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Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 419, 19 April 1877, Page 3

The K..M. Court at Nnseby lost Thuis day was heavily engaged with some most important cases from Hough Ridge, our report of which must be held over. It was a Rough Ridge day out. The evidence, if reported, would more amusement than knowledge to our renders. The gravity of the occasion seemed to sit oppres ivvly on the presiding juetrceer, perched high on the awful

rostruiiL Loots morepfegrmht with nnflinc U ine determination, wedded to good intention* we neTer hope to eee surpjissed. Who ts'dtjld. say anything against J.P. justice after to-day An assi'!?!; fcnse h?t-wepri neighbors— Amip« ▼ Douglas—was dismisses, each party to pay his Own costs; The presiding J.Jc*. was i£. A. Chapm*n, E?q , supported on his right hy L. W. Buseh. Esq., and on hit left fay M. J. S. Mackenzie; Esq. Me: JtTSTictf Giixitt?, breaking at a meeting of the Auckland Ladies' LeneTolent 80 ciety, seemed rather to turow cold water on the theory of assist, op criminals to reform. Ha said:—"As to the rfclief Of persons Released from gaol, that is a very Lfge ftiri wide quo*tion. But the result of my own experience is that in nine-tenths of the cases of persons' convicted of crime,- neither poverty nor drunkenness are active causes 6f the criminality. These are but the accidents -which develop the preexisting fefrdehcyj My opinion is that the criminal tendency ia hereditary. That appears id fiie tc.be the case as far as my o'wil Observation has extended. I should not like to put forth this view positively, but the majority a* the cases with which I have been acquainted point in that direction. The only hope of reformation that 1 can see is in cases where the criminal is young, and where lie can be removed from associations which develop the criminal tendency. That is not to be done» by helping him when he has committed a crime."