SUPREME COURT.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144778, 7 September 1915, Page 7

SUPREME COURT.

. NEW PLYMOUTH SESSIONS. The quarterly session of the Supremo Court opened at New Plymouth this morning, before his Honour, Mr. Jus- j tico Denniston. GRAND JURY. j The Grand Jury was as follows: Messrs. Arthur Ambury, sen., J. Austin, J. Bennett, J. S. Connett, F. P. Corkill, G. A. Cornoy, R. 0. Ellis, R. H. George, E. R. 0 Gilmour, James Hayden, W. T. Hookham, F. S. Johns, Newton King, J. Little, E. May, D. K. Morrison, A. H. Palmer, W. J. Penn, Geo. Raroson, 0. W. Solo, A. Veale, L. B. Webster, and E. Whittle. Mr. King was chosen foreman. HIS HONOUR'S CHARGE. His Honour, in his charge to the Grand Jury, said ho was glad to say the calendar was an extremely creditable one, showing that the citizens of the district were a law-abiding people. There was only one indictment to be set before them, and the only other charge on the criminal calendar had been admitted by the accused, who was an old offender. It was particularly gratifying to find that there was an entire absonso of sexual cases which, he regretted to say, had been, somewhat prevalent in some parts of the Dominion. George Evans, who had pleaded guilty to three charges of forgery, one of uttering a forged cheque, and also to a charge of theft from a dwelling, was brought up for sentence. Accused said he had been working steadily up to last Easter, and he asked his Honour to give him a chanco and* he would do hotter in the future. He had been drinking heavily lately. His Honour read accused's record, which showed that he had spent a considerable part of his life in gaol, and it transpired that he was now serving a sentence of six months for_ forgery. His Honour remarked that the cheques did not show any sign of drunkenness: they woro woll written and carefully drawn up. It was painful to see an apparently respectable man in such a position, but he could not treat the case as other than a serious one, jmd sentenced accused to two years' imprisonment. TRUE BILL. After a brief retirement the Grand Jury returned with a true bill against Harry Brunsdon, charged with mischief and cattle stealing. ALLEGED CATTLE STEALING. Harrv Brunsdom was charged, with committing mischief by destroying a cow, the proporty of G. E. Julian, of Warea; with stealing a cow valued at £25; with receiving one skin, knowing it to have been stolen, and also that he destroyed the brand of one cow,) of which G. E. Julian was the lawful owner. The following jury was empanelled: —Messrs E. P. Lister, A. E. Ladnor, R. E. R - . Davis, G. T. Rampton, C. Longstaff, H. A. Caldor, C. W. Maddock, W. F. Paul, H. Spurdle, C.'H. Sampson, E. J. T. Marsh, W: Ambury. Tho latter was chosen foreman. Mr. H. R. Billing appeared for the Crown and Mr. J. H. Quilliam appeared for the accused. In answer to the charge, accused pleaded not guilty. Mr. Billing, in opening his case, said tho jury would have very little trouble in grasping its main facts, and after having heard the evidence they would be ablo to say whether accused committed the act with a guilty mind or not. Mr. Julian resided at Warea, and in. May last he made arrangements to temporarily graze a number of cattle on the property of a Native on the Newall Road. Among these was a valuable Holstein cow, due to calve in July. When .Mr. Julian went to the property in Julv he found the dead body of the cow.: It had been shot in the forehead and skinned, and a dead calf was alongside. Mr. Julian had no difficulty in identifying the beast as his property. He had been milking the cow for five or six years, and she was a quiet animal and therefore could hardly be mistaken for a wild cow. Further, it had been shot at close quarters. Further evidence would be given that the brand had been removed from the; skin, and if the. accused had acted innocently there was no reason; why the brand, should have been removed. Accused subsequently sold the skin to a skin buyer in the "district. Geo. E. Julian, in his evidence, stated that two days previous to his finding the cow dead he discovered another of his cows, which had been running on the same property, wounded. Accused, after he had been remanded, called at witness's farm and admitted havihg shot the cow, but said he thought it was a wild one or he never would have touched it. Witness spoke to accused on) this occasion about the cow that was wounded, but he said he knew nothing about it. He said he would pay for the cow that had been killed whether he got a term or not. To Mr. Quilliam: He had known accused for. about two years. He came out from England about this time, and had been employed by witness's father splitting wood. There was a lot of scrub on the property, on which the cow had been running. Tho place where he found the carcase was about three-quar-ters of a mile away from the road. A "new chutn" would experience some difficulty in . finding his way. about the bush. (Left sitting.)