SUPREME COURT, DUNEDIN.

Cromwell Argus, Volume III, Issue 140, 16 July 1872, Page 7

SUPREME COURT, DUNEDIN.

BThe Criminal Sessions of the Supreme M.iirt opened on the 9th inst. The subjoined ■ itirt is abridged from the Evening Star :— Tuesday, 9th July. ■Judge Chapman, in his charge to the grand ■« said:-—“I am happy to inform you ■st'tlie calendar is not a heavy one on this There are seven prisoners for ftj two of whom are included in one E n ce; and, on the other hand, there are So indictments against one person for forftry and three indictments against another ft. embezzlement. I find by the statistics ftyished by the Registrar-General, that in ft e year 1870 forty-eight persons were comfttted for trial before the Supreme Court, ft 1871 there were thirty-one during the ft ar , but owing to a change in the time of Killing the session, that year really included ftiiteen months ; so that the number of priKners now on trial is about the actual average K each year. The cases do not require any ftncrthV remarks from me. There is a case ftraiust Ann Sutherland for attempting to Bmiuiit suicide. It appears she was not ■ el y well treated by her husband, and in a ■loiuent of excitement she took some laudI nu m that was in the house—not procured B- the purpose —in sufficient quantity to ave killed her, but being taken to the Hosjtal, and treated by Dr Yates, she recovered, ’lie usual way of dealing with these offences 8 for the Court to take some guarantee that he offence will not be repeated. The oft'eners are required to enter into sureties to :o iue up for punishment when called upon : nil if there is no attempt to commit the iffence again they are never called. The m!y thing the Court can do is to bring some icrcion upon their minds, and it acts a warnif. There is a case of cattle stealing which 3 very similar to one or two cases brought isfore the Court before. The prisoners are David Jones and Henry Francis. It appears hey were sent out to look for cattle, and so far were engaged in a lawful purpose. But they picked up a bullock that had not a proper brand. The evidence is not very strong, but it appears they gave a contradictory account of the matter, which, to say* the least, ini suspicious circumstance. . . . There are two cases of larceny on which I need offer no remark. Then there is the case of Hyman Cohen. It is one of those attempts at forgery, which is sure to be found out—one of those foolish offences that one would fancy the certainty of detection would prevent a person committing. Hyman Cohen signed the name of Mark Cohen in one case to a bill, and in another case to a cheque. Both those instruments were made payable at the Bank of Otago, and therefore some little time would elapse before the forgery was discovered. The signatures were at once denied by the person whose name was put to them, so that there would be no difficulty in finding a hill. There are two cases of embezzlement. The law regarding this offence is, that if money comes into the hands of a clerk or collector, and he neglects to hand it over to his employer, it constitutes embezzlement. Formerly it was merely a fraud; but latterly, by a long series of statutes, the offence has been made equivalent to larceny/’ SENTENCE. John Ewing, who was convicted last session of shooting a Chinaman at St. Bathans, was brought up for sentence. The prisoner addressed the Court, urging various reasons why his punishment should not be severe.— Sentenced to eighteen months’ imprisonment, with hard labour. Practically (said the Judge) that means twelve months. STEALING HIDES. Joseph Capstick was indicted for stealing fight hides, the property of William Bridgman. The short facts of the case were, that fir Bridgman bought of Mr Wilson, of Maori Bill, a number of hides, which were carted way by his carter, and put near a waterhole near his premises. On the following morning they were missing, and were traced w the police to the premises of Messrs Hurray, Roberts, and Co., who had bought hem of the prisoner at IGs. each. The primer, in a cross-examination of the carter, mdeavoured to show that he had bought he hides of him. He was sentenced to imffisonment, with hard labour, for twelve uonths. ATTEMPTING SUICIDE. Ann Sutherland pleaded guilty to having ittempted suicide. After a few words of admonition by his Honor, the prisoner enered into recognisances to appear when called ipon, and was discharged. FORGERY. Hyman Cohen, charged with forging the indorsement of Wilson and Haddock to a dll of exchange, and uttering the same with ntent to defraud, pleaded guilty. Sentence fas deferred. EMBEZZLEMENT. Henry Stuart M‘Coll was charged with em'ezzling the sum of £5 IGs. 10d., the pro•eriy of the General Road Board. There fere two other counts, one charging him with mbezzling money the property of the Stoney keek Road Board, and other money the property of the Chairman and members of me Stoney Creek Road Board. The jury eund the prisoner guilty, with a recommendation to mercy on account of the manner in r bich the books of the Road Board were ;e pk Sentence deferred.