SUPREME COURT SITTINGS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 458, 17 March 1909, Page 2

SUPREME COURT SITTINGS.

< . NEW PLYMOUTH. THE WAITAIU TRAGEDY, (BY TBLEGIIAI-H— IMIESS ASSOCIATION.) Now Plymouth, March lti'. Supremo Court sessions opened to-day biv .fore Mr. Justice Chapman. In the course of his charge to the Grand Jury, his Honour, referring to the clmrjro of murder against Dr. Goode, said ''that ; tho important) case this sitting was a charge of murder against a medical man, who recently lived at Waitiira. The inquiry that they had to make was a limited one. It .was really an inquiry as to whether there was prima facie evidence that this act of shooting, whereby the deceased met lipr death, wiis tho act of ac. cused. It might bo that when matter came to bo inquired into, circumstances would be brought forward to stiggest a drunken con« dition or oven a deficient mental condition, but ho had to tell thom,:for tho purpose Or tho dischargoof their duties', that a co'ndii tion of drunkenness or intoxication was no excuse whatever for crime, .arid that, bo 'far as insanity was concerned, if any such ques , tion was suggested, it was not tho duty of, tho Grand Jury to inquire* into matters of. defence at all. What they had to inquire into was whether the evidence made out a prima facie case, rendering it proper that' the case should bo publicly tried, and the guilt or innocence of the accused established. The evidence would show that accused ..went to tho house where deceased resided, that he said something to her—made a proposition to her and received denial —and that thereupon, without any interval, ho fired two shots into her neck. The result of one or both of 'these was that, in the course of a few days, sno succumbed. Those simple facts were sufficient legally to constitute tho crimo of which tho man was charged, and it would not be' their duty to inquire further than to'ascer- , ' tain whether there was prima facie 1 evidence to show that accused, in fact, fired shots' that struck this ■ woman, and that she met-., her death this way, Albert Kappely, aged 18, was brought .up for sentence on a charge of horse-stealing, and received a term of three : months' hard labour. John Edward Lister-pleaded guilty to the theft of £6, and received 12 months' hard labour, and a similar term, to run. con- '. currently, on a charge of house-breaking. A ! : youth named John William Garner pleadeJM ; guilty to forging a school certificate, and l .' •. was admitted to probation for 12 months, •; Alan Brown, a young man, oharged with, having committed a serious offence against '. a girl, was found not With regard v to a charge against Wm. Davidson, of causing actual bodily harm to John Crockett, tlw • ( jury returned a verdict of guilty of common assault, and a fine of £20 was imposed. The trial of Dr. Goodo.opens in the monking. (BT TEL-ECHUm—MESS ASSOCUTtON.I Napier, March 16. , , The Supremo Court sessions opened with! a calendar of nine charges against eight prisoners. None are of a serious character. The Grand Jury threw out tho bill against William Anderson, charged with receiving cattle known to have boon stolen. William, Black was sentenced to twelve months imprisonment for breaking , and entering. ' ,