RICHARD SON’S INNINGS.

Gisborne Times, Volume IX, Issue 896, 20 May 1903, Page 3

RICHARD SON’S IN NINGS.

TANTALISING THE -JUDGk

(Per Press Association.)

AUCKLAND, last night

Tim trial of William Richardson, on a. charge of libel, was again eonUtiUed a.I the .Supreme Court to-day.

Aft, l' calling two additional witnesses accused closed ids case. \lr ToJe, for tin; prosecution, then called rebutting evidence, conlradieijii,r various statements made by witnesses for tlie defence as to the general conduct, of the prosecutor's hotel. This evidence was not concluded When the Court rose for the day. q'iie ease will probably he concluded I o-niorrow.

AN UNSUCCESSFUL APPLICATION, AN EXCITING INCIDENT, Auckland, May Id. The charge of defamatory libel against William Richardson, which was again In-lore tin- Supicuw Court yesteida) morning, was the occasion of quite an unusual scene in the Court Last week accused had jiut in a. [ilea, and Uie ease was again called upon yesterday morning for the purpose ii i hearing arguineiil on the applicate.n. which was tiled l>y the lion. I.

A. Toie, Crown Prosecutor, on Saturday. On the case being called on accused asked permission to sit, at, out of the tables, saying that lie had a lot of papers, and wished to do some writing, which he could not conveniently do in the dock. llis Honor gave accused the required permission. Accused said lie. had an application to make lo IDs Honor which he though I- II i--.lisave ' ime, Ile had been informed , i n liable authority that iwo iiei land ,-, nisi allies had

sen, IDs , lou h; l W-, copies < f ii is (accused's) newspaper of March 21, containing some criticisms of His Honor’s judgment in the Bowes divorce ease. His Honor: I iiave not received any papers. Accused : I have evidence that they were sent, with tho view oi prejudicing Your Honor against inc in tnis case. lil.s Honor: If such a thing were done, it was very improper, but I have not received any papers. Accused : As the criticisms have been made, T wish to he dealt, with by an unbiassed judge. !i is Honor said he was not aware Unit, any person hud attempted to influence him in any way, cither verbally or in writing. If they had, 1)0 need hardly say that, it, would have had no effect upon him. If it were proved that, a certain person had tried ir, iiiliuenee him —lie could not believe that, anything of Ihe kind had been done — if. would he a matter for a separate complaint. He could not deal with it now. Accused : The matter is the open talk 'if the town. The publicans are glorying in the > ict. His Honor : I say I did not receive the papers. Accused (holding a paper in his

hand) ; 1 will read it. Ilia Huuur : it lias nothing to do with thin case ; no one has attempted to bias me I aiu as freo from bias as any man

possibly could bo. Accused said His Honor could hardly help being biassed by tho article if he were human. Supposing their positions were reversed and ho (His Honor) had said something derogatory of himself— His Honor: lam not aware that you have said anything derogatory of mo. I imvc certainly not said anything derogatory of you. lam prepared to try the ease just as I would any other. What appears in a newspaper in reference to another matter has nothing to do with the

ease. Accused: Your Honor does not quite grasp the point us it affects me. I want ail absolutely unbiassed trial. His Honor : JUo you say you will not get an unbiassed trial at my hands? Accused : 1 want to malic sure.

His Honor : How can you make sure ? Aceused : By being tried beforo a judgo whose judgments I have not criticised. His Honor: I am not aware that you have criiicised my judgments. I bavo not soon any such criticism. Accused: I will admit that I havo done so, Your Honor, to place tho matter beyond cavil. His Honor : I don’t want you to admit anything. I say no ono has attempted to

influence mo, and if a newspaper says that such an attempt has been made it is a mistake. Accused : But tho mistako having been made may it not have a tendency to bias Your Honor'? His Honor: Certainly not. Ido not know or caro what newspapers say about

me. At this point til-: accused referred to Mr Tolc, Ciown IVosieuim-, saying: *• I hope the Cm vn i'r,,seeu,OL- wi.t not display any undue leviiy. 1 oust ask that proper decorum be observt d.” Accused was referring again to the paper in his hand when His Honor said ho would nut hear anything about what was in tho paper. Accused : Is fchut not arbiti’fxrily setting aside an important point ? His Honor said he would hoar nothing about what was in tho paper, and ho said that as accused had alleged bias ho had to show it. , , ~ Accused : Well, in your address to tho m-ainl jury Your Honor, you commended the newspapers of tho colony generally for having escaped tho law of libel. Ilis Honor : I did not say that. What I said was that the newspapers, as a rulo, were conducted by discreet editors and proprietors, and that they did not publish libels. , Accused : And tho innuendo conveyed in that was that now wo had a newspaper 1 which had not that discretion, and had brought itself under the law —and this before any evidence whatever was given. I His Honor : I shall take no notice of that. , , Accused : May it not be that the papers referred to by Your Honor have renounced their chief function because o: the law . His Honor: I did not say it was tho function of newspapers to publish libels. Accused: Tho law says it w their function if they can show justification. . His Honor: It does not say anything of the kind, but this is immaterial. Have you any other reason for alleging bias , Accused : Yes ; I happened to bo on a vis ; t to Your Honor’s residence on one occasion to sco a gentleman, who was your coachman and gardener, on prohibition or political business. After having retired one of your daughters His Honor (warmly): I will not allow you to bring my daughter’s name into tho

Accused : 1 will mention it, Your Honor, in this connection. His Honor : I say you shall not. You mav say what you like about me, but you shall not mention my daughter's name. Your conduct is something disgraceful. Accused : She said io the man