SUPREME COURT.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 636, 6 September 1851, Page 3

SUPREME COURT.

Criminal Sittings. I Before Mr. Justice Chapman. September Is?, 1851. The Court having been opened with the usual formalities, his Honor in his address to the Grand Jury informed them that there were two bills for their consideration ; one an indictment against a native for stealing a sum of money from another native, and in this case the prisoner had admitted his offence ; the other was a case of a very serious character, a furious assault having been committed by an abandoned woman named North, well known by the name of the “ Big Drummer,” and the prosecutor robbed of his money. The case had occasioned him mingled pain and satisfaction, pain that a woman should be placed in such a position, and satisfaction that this was the very first case of a woman who had been accused of felony since he had been on the bench. The case was so clear and simple that there would be n ° difficulty in coming to a decision on the subject. His Honor observed that two or three cases had occurred at Canterbury which must be tried in this district, and it would be necessary, in order to allow time the arrival of the witnesses, to resort to a practice which had been introduced at Nelson, and was calculated to give the least ’nconvenience to the Jury, namely, to allow iue Grand Jury to go away with the understanding that they should appear when summoned at a short notice, which would be made short only to suit their convenience. The Grand Jury found true bills in both Jases,

The Grand Jury also made a presentment on the state of the roads in Wellington. Rosannah North and Richard Turton (the latter a boy ten years old, the child of the female prisoner by a former husband) were indicted for robbing and assaulting David Muir on the Bth July. George Scott, corporal of police, proved having taken the prisoner into custody on the charge by David Muir, of having assaulted and robbed him ; she was concealed in the scrub above her house.

David Muir— l am a shepherd and formerly lived at Castle Point; I met the prisoner at Pimble’s; I had a glass with her there ; I then went with her to her own house; I had a glass of liquor there, and when 1 had drunk it I found a dizziness in my head ; about twenty minutes after I put mv hand in my pocket and missed my money ; I had not been asleep at all ; I had twelve sovereigns and some odd silver when I fell in with the prisoner at Pimble’s ; the prisoner was standing between me and the door when I missed my money ; I said “you have robbed me ;” she then dragged n.e outside the door ; the boy came forward with the tomahawk and struck me on the head ; I had hold of the woman and she dragged me out in trying to get away, it was then the boy struck me ; my hair was long at the time and the woman twined her hand in it, and beat me with the tomahawk herself ; she then said to the hoy strike him and settle him ; I cannot remember that the boy came up ; I then went down to M illis-street and fell in with a policeman and he took me to the hospital ; I came into M ellington to take my passage ; I was last employed by Mr. Guthrie ; I got £3 from him ; I had £lB in all ; I had paid £5 for my passage ; 1 am certain I had £l2 odd in my pocket just after going into Mr. Pimble’s house. By the Court— l was stupified by the liquor ; if I had taken no liquor before, proper liquor would not have stupified me ; I was sober enough to know what took place ; I saw my money about half an hour before I went to Pimble’s; I was sober when I left Pimble’s. Several other witnesses proved the assault but were unable to give evidence as to the robbery. The prisoners were found guiltv. and the female prisoner was sentenced to two years imprisonment with hard labour—His Honor observing that if she had been indicted for cutting and maiming with intent to do bodily harm, she would have been transported. The boy was sentenced to six months imprisonment. Te Ahuru, an aboriginal native was indicted for stealing a sum of money from the dwelling house of Te Waterani, another native, at Wanganui. The prisoner pleaded guilty and was sentenced to seven years transportation. Thomas Duncan, charged with embezzlement, was discharged by the Court, the Attorney General declining to prosecute on the evidence as disclosed by the depositions, in which his Honor concurred. Mr. Ross attended to defend the prisoner.