LAW REPORTS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2225, 11 August 1914, Page 9

LAW REPORTS

SUPREME COURT

CRIMINAL SESSIONS OPEN

W. T; YOUNG ADMONISHED , AND DISCHARGED > His Honour the Chief Juistico (Sir Robert Stout) presided at tho criminal sessions of the Supreme Court, which opened in Wollingtou yesterday. Jlr. P. S. IC. Macasssy, of the .Crown Law. Office, represented tho Crown. The following: wore ohosen for the Grand Jury Ernest G. Pilcher (foreman), Francis Joseph Hardwick, Hugh . M'Kibbon Dick, William Quinn, Alexander Young, A. E. Hislop, H. H,f Oxley,. . Joseph Dawson, George Forsyth, Seymour -Phillip Jeffrey, James Johnston, C. W. Johnston, W. A. Chote, A. G. Saunders, F. R. Parkinson, William Jennings, A. Gustofson, Nugent Welch, v - J. Wolsby, ■ John Patterson. ' . • Address to the Jury. In his address to the Grand Jury, , his . Honour said thero were 1G persons committed for trial at thoso sittings. That was rather over than under the usual number of cases, and yet it did not represent all the oriwe in the district, for from time to time accused! persons pleaded guilty to offences in fha lower court and came before the Supreme Court for sentence. His Honour was glad to say that on this occasion thero were no offences of a; serious character, with the exception of three sexual offences, which were always serious. He then proceeded' to to the different eases in So far as«the Grand Jury would require to deal with them. ■ True Bills, "j ; True bills were presented in the following oases:—Frederick I/avid Plimmer, theft of postal.packet; Ezra Reuben Condon, arson; Robert Hancock,' obscene language;. John Dwyer,.receiving stolen, pro-, perty; Philip George Kessler, breaking and entering and theft; William Wilson, attempted carnal knowledge; Yeative Roue.Mallalieu St./Mar,-breaking and'entering and theft;.'Horace'Arthur Cramond, theft (eight charges); . Michael Boyle and Joseph Dante, conspiring to defraud; O'Keefe, theft; Charles Chadwick, attemnted unnatural offence; WiHi am Forbes,- lorgery and theft j Frederick Logan, theft; and William; Forbes, false pretences. . No bill .was, returned against Henry M'llroy, cnarged with attempted theft from tho person, and no, bill also, against Charles "Printzen, charged lyith indecent assault. 1 _ ' . • CASE OF W, T, YOUNG. ' ORDERED TO COME OT WHEN ' CALLED UPON, William Thomas Young, who had been found guilty of sedition at the last sitting of the Supreme Court, and recommended to mercy, and whose case had , subsequently occupied the attention of the Court of Appeal,- was brought forward for sentcuoe. Mr. T, M, Wilford ' and Mr. P. J. O'Rogtm appeared for the prisoner. ■' ■ " '■ ■ Ml'. Wilford pointed out that although tjioro was. a' .'previous conviction, against Young,.it v,'&s for.an offence arising out. of the saino speech' on which he had been convicted of sedition. Coi/nscl referred at length to Young's career in- the, industrial world as showing that he had won the confidence of his followmen. He ' trusted the Court would toko, into tonsijioration the' fact' that prisoner'was-prac-tically a first-offender, that he had al- < ready served some months in prison, that he was under 'a bond to. be °f good behaviour, and that: he ..hod ~ been .T.ecoui-, irjcnde.d to nier'oy by the.- ~n\ ; The Chief Justice and Mr.'Justico/Hiking were both on the Bench when Young was placed in the dock. They retired for some little time, and on* resuming," tho. "Chief Justice said:— . "The Court has carefully considered the speech of your .counsel. . that you have occupied an 'important position in the industrial world in . this Dom'nion. does not palliate, but rather increases the. nature of your offence. Wo recognise that for part of what you said in the speech, in which your seditious utterance occurred, -you .have already suffered some months'- .imprisonment; and you are at present undora bond for good., behaviour. We hope you have-now : seen —and that those,' who werp led astray by you, and others have also seen—that there can be no stable state and no liberty for all if v'olenoe is resorted or encouraged. There: was not the slightest excuse for the action of, you or your friends. Parliament has established tribunals for the 'peaceful settlement of all labour disputes, and if any workmen"aTe treated unjustly they can ' appeal for redress to theso tribunals. Instead of advislnt* a' peaceful appeal, you counselled violence, and, fortunately for you and for' all, tha good sense of the community put ,violence down. You have, p's wo have ' said, suffered some punishment, for your conduct, and, unlike some others, who hivo Veil sentenced to imprisonment for like acts, this has beon your first offenco. We hope it may be your last. Our Empire'is to-day in tha strain and stress of wnr.' We believe that the call it has . loval'support from all its ciMzrns will, appeal to you as it has appealed to the peopla generally.. Moreover we de- . sire especially in such a time to five full weight to' the strong recommendation of mercy, by the .jury that -fpund you gnilty. \We think; therefore, that the mnjc.sty of the law and your own welfare will both be maintained if,, instead of sentencing you to imprisonment, we order you to come up for sentence -when called on. So lonjj afc ycu behave'as a . good and loyal citizen ought to behave, you will enjoy your freedom, .but should yon hereafter ba found doing what, as a good citizen, you ought not to do, then you will have to appear asain. before a Court to be dealt with according to tho law, At present you nmy go."- ' ' A SERIOUS^OFFENCE. ; William Wilson (defended by, 'Mr, R, Kennedy) was found guilty'of indecent assault, and remanded .until Saturday for sentence. . '