SUPREME COURT.

Evening Star, Issue 3703, 5 January 1875, Page 2

SUPREME COURT.

CRIMINAL SESSION. Tuesday, January 5. (Before Mr Justice Chapman ) SENTENCE. Isabella Lyle (21), who was convicted yester day of stealing from the person at Dunedin, was placed in the dock for sentence. His Honor, addressing her, said : You have been found guilty, on very conclusive evidence, of having stolen a watch. There is no doubt whatever that the house in which you committed this offence, and the principal witness against you who is the keeper of it—a man named “ Black Robinson ” —are of most infamous character. The watch having been found in your possession would, without his evidence, have been sufficient to have convicted you. The gaoler mentions that you desire to be sent to the Refuge. I have no such power. First of all there is no statute giving me power, and, secondly, I have no control over the ladies’ committee of that institution. All that I can promise is this : if you conduct yourself properly in gaol, and show a sincere desire for repentance, I can make application to those ladies to take you into the Refuge at a future time. At present, I can only pass sentence, and taking into consideration your youth and the character of the house which you have been induced to frequent, the sentence of the Court is that you be imprisoned aud kept at hard labor for six mouths—hard labor, in your case, meaning such labor as you may be properly put to. If you conduct yourself properly while iu gaol 1 will see what can be done for you. The other prisoners, who yesterday were either found or pleaded guilty, were further remanded till to-morrow for sentence, his Honor not having had time to look through the depositions. ARSON. George Jones was indicted for having, at Tokomairiro on December 8, set fire to the dwelling of Charles Howard. Mr W. W. Taylor defended. The facts shortly stated by the Crown Prosecutor were these : —The offence was committed on Sunday, December 8. The prosecutor left his tent at about 12.30 p.m. on that day. The lower part of this tent was built of sods, aud close to the entrance there was a fireplace also built of sods. In the early part of the morning of that day Howard had had a fire lighted in the fireplace for the purpose of boiling his “ billy,” but subsequently allowed it to go out; anq when he left the hut there was not a vestige of tire in the fireplace, Of that fact he was able to swear positively, and it was only of importance as answering what might be a theory of the defence; that the fire occurred in consequence of the fire being left in the fireplace. The case for the prosecution was that the prisoner was seen to leave his own house at about 2.30 or 3 p.m. of that Sunday, to ride to within a hundred yards of the prosecutor’s tent, there dismount fr®m his horse, and proceed in the direction of the tent, remain there about five minutes, and almost immediately after he left the spot—the hut being invisible to the persons who overlooked him —lire was seen to issue from the tent, Tha only difficulty likely to present itself to the jury was, what possible motive could the prisoner have for committing the crime with which he was charged ‘I None could be given. So far as the depositions went the only motive appearing by them was that the prisoner did not like to have Howard’s tent so close tv his property. The tent was erected on Government land at Tokomairiro bush, and about six chains from prisoner’s fence. When Howard first went to work : in the bush to burn charcoal, prisoner sajd to him he would take good cave he did not burn charcoal there, as he would be burning the bush, and if ho (Jones) knew and found it oul f he would deal with him. The case will most likely not be finished to-:lay. The first witness for the defence was being examined at 4 o’clock, and about a dozen others are to follow. THE GRAND JURY, The Grand Jury to-day returned a true bill against John Levy Goldberg, and were discharged until Thursday morning, as some of the witnesses in the other cases were not yet forthcoming. Mr Taylor, for Mr Mouat, made application that some monies in Goldberg’s possession might be handed over to Mr Mouat, whom he wknted to defend him ; but his Honor said he could not make an order to give up monies that might be the friiit of (Time.