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New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4430, 1 June 1875, Page 2

Frequently it is really painful to sit in the minor courts and listen to the loose and careless manner in which witnesses give their evidence. In many instances witnesses seem to think they have a perfect light to distort their evidence as they think fit, if by so doing they benefit the side on which their sympathies lie, and, shutting their eyes to the questionable morality of the practice of indulging even in suppressio veri, they scruple not to go a little further, and will readily be guilty of the more advanced form of perjury, sug'jestio falsi, so long as they see there is no likelihood of being called to account in a court of justice. They never intend to “speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth;” their intention is rather to relate such facts as can be wormed out of them, and around these to throw such a veil of doubts and qualifications as to render their evidence practically valueless. If they succeed in doing this and in bamboozling the police, the title “smart fellow” is at once assumed, and they are regarded by their acquaintances as heroes worthy of admiration and imitation. One of these gentlemen met with his deserts at the Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday, and though we have no wish to prejudice an impending issue, the circumstance deserves every publicity, in order that it may act as a deterrent to those who look so lightly upon the nature of an oath. It seems that at a hearing of a charge of robbery against two men last week, the inquiry as to their proceedings before the robbery took place led to a man named Enwright swearing he had seen one of them served at an inn with a bottle of brandy after eleven o’clock at night, moreover, that the landlord himself served the brandy, and was paid for it in silver. On the strength of this testimony an information was laid against the landlord fora breach of the Incensing Act, but when it came on for hearing yesterday, Enwright swore that he did not remember at what time the brandy was served, who it was served by, nor, in fact, anything about the occurrence, and stuck to this, - notwithstanding that his memory was refreshed from his previous depositions. The charge, consequently, fell to the ground ; but the two statements of the witness ■ were so utterly irreconcileable, that he was at once charged with perjury, and remanded for eight days.

From our telegraphic columns it will be seen that there is an epidemic of crime of a curious kind, in the South. Not long ago, on the arrival of the escort in Dunedin, it was found that a number of banknotes had. been abstracted from one of the packages, during a brief interval that elapsed after it was deposited in a room in the Treasury, After another brief interval it was found that the abstracted notes had been returned, the fact having been in the meantime ascertained that the numbers were known. To say the least of it, this is a curious affair, and one not likely to be improved in its public aspect by the private inquiry now being held. If any one took the notes, it was robbery, and private inquiries may merely have the effect of throwing a hush around so ugly a word as this. Whilst this enquiry is in progress, another record of rather a curious phase of burglary comes to us from Dunedin. Of all other places in the world a thief has selected an office attached to a Resident Magistrate's Court for the scene of his enterprise, and has been fairly successful, having netted £l3O. But Christchurch has the honor of topping both the exploits recorded above. It is rumored there that forgeries by a merchant to the tune of £20,000 are on the eve of exposure. Following on the large embezzlement of Church moneys, and the singular case under the Land Transfer Act, this completes a very curious criminal catalogue.