SUPREME COURT.

Timaru Herald, Volume XC, Issue 13299, 30 May 1907, Page 5

SUPREME COURT.

Per Press Association. AUCKLAND, May 29. The. hearing of the charges against Arthur. .Harris of criminally assaulting and abducting a girl under the age of 16, was continued this morning. Among the witnesses called by the prosecution was a married woman living at Devonport. She saiid that accused got- some food from her one morning in January, . and remarked that he had run away with a girl. Witness asked who the girl was and what was her ago, the prisoner replying '" She is fifteen and a half; she will be sixteen in June." Mr London opened the case for the defence by briefly addressing the jury. The accused was then called. He was, he said, 20 years of age. A fortnight after ■ he. left the employ of prosecutrix's father he wrote informing her that he did not wish to have anything more to ,do with her. She subsequently sent a letter stating that she would meet- him at. a hotel in Karangahape road, and he did sk They went to the Domain, and witness asked her to v go home, but she' refused. Witness, therefore, stayed with her. Continuing his evidence, accused said the girl told, him she follow him anywhere. They ; went to North Shore because she- said she could stay ..with some one there, but upon arriving at Devonport prosecutrix declared that she knew nobody. As he had no money the. ferry fares were paid by the girl. He. denied having'told'the Devonport witness that he girl's age to be fifteen and a half. His impression. gained, in a conversation with the prosecutrix was that *he was over sixteen. Cross-examined by Mr Tole accused,said he was so tormented by prosecutrix that at last lie "made- up." to her though he. was . " very unwilling."

WANGANUI, May 29

At the Supreme Court- this morning, John Fisher was fou3d- guilty of obtaining gopds.to the amount of £55 18s. from Bennett and Co.. Ohakune,. and remanded till to-morrow morning for sentence. A .similar, verdict. was. returned:: against, the same accused for. the theft of £9 8s 6d from, a lad named %dney. White, who was employed by Fisher at a boarding-hause. at Okahune. A .young man nanied McLean was found not guilty on a charge of forging a cheque! The .Judge said that this was the most extraordinary case that had come under his personal notice. Accused- and two companions named Wale and Foster : went to a hotel and a cheque was tendered in payment for drink. The hotelkeeper could not swear which of the three tendered ■ the cheque., Foster said he saw a cheque passed over the, counter but he could not say who. passed it. Wale and '.accused 'each swore that they did not see a cheque tendered. ..The Judge .gaid the jury,had.jio option but to find a verdict of not guilty. ~.. .....,,