BEFORE THE JUDGE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 665, 16 November 1909, Page 6

BEFORE THE JUDGE.

THE SILVER GRID TRAfiEDY. THE MQTOB-CAR FATALITY. NO BILL EETURNED. IBj Telecr»i>li -Pre* Anselattenl ChnttcWeh, November 15. His Honour, ia charging the Grand Jury to-day, said that the calendar was not a long one, and, with two exceptions, not serious, ami he did not think that tne calendar was anything bot creditable to a law-abiding district f Eefernng to the murder oharge, his Honour said that a young man, named Arthur J W Boberts, was charged with havmg murdered a young woman named Alice Edith Newman. Aturdor was, with perhaps ono exception, the most serious crime known to the , lan, but the present case was of a nature which should givo the Grand Jury \uy little trouble Indeed, the facts were really not in dispute, and the only defence that seemed to be raised was that the mental condition of acoused amounted in law to insanity. That was a matter, however, which should be oonsidered by the petty jury, for the only question to bo settled by the Grand Jury was whether the endenee established a pnnia facie case against ihe accused Dealing with the indictment against Wm A. Humphreys for alleged manslaughter, arising out of the recent motor-car fatality m whicn i Captain Pavitt was kilted, his honour said that the circumstances by themselves did not | create any aswimption of criminality on tho . part of accused What was necessary was ' proof that the accident resulted from misconduct on his pj.it, and the misconduct al kged was thdt the bj taking intoxicating liquor had reduced himself to a condition whiiSh would mate him unfit to drive the car, and that at the time of the accident he was tlrmnß at nn excessive speed Before the pottv jnrj, the Crown must prore beyond reasonabls doubt one or other of • those' allegations, but tho duty of the Grand Jury was only to LCcido if there was on tho evidence 'or tho prosecution a pnma facie case. As Grand'Jun they had only to consider the ovidenoo brought before them for the prosecution, and their dnty iras not to attempt to try the case They lad only < to /t determine whether on that cadence there was a prinia facie case t on " which u jury would - coiic ude that accused had so lowered his mental ft physical .capacity as to mako him undt to take Charge of the cat , , or that he was dnv--1 ing, ct a dangerous pace, and that thp accident juas caused by both, or either. Tho Grand Jury must confine themselves entirely to the o ldencp before them, and put out of considera tlon anything outsido- whica they might know of, or Tcad about, and they must not know any sympathy for the relatives of tho unfortunate man killed, or on account of tho painful posi tioA of the JOTtng man charged to influence them in the duty they had sworn to perform Quito a nuiribor of,f6rgery charges camo be fore tho Supreme Court to-day, and in the majority tho circumstances alleged were similar, tho obtaining and filling up of a blank chpquc and cashing of >thc samo at bomo retail establishment "The ease with which a man can get a bls-ik cheque," declared hie Honour, "and the disgraceful ease with which he can get a cheque cashed, are leading to a large increase in forgery cases. Torgery now seems to bo "treated as a first resource on the part of thoso who are hard up." No bill was returned m the ease against W, A. Humphieji oharged with manslaughter arising out ot the recent motor-car fatality, in w,hich Captain ?antt was Wiled, tho voting being 9 to 9 The Grand Jury examined witnesses for the defence as well as those for the prosecution, the names of all boing placed on of tho indictment i jGeorgo Sidney JCcnnard was acquitted on a charge of indecent assault L ,