SUPREME COURT.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2290, 8 September 1870, Page 2

SUPREME COURT.

CRIMINAL SESSION, • This Day. (Before Mr Justice Chapman ) ■ ■' > THE CLYDE COLD ROBBERY CASE. The trial of this case was continued today. The witness Rennie’s cross-examina-tion by Mr Barton, was continued for an hour and a half, but without his evidence being shaken in any material point. As was the case yesterday, lie spoke during the greater portion of the time in an undertone

of voice, so that many of his answers were but imperfectly heard. The more important of the answers he returned were these ;—He never was in the lock up at Clyde before this time. He was never confined there under a false name, neither ! was he ever there before for wearing false pmstachios or beard. This big crime was his first beginning in crime. He had never been in Dunedin or au> other jad. Ho and the prisoner never made an attempt to rob the Teviot escort, which failed. He did not think he bad ever told anyone that they did; the statement was an invention of the newspapers. Sergeant T. M. Smith deposed to the arrest of llennie. Before that ho had told Rennie of the free pardon and reward offered by the Government to any accomplice who might give evidence; but subsesequently cautionsd him in the usual way. Witness detailed the finding of the gold, accompanied by Rennie. Sub Inspector Dalglcish was examined as to the absences of the prisoner from Clyde on the occasions stated by Ronnie, and as to what transpired in reference to the proposed removal of the prisoner from Clyde to Dunedin, and the reasons why that removal did not take place. In cross-examination the witness said: When the gold boxes were fastened down in the camp, M'Lcnnan used the instrument to fasten them down. For the two escorts previous to the robbery, the inner door of the lockup was fastened with handcuffs, but on the occasion of the robbery it was fastened with a new padlock, which witness had brought up with him from town. M'Lcnnan could not have scon the padlock put on the door, because he did not go inside with the gold ; he merely left it at the door. Detective Farrell produced a screw-driver found by him in the prisoner’s regulation box. With it, he was able in live minutes to take out all the ecrews in the lock. Prisoner said, “ I suppose I will get into a row.” Witness asked “How will you get into a row.” Prisoner replied, “By that d d thing being in my box.” Witness replied that that in itself amounted to nothing. Ho arrested prisoner on the loth August. Ho found no other scrcw-driver in any other box.

By Mr Barton: He found the screw-driver on the top of the prisoner’s box ; it was enclosed in a regulation strap. Ho believed it to bo a “regulation screw-driver,” [Several, other regulation screw-drivers were handed, in; they were as like the one produced “by the Grown as “ two peas. ’] He never stated at Clyde that it was not a regulation screwdriver ; he said he never knew of such a thing being used in th« police force before during his twenty-five jmars’ experience. At the magisterial enquiry prisoner asked him if the screw-driver was not a regulation one, and told him (witness) if he enquired he would find that ho (prisoner) and Constable r arndl had been served out with them, [Mr Barton here read from the witness’s depositions, where he swore “that the sersw-driver produced was not a regulation one.”] When he swore that, he did not know of there being such things. When he came down to town, he found the statement of the prisoner to be correct. The other witnesses examined were Sergeant Neil], Constable Hunt, W. Naylor, and James Holt.

William Eliott, proprietor of the Halfway Hotel, Cromwell road, sta’ed that on the occasion when Bennie and the prisoner stayed at his place, oii their way to Clyde, in May last, he asked the latter who Bennie Was. He replied he did not know him, but had hoard at Cromwell that he was a storekeeper at Cardrona, and was “ well in." Witness asked him whom he "(prisoner) might be; but he did not reply, merely stating that he had left a letter for Bennie. The poxt mornifig Rennie told witness that fie had received the letter, but did not show it t:> him,