THE REEFTON GOLD JOBBERY CASE.

West Coast Times, Issue 8064, 30 January 1891, Page 4

THE REEFTON GOLD JOBBERY CASE.

[COSBBSPONDENT BbUNNIB NEWS ] On Friday afternoon, until a late hour, Messrs iteeche and Lewis, J.P's, sat over a case brought against William Dufty and Robert Hugbes for gold stealing and burning down the old ' Caledonian ' battery, Larry's Cre jk. Larry's Creek ia by way through Boatman'?, about 14 miles frum Beef ton. About 14 years ago it was a brisk and healthy township, but as 'The Caledonian' claim lost tbe atone an 1 gold, aud ail efforts to recover the same proved fruitless, the place gradually t became deserted. A few alluvial digger* have for a number of years hung rcund the place, and managed to eke out an existence. The stone crashed at the battery was ex* ceptionally good, aod sb quicksilver will search and find its way almost through anything, a quantity is always found io and under the berdaui, bedioga and portions of a battery. In order to get at these places the " Galedouian" battery was burnt dowa on tbe 19th or 20th of this month. On the 21st, Mr Wise, who is the legal manager for the company and local 'jobber,' had some information concerning such, and with his clerk in comr a >y with Constable M'Alaster, went co Larry's and found that the place had been burnt down. All the sand iv and around the bed logs waß scraped up and placed in tubs near the hut of Duffey and Hughes. So far I believe no evideuce can be traced as to who burnt the battery down, but amalgam was found ia the accused's possession, and they now await their trial at the District Court on Tuesday next, to be heard before a Beefton jnry. Rocttun is full of thieves, cot a pick, hammer, drills, or shovel can be left twenty- tour hours in any claim with >ut being * shifted ' or ' ta&en away,' and this practice should be put a stop to, li the law tail to take its course to compel the ' jobbers ' to advertise their claims the ' jobber* ' are determined that no one shall rob them. 1 ho^e tne jurymen will act as men, not as in Allen's case, clamoring for tame with certain cliques.