court to-day Allen Moody and Harold Bronson were sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment on a charge of conspiring to defraud by means of the confidence trick. May 16. Vincent Furness and Joseph Patrick M’Namara were found, guilty in the Supreme Spurt of assaulting a Chinaman. M’Namara'was placed on probation for 12 months, wtih very stringent conditions. Furness, who had been previously convicted of assault, was ordered to be sent to a tree-planting camp for nine months. CHRISTCHURCH. Mav 12. The Supreme Court criminal sessions opened to-day before Mr Justice Dcnniston, who in his charge to the Grand Jury stated that the calendar was a somewhat heavy one. There were 18 indictments against 17 parsons. Six of these, he regretted to say, were sexual cases. They were not very serious ones of their type, however, there being more lowdness than anything else. Frederick William Bradshaw, whose sentence for theft was held over from the previous sessions to allow of certain inquiries to be made, was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment, his Honor stating that but for the prisoner’s age (56) he would have received a more substantial term. Thomas Morton, who pleaded guilty to a charge of breaking and entering, was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, and warned if he came before the court again ho would he treated as an habitual criminal. John Bradley (22 years) was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for theft of money and ordered afterwards to complete a term of reformative treatment. Alexander Harold (16 years), for indecent assault, was sentenced to throe years’ imprisonment. William M’Ewan was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for breaking and entering. Lionel Hooker, on a charge of indecent assault, was sentenced to three years’ reformative treatment. May 13. At the Supreme Court to-day Eugene Allen, who was charged with perjury in connection with the evidence given by him at the inquest on Miss E. E. Coombes, was found not guilty. At yesterday’s sittings John Fitzgerald was charged with having, at Loburn, hetween November 3, 1912, and March 16, 1913, committed a criminal offence on a girl under the age of 16 years. The jury, after retirement, brought in a verdict of not guilty. The accused was discharged. William Mundy was charged with having, on April 10. 1913. at Christchurch, assaulted and robbed one William Hall. The accused was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment, and an order was made for the icturn of £5 found in his possession to Hah. May 15. At the Supreme Court vesterday Thomas Stirling, who was found guilty (with a strong recommendation to mercy) of the theft of nets, was ordered to come up for sentence when called upon, and to pay £5 towards the cost of the prosecution.

Albert Claxton, found guilty of attempting to break and enter, was admitted to probation for 12 months, and ordered to pay £3 towards'■the cost of the prosecution. John Burrage, found guilty of indecent assault, received the maximum penalty of five years. The Crown entered a stay of proceedings in the second charge—that of attempted unnatural offence. At to-day’s sitting Arthur William Rait, who was convicted yesterday of perjury, was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment, his Honor taking into consideration Rail’s previous good character and the fact that he had a wife and children. Mathew Finlay Paterson, found guilty of wilfully setting fire to a stack.of peas, was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment and ordered to undergo two years’ reformative treatment. James Colder was found not guilty of the alleged theft of a bicycle. .Cecil Smither, about 16 years of age, was found guilty of unlawful carnal knowledge. Sentence was deferred. ■ Albert Jennings, who was convicted on Tuesday for theft of a bicycle, appeared on a second charge of theft of a bicycle. He pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to reformative treatment for two years. John Willoughby was found guilty of arson. Sentence was deferred pending a point for decision by the Appeal Court as to certain evidence adduced by the Crown being admissible. In view of the decision by the jury in the case against Eugene Allen, a tramway conductor, who was charged with perjury and found not guilty, it is understood that the Crown will enter a stay of proceedings against Wm. Horgan, a motorman, who was also similarly charged, and whose, defence is said to be the same as Allen’s. May 17. At the Supreme Court Thomas M’Kinnon Collins was found not guilty on a charge of committing an alleged indecent act. L. Herbert, 15 years of age, was acquitted on a charge of indecent assault. Cecil Smithers was found guilty of indecent assault. He was severely warned by his Honor, and in view of the special circumstances of the case he was ordered to come up for sentence when called on.