WELLINGTON NEWS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7180, 3 June 1891, Page 3

WELLINGTON NEWS.

[Pee Pbess Association.] WELLINGTON. June 3. CHARGE OP DUMMYISM. Mr Chapman this morning applied for a Special Jury in the duinuiyism case. His j Honor the Judge asked what precedent ( there waß, and Mr Chapman mentioned : the case of Allen, accused of stealing : amalgam on the West Coast last year, and j of Cooper, an asylum warder, charged with i embezzlement. The Chief Justice said ! that there were special circumstances in j both these cases. Mr Gully objected, ! saying it looked as though the accused was anxious to have the benefit of a Jury drawn exclusively from the class to which he belonged. After considerable argument, Chief Justice Prenderga6t said he would give a decision at 3 p.m. PRISONER DISCHARGED. The only other case on the list was Arthur Ellison, alias Dunn, a prisoner who is already serving six months for obtaining money by telegraphing under a false name. He was now accused with forging the receipt which* enabled him to get the money. He put in a special plea to the j effect that the offenceß were one and the same. The Jury was directed to consider whether the plea was good, but misunderstood the direction, and returned a verdict of " Not guilty." They were sent back, but in the interval the Chief Justice decided, on reconsideration, that there was no necessity to leave it to the Jury. The Foreman, on being recalled, said the feeling of the Jury was that the offence was practically the same, and the prisoner should not be punished twice over for it. The Crown j Prosecutor, though dissenting from this I view, recognised that there was no likelihood of gaining a verdict, and offered no evidence. The prisoner was discharged. NATIVE BILLS. In consequence of the delay in receiving the Native Commissioners' report, the Hon j J. A. Cadman will not be able to circulate j the Native Bills before the session, as he intended. J-BEE LIBEAET. The City Council decided to refer the competitive designs for the free library to a Committee outside of the Council. DUMJIYISM. The Chief Justice granted the application for a special Jury in the Coleman Phillips case.