SUPREME COURT.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1490, 8 April 1886, Page 4

SUPREME COURT.

Wellington, April 5. The Supreme Court criminal sessions opened to-day. Tho -judge's charge contained nothing of special interest. -The jury returnen true bills in all cases except those ngniust Frank McDowell, for embezzlement, Ah Ring, for assault, and Richard Hecker, for attempted suicide. Samuel Bennet, for larceny from a dwelling, was sentenced to three years. Cornelius Toll, for larceny was acquitted. J. H. K{dlen, for larceny, was sentenced to 12 months. Wm. Donnelly, for larceny from the person, was acquitted. Andrew Black, for larceny from a dwelling, was sentenced to throe years. W. Groombiidge, for embezz'ernent, was sentenced to one year. April 6. At the Supreme Court, John Pollock, was found guilty of cattle stealing at Masterton. Burrows, on the same charge, was acquitted, and John Freebody was found guilty of being an accessory. Christchurch, April 5. The criminal sittings opened to-day. Mr Justice Johnttm in charging the Grand Jury, said—“ 1 cannot see that there is any indication of growth or development of any particular crime or class of crime, or any condition of things that should lead to anxiety as to the state of tho colony, uor does it seem that the depression of which we have beard so much has at all affected the working classes in the way of producing any addition of criminals throughout the country. Our experience of Home is that poverty and want has comparatively little to do with crime.” With reference to the Howard case be pointed out that in law a marriage celebrated by the captain of a ship at sea was no marriage, so that the charge of conspiracy might be sustained, even if the only conspirators were Howard and “Mrs Howard.” James Ketch, for robbing a man in a brothel, was sentenced to five years’ penal servitude. William Allington pleaded guilty to stealing a watch from a house at Ashburton and received onej’ear’s imprisonment. Whan Ling, a Chinaman, for breaking into tho house of a fellow countryman and stealing £25, was sentenced to twelve months’ imprisonment with hard labor, Harry Lumbs, a boy of fifteen, was convicted of indecent assault and sentenced to six months’ imprisonment with hard labor, and two whippings, each of 25 strokes with a rod,' to bo administered at the commencement and close of his sentence. John Brook, an old man, was sentenced to twelve months’ hard labor, on two charges of larceny as a bailee ef saddles and bridles, the sentences to run concurrently.

April 6. At the Supreme Court to-day, John Grant and James Anderson, for horse stealing, were sentenced to twelvemonths’ imprisonment with hard labor. Heinrich Melvhoft, was convicted of manslaughter, and ordered to he brought up for sentence on Monday. He rode against a vehicle on the Lincoln road and a child in the trap was thrown out and killed, James Jones, for an unnatural offence, was sentenced to ten years’ penal servitude. James Hamilton, charged with false pretences, was acquitted. Invercargill, April 6.

At the Supreme Court to-day the case of Alexander Jenkins v. the Deputy Assignee, claim £I2OO, the value of some sheep alleged to have been sold by one John Templeton before his bankruptcy, was heard. The main contention for tho • def'-nco was that Jenkins was not a bon a fide purchaser of tho sheep, but had lent his name to another firm to whom Templeton was indebted, in order to secure them, tho price of the sheep having been arranged to be paid to him. A verdict fortius defendant was returned.