THE ILLICIT STILL CASE.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5414, 3 August 1878, Page 3

THE ILLICIT STILL CASE.

Wanganui, Friday. At the Resident Magistrate’s Court here to-day, Frederick Whitlock, ale and porter bottler and sauce manufacturer, and Thomas McDonough, brewer, occupants of the City Brewery, were charged with having an unlicensed still upon their premises. Mr. London, the newly-appointed Collector .of Customs, gave evidence as to the discovery of the still by him on the 31st July last, whilst officially ekamiuing the premises as inspector of distilleries. When Mr. London went into the brewery he saw Ambrose Lough, who has been engaged there as brewer for some time, and told him what his position and business were. Lough seemed disconcerted, and excused himself for a few minutes. Mr. Lundon suspecting from Lough’s' continued absence and a smell of spirits from some liquid thrown from an upper floor, left Whitlock, who was trying to keep him in conversation and saying Lough would be back directly, and went up stairs. On the upper floor he found Lough destroying the evidences of distillation then going on there. Mr. Lundon at once arrested Lough and Whitlock and a man, who was afterwards found to be a casual caller, on a charge of illicit distillation. MoDonoughwas subsequently arrested. The still was most compact, the worm being concealed in a hogshead, and the wash heated by a steam pipe from the engine boiler below. A lot of spirits of different strengths were found on the premises, as well as a large quantity of 11 distiller’s wash ” in the wort boiler of the brewery, into which Lough had thoown the still beads. After a long and searching hearing, Mr. Hardcastie sentenced Whitlock and McDonough to pay a fine of £230 each, or in default 12 months' imprisonment, with hard labor; Lough, who was also convicted, receiving a sentence of 12 mouths’ imprisonment, with hard labor. The case caused unusual excitement, all the parties being well known here. The confiscation of the whole of the brewing plant where the still was found is even a heavier punishment than the large amount of the penalty incurred by the prisoners Whitlock and McDonough, as the plant and other chattels rmbject to such confiscation are very valuable. The case was a most impudent disregard of law, as the brewery is close to the Court House, and under the very nose of the police. The discovery by Mr. Lundon is supposed to have be n purely accidental, as it is not thought he expected to find a still on the premises, which he went to inspect as a mete matter of routine duty. He acted with great promptitude and judgment the moment he found aay reason to be suspicious, and put the case agaist the accused most concisely and conclusively, leaving no loophole to escape. Mr. Hutchison, however, gave notice of appeal in the case of the first two prisoners, and will appear in support thereof at the next sitting of the Supreme Court.,