SUPREME COURT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4741, 5 September 1893, Page 3

SUPREME COURT.

• [Pee Pbkss Association.! WELLINGTON, Ski>t. 4. | In the Supreme Court Jame3 Collins and i John Dougla?, two young men, were charged with assaulting and robbing a young man named Geraham White. The prisoners were found guilty and sentenced to two yearß* hard labour each. Ernest Gundlach was convicted cf the larceny of [ a clock from the Imperial Hotel, and sentenced to two years' imprisonment. HOKITIKA, Sept. 4. The sittings of the Supreme Court commenced to-day before Mr Justice Denniston. There were only two criminal cases — arson and perjury. The Grand Jury took an unusually long time in bringing in i bills, and both were acquitted, Mra Hayes : arson and Mitchell parjury. In the latter i case Mr Joyce, the counsel for accused, relied on the fact that the accused was not sober when the assault out of which the charge of perjury arose was committed. Tbe jury only tjok five minutes in returning a verdict of not guilty. The libel case, Mitchell v. Bevan, two Hokitika merchants, arising out of newspaper correspondence, commences to-morrow. DUNEDIN, Sept. 4. At the Supreme Court to-day, the libel case brought by Dr Truby King against Sidney Maxwell was continued. Mr Torrance, the chaplain, and Dr Ogston having given evidence, the case for the prosecution closed. For the defence Mr Woodhouse contended that the bringing of a charge of criminal libel was a harsh proceeding. A plea of " Not guilty " had been put in, which raised the question of privilege, and whether there was a libel. Then there waß the question of criminal intention. There was no feeling against Dr King. It was a perfectly fair and honest motive to seek to have so-called abuses sifted. The public did not know all that went on in an asylum. Was it not strange, for one thing, that there was no entry of a patient in the last Btages of consumption having fallen out of a window, excepting to enter it as an attempted escape P As regarded a patient who died, there was no mention in the report that he was being held by two men when he died. These were the sorb of things that the public had a right to know. I As to the plea of justification, the other j side had relied on theory. They said that ! the things complained of could not have happened because the rules forbade their happening. He (Mr Woodhouse) would rely on facts ; the rules had been broken. John Clarkson, attendant, in his evidence declared that he had seen maggots in a sore on the leg of one of the patients. Another attendant named Blaney also deposed that he saw what he took to be maggots. Edwin Tattersall, an • ex-attendant, also swore that he saw I maggots in the sore. There was no mistake, as he saw Attendant Perry take the patient to the bath and waßh them out. Defendant, in his evidence, also declared he had seen maggots on two occasions.