COLONEL LYNCH’S TRIAL.

Motueka Star, Volume IV, Issue 163, 13 March 1903, Page 4

COLONEL LYNCH’S TRIAL.

A London despatch of January 23 says. —“When the trial of Colonel Arthur Lynch, a member of Parliament for Galway, on the charge of high treason, was resumed to day, counsel for the defence began summing up. There was no- attempt to deny that Colonel Lynch supported the Boers, but counsel contended that his naturalisation was in no way prompted hv treasonable intent, ar.d was solely fur the advantage he would thus secure for journalistic purposes. Subsequently the defendant actively supported the Boer'cause in the belief that he was a legally naturalised burgher. Replying for the prosecution, the Solicitor-Gen-eral, Sir Edward Carson, maintained that Colonel Lynch joined the Boer army as a discontented Irishman, thereby committing a most cowardly and most serious act of treason.” His naturalisation, continued the SolicitorGeneral, was only a flimsy pretext. Counsel then proceeded to detail the prisoner’s alleged acts of adherence to his country’s enemies. The Lord Chief Justice summed up very briefly. He said that if, in war time, a British subject joined the King’s enemies, what-' evee his purpose, he was guilty of an unlawful act. Naturalisation during war time afforded no excuse whatever for subsequent acts. There was abundant evidence, he said, of overt acts in aiding the King’s enemies. In delivering sentence the judge said the crime of high tr-eason, of which the prisoner had been found guilty, was happily so rare that it seemed to be almost an anachronism. No civilised community had failed y T et to punish severely defection from loyalty, whether in the way 7 of open warfare or secret intrigue. In the darkest hours of his country’s fortune, when engaged in a deadly struggle, Lynch joined the ranks of its foes and shed the blood of his fellowsubjects fighting for their country, and sought to dethrone Great Britain from her place among the nations. The only 7 palliation which could be offered was that it had been the fashion for s >me years to treat lightly 7 matters of this kind, and men had been encouraged to play with sedition and toy 7 with treason. The nation had treated with e mtemptuous indifference speeches and acts of sedition ; but it was one thing t i talk sedition and quite a different thing to bear arms in the ranks of the c untry's foes. The jury, after having been out half an hour, returned a verdict of guilty. When asked if he had anything to say as to why he should not be sentenced to death, Colonel Lynch replied : “Thank you. I will say 7 nothing.” The sentence of death was passed on each four counts in the indictment. The prisoner then bowed to the Court and was removed in eus tody. Lynch throughout bore himself w'.th unfaltering composure. He walked out steadily between the gaolers and passed the bench where his wife and other relatives were - seated. Mrs Lynch has been given permission to see her husband. The sentence of death passed upon Col. Arthur Lynch has since been commuted to penal servitude for life.

The only female justice of the peace in the United States, and probably in the world, is Mrs Agnes Garrett, who has just assumed her official duties at Garrett, Wyoming. She was born at Birmingham, England, in 1863, and proceeded to Wyoming in 1884, founding the town now named after her. Many 7 claims have been made on behalf of the modern newspaper. It is now heldijforward as the only reasonable cure both for cold and poverty. If you stretch it over you at night it is better than a warming pan, better than an eiderdown quilt. If you l-01l it up into wet balls and put it on the fire it does instead of coals.

“He’s perfectly 7 quiet gentlemen,” said an innkeeper, referring to a horse which two novices were to drive, “but you must keep the rein off his tail.” “Right,” said they 7 ; “we will bear it in mind.” When they returned the inn keeper inquired how they had got on. “Splendidly !” was the reply, “We had one rather sharp shower, but we took it in turns to hold the umbrella over the horse’s tail, so there was no real danger.” Not long ago, an Englishman in New York, provoked beyond., endurance, settled matters forthwith and straightforwardly by knocking the insulter down. The blow was clean—“a knockout” —delivered intentionally on the point of the chin. The Englishrnai., promptly 7 arrested, was astounded to find himself charged with felony. He was told that his victim wore eye glasses when struck, and that to strike a bespectacled man in the face with his clenched fist is felony by the law of New York. Tourists and travellers with a tendenty towards self protection will do well to note this paragraph, and to take care on arrival at New York to turn the other cheek to a nearsighted assailant. A great tangi, held in honour of Naera Pita, who died three months ago, has just been concluded at Papawai, and will pursue the even tenor of its way at Kohunui, near Masterton Borough. There has been an attendance of about six hundred Natives at the weepful gathering, a large numberbeing from Hawke’s Bay 7. Following is a portion of the menn polished off in one week . —2 tons sugar, 2 tons flour, 40 sheep, 2 bullocks, 5 tons potatoes. One hundred yards of oilcloth were used for covering the tables, and 20 dozen knives and forks carried the edibles to their capacious resting places. It is reported the late festivities in connection with the Liberal demon - stration at New Plymouth, leave the executive committee with a deficiency of over £IOO. This will require a levy of lGs per head on the 217 members of tbe neneral committee. The deficiency is put down to the unfortunate weather expei ienced on the day of cele- ! bration.