INTERPROVINCIAL

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 682, 26 January 1883, Page 2

INTERPROVINCIAL

(From our own Correspondent.)

Christchuuch, January 25. SUPREME COURT. The case of Moses «. the Norwich Union Insurance Company was concluded at the Supreme Court to-day. His Honor Mr Justice Johnston nonsuited the plaintiff, holding thai plaintiff could not expect payment on the incomplete proof of loss. THE PAPAKAIO MURDER. The Papakaio murder case will conclude to-night, there being now only one witness to examine. THE HAMILTON MURDER. In the Auckland murder case, the evidence for Priestly's defence closed this morning. Anna Neilson was called, but she was too ill to appear. Mr Cooper,'in addres ing the jury on behalf of Mrs Hamilton, said, the prosecution had failed to prove that Hugh Hamilton did not meet his death by pure accident. He characterised, the questioning of the prisoners prior to their arrest by the detectives as un-English, and complained of the adverse attitude which the Crown had taken in respect of the prisoners from the first. They were arrested on the 15th December, and had been confined in gaol ever since, co that they had been entirely dependant upon the exertions of friends) to get up the necessary evidence to establish their innocence. It was the duty of the Crown to bring forward every bit of evidence bearing on the case, irrespective whethor or not it was adverse to too prisoners; but instead of doing this

they had only adduced evidence that was favorable to their case. Hβ then proceeded to show that the entire fabric of the casj far.tho prosecitiou rested upon the belief of four medical gentlemen that Hamilton could not have sustained death by falling against the bedstead, and this was but an opinion open to question, inasmnchas Di Philson had admitted the probability of the wound being received from a fall against'jtho bed. Hu also contended that the uninjured dura mater was opposed to the theory of the wound having been caused by a blow, which would of necessity hive to be one of excessive violence and he heard that it was quite consistent with the theory of the fall, as were also ths alleged statements that the wounded man, subsequently rising, was staggering about and talking incoherently. DIVORCE COURT. At Wellington, the Chief Justice presided at this morning's sitting of the Supreme Court in its divorce and matrimonial causes jurisdiction. There were only two cases foi hearing, viz., Maynard v. Maynard and another and Barber v. Barber. In the former case some curious testimony was offered. Il was shown that the petitioner, William John Maynard, a butcher, of Gisborne, married the respondent, Catherine Mopo, a native woman, at Gisborne, many years ago. The petitioner was at that time a scout, employed in conveying despatches during the war for the Government, and one day on returning to his camp, after 58 hours absence, ho found his wife had eloped with a militia man named Thatcher. Since then he lost sight of her till a year ago, when she turned up in Gisborne with a Maori named Honi Mokai, with whom she was cohabiting. A Maori witness, who described himself as " Secretary of the Maori Committee," settled near Gisborne, deposed that the respondent and corespondent slept under the same roof, and that the committee demanded payment of a fine for committing adultery. That the man admtited Jthe offence, and paid the fine. There was no appearance of either the respondent or corespondent, and a decree nisi was granted. In Barber v. Barber, the petitioner, a farmer, of the Upper Hiatt, sought fora dissolution of marriage on thai ground of his wife's adultery with one f, Adams, a fireman on board the who was drowned in the wreck of that steamer. The parties were married in Wellington in 1856, and, alter living together <|ome years, four children being issue of thfek marriage, the wife suddenly disappeared; while the husband was attending church one Sunday morning. It was subsequently ascertained that she had gone to Australia- There she remained several years, but turned up 18 months ago, and admitted haying cohabited with Adams, by who.m she had a child. Though in straitened circumstances, she declined to seek: relief from her husband, but applied to the Benevolent Institution, and refused 1o return to her husband. A decree nisi was granted. CRUELTY TO ANIMALS. Legal proceeding are penduig against two boys who have visited the stables of a citizen, and committed an outrage on two horses by blinding them, in Wellington.