The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, JULY 1, 1869. SUPREME COURT.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IV, Issue 152, 1 July 1869, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, JULY 1, 1869. SUPREME COURT.

[Before his Honor Mr. Justice Richmond]. The criimnal sittings of the Supreme Court commenced this morning 1 when the following gentlemen were sworn in on the Grand Jury: — Messrs. Akersten, Kelling, J. P. B!»ck, E. Lyne, J. Watkius, Harper, Pike, Thompson, Younger, H. Stafford, A. J. Richmond, Bentley, White, Cawthi-on, C. Saxton, Biddell, Stauton, Cock, Buckeridge, Oakey, Burnett, T. R. Fisher, and Elliott, foreman. His Honor then addressed the Grand Jury ; Mr Foreman and gentlemen of the Grand Jury, I am happy to say that the present calendar is the lightest that I have had to deal with for the last seven years, the cases are not. only few, but are not of a grave character and I wish we had more such calendars. For some-years past, the judges in England have been keeping before the public the subject of dealing with habitual crime, and I cannot but think that it" is high time that the Australasian public should rouse themselves to a consideration of this matter. The necessity of dealing with habitual crime in a different manner from casual crime is now fully recognised, and . it is found that in our courts a great part of the time is taken up in dealing with those who do not make their appearance in the dock for the first time. Such men have gone on from crime to crime until they have become slaves to habits from which they canuot free themselves, and no one will deny that society is justified in depriving men of this description of their liberty; in fact, by placing them under strict discipline you are enabling them to fulfil the purposes of their existence far better than by leaviDg them at large only to sin and sin again; but with such meagre appliances as our gaols present, it would be inhuman to send a man to spend the whole of his life within such narrow confiues. In the case of a man who for a casual crime is sentenced to a short terra of imprisonment, policy points out that his punishment should be short and sharp, but when you come to deal with those who have become the bond slaves of Satan, such a course would be impossible. The discipline which suits long sentence men must necessarily be milder than that applied to those who are only in gaol for a short- time; you must not cut off from them all hopes of ameliorating their condition, you must open to them a chance of living to some purpose, in confining them within the prison walls you must not deprive them of all hope of bettering their condition; indulgences should be opeu to them which it would be highly impolitic to allow to those who are imprisoned for only a short time. But in this Colony there is no prison establishment- adequate to the carrying out of such a purpose. The subject was handled by the Royal Commission of which I was a member, and Mr. Justice Johnstone chairman, but owing to the depressed state of affairs in the Colony, there is no chance of the adoption of even the minor measures recommended. Amongst other things we advised that prison hulks should be adopted, but this was only as a temporary measure. It is totally impossible that with the appliance's which exist at Invercargill, , Picton, Nelson, and some of the other Provinces, a system, such as I should wish to see adopted, can be carried out. In fact the poverty of the colony prevents its being properly carried out in any of our gaols. On this subject I would wish to make a suggestion. lam given to understand that the/ Government contemplates a conference of the Australasian colonies and ; this would be the- time for them to act in unison and make* one great effort for tfie suppression \ of; habitual crime. We are all equally interested; in this matter, /for^^ipreseD^t^crimin'ald.p.ißiss, to and fro at V' their pleasure ■■'^■i»tween/-;;the;/'.-'different cobnieai^i^us^ifepreading^ crime: in all 'directions., j This gives *U8 v a> fair" basis ito v ?go ,upon in a?kin^^ recei ye; • some of >pur long '■'< se b ten ce me n ; tinfov.tHe?eV^ yoafesmaM^ |&JUB^ian^

a year for each man it would be an exceedingly cheap arrangement for us. I am very pleased that the subject is being dealt with at home, as it gives us the advantage of the light thrown on the question by the British mind. I have said that none of the cases to be brought before you require any remarks from me, the one of perjury contains no great difficulty. I now dismiss you to transact the proper business of the day. The Grand Jury then retired and returned in a short time having found true bills in the cases of John Palmer aud John Waterhouse. They were theu adjourned until Saturday next at 10 a.m. Bousebreaking. John- Palmer was charged with breaking into the house of William Cole, of Quail Valley, and abstracting therefrom certain goods. ' Prisoner pleaded not guilty. Lucy Cole, stated, that on the day in ! question, she had gone out, leaving the house empty, the back door being bolted, aud the front one locked, the windows being nailed. On her return, she found the house had been broken into, the boxes ransacked, and everything in confusion, aud several things missing. Prisoner, "a silly looking lad, beiug asked whether he had any questions to put to the wituess, replied in the negative, and said that he had taken the things, that Cole owed him money, and he had therefore broken into the house and helped himself. His Honor then put a stop to the proceedings, and charged the jury that they must return a verdict in accordance with the prisoner's statement. The jury, after a few minutes deliberation found the prisoner guilty, but recommended him to mercy. His Honor said that he should deal with the prisoner as a very ignorant young fellow, who had made a sad fool of himself. The only possible excuse for his conduct was his apparent stupidity. This was his first offence, and he should sentence him to six months imprisonment with hard labor. Forgery. John Waterhouse was charged with having forged Daniel Slater's name to two bills of exchauge of £25 each. Prisoner pleaded Guilty. Sentence was deferred until a future day. This closed the day's proceedings, as the witnesses in the other cases had not yet arrived from Picton and the West Coast. The Court was then adjourned until to-morrow, at 10 a.m., -when the case of Thomas Laurence Ward, for larceny, will be tried.