The Wanganui Chronicle AND PATEA-HANGITIKEI ADVERTISER " NULLA DIES SINE LINEA MONDAY, JUNE 12, 1893.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11820, 12 June 1893, Page 2

The Wanganui Chronicle AND PATEA-HANGITIKEI ADVERTISER " NULLA DIES SINE LINEA MONDAY, JUNE 12, 1893.

The New Zealand Herald has been informed that a grave irregularity occurred in connect'on with the finding of the Orund Jury in the recont glove fightcase, m which, it will bo remembered, one of principals lost his life. Baforo a Grand Jury proceeds with its dnties, tho Judge giveß special instructions on ono point. Tho jurymen are told that if, after examining one or two witnesses, they are satisfied that there is a prima facia case to go before C'theourt, they may return a " true bill " without going on further, but that they cannot find " no true bill " without firat examining the whole of the witnesses whose names are handed to them. Tin? rule is plain enough for tho simplest to understand, and one would think that without any reminder from the judge all jurymen their from own rense of justice would seen that it was done. It is oflen possible to see from the evHence of ono witness only that there is a caeo to go for trial, which on the othor hand it is never possible to decide that there is not a case for trial until tho last witness for the Crown has beon hoard. In the glove fi<<ht prosecution, however, the jurymen appear to have been so determined that the case should not go before tho Court that, nccording to our Northern contemporary, they only went through the formula of examining tin co out of the twelve witnesses subposned by the police. If this statement is true, and our contemporary says it is undoubted, we hope Mr Justice Connolly will inquire into it at once. It is already talked of freely in Auckland, and unless some steps are taken, it is not unlikely to 'deyejop intq in unseemly scandal,

On Saturday last, the unusual phenomenon —in this district— of a fall of anow was witnopsed The first fall occurred in the early morning, and the white coating remained on the low-lying hills throughout the day. Jmt after nightfall a very heavy shower of hail was experienced, and tho roads and footpaths wore a most unwonted appearance. The " stones " were large, many of them approaching the sine of marbles. Just before i) o'clock there was another fall, but this time of snow entirely. Saturday's storm came as a surpiise to all, aR nothing so heavy had been experienced foo many years. One old colonist, who has been in this province for tho last 42 years, informs U3 that he has only known snow to fall in any such quantities on two other occasions. The thing was entirely new to the younger generation of colonials, as the snow-balling contests proved. The gardens have suffered to a certain extent by the beating down of growing plantß, but as the downfall was not accompanied by violent winds, and as it was at least seasonable, the occurrence was more interesting than harmful.