SUPREME COURT SITTINGS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2894, 1 September 1909, Page 41

SUPREME COURT SITTINGS.

AUCKLAND, August 24. At the Supreme Court to-day Albert Reed was charged with having assaulted a ! girl of 11 years. The defence was that j he knew nothing of the crime, having been ! drinking on the day in* question The jury I returned a verdict of k ' Guilty " after a ' short retirement. His Honor said that unless there was a considerable diminution - in the amount of sexual crime he would I have to resort ayain to the la»!;, which for a time had been effecoive in repressing this form of crime. The prisoner was sentenced to three yea-V in.pnsonment, wirb hard labour. August 20. In the Supreme Court Thomas Brown, aged 68, was charged with setting fire to a shed at Hamilton. The judge, con1 sidering his age and the fact that he had I served his country in the Maori war, ■ placed accused on probation for two i years. I John Nelson pleaded " Not guilty to a •I charge of having, on June 28, at Kumeu, ' assautted John Hainsen Scott with intent ito do him grievous bodily harm. The . Crown Prosecutor explained that the two I men lived on the gumfields in adjoining whares. The accused and Scott had a j quarrel, which resulted in an attack upon Scott by the accused, who slashed him ; with a knife.' The accused having been, found guilty, his Honor said he had, been in trouble for acts of violence before,' and would be imprisoned for two yeaTS- < August 26. 1 In the Supreme Court to-day James ' Campbell wal'-cbarged on four counts wuh I having committed rape upon two women and assaulting them with intent to commit I rape. The accused pleaded " Not guilty. I In summing up, his Honor said this was I a pirticularly shocking case, evidence i against the accused appeared to be abso- | lutely conclusive, being corroborated by j alt the surrounding circumstances. The jury returned a verdict of guilty without leaving the box. His Honor said j the case was so shocking that he was not at all sure that he ought not to order a flogging. He would like an expression of opinion from the jury. The foreman said the jury was of opinion that this was a case in which the accused should be made an example of. The accused was remanded for sentence till to-morrow, j August 27. I At the Supreme Court to-day James Campbell, who ■was convicted yesterday of committing rape on two women, wa« sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment, and t\ro floggings, each of 10 lashes. Vugust 30. At the Supreme Court to-day William Robert Page, Charles Cummings. and Wil liam Barnett were charged with robbery with ■ violence at Newmarket. The jury found the accused guilty of robbery, but without violence, and they were remanded for sentence. A Russian "Finn named Oscar j Volfied Syoyo 1 ! was charged with inde- | cently assaulting a girl of seven at Hamil- ! ton. The case stands partly heard. ! WELLINGTON. August 24. I At the Supreme Court to-day Poter Wil- . Hams, or Tait, was retried on a charge of I seriously assaulting two persons in a \vd- 1 lington boarding-house-. He was first tried yesterday, when the jury failed to ajrifto. To-day the jury returned a verdict of " Not ' guilty." Edgar John B. Clough was found ' yailty of obtaining money under false ' pretences .and sentence was defsned. , August 25. In the Supreme Court to-day Herbert I Byke was convicted of breaking and j entering a shop in the city, and sentenced ! to two years' imprisonment. I * August 26. I At tht Supreme Court Charles Kruse was charged with stealing a considerable i quantity of red and white lead. He was found guilty, with a strong recommenda- | tion to mercy. Sentence was deferred, j Sebastian Newson, who chartered the 1 scow Rona for salvaging operations at \ Pallisii' Bay, was charged with having ' ! sent the pcow to sea in an unlit condi- j i tion. When the Rona was sent on the ; I expedition she had nine persons aboard. | She leaked badly, and went ashore in j Palliser Bay and broke up. j ! In explaining the case, Mr Myers, 1 Crown Prosecutor, said it vns somewhat ' peculiar. Indeed, he had never heard of such a case before in the couits cf New Zealand. It arose, not under the Crimes ; Act, but under the Shipping and Seamen's j Act. The facts of the case were that on ] the beach ali Pallise.'.- Bay thero was -1 j vessel ashore during MarcL la.st. The accused thought he would make an at- j tempt to salve the wreck. He, thereto) p, chartered a ketch named the Ror.a, which 1 had be-m lying on the beach ;it Rona Bay for some months. There had bar 11 J in the vessel an engine, which had been ' taken oiit carelessly. Then the accused | got together a crew under an able sea- , man. The Rona was brought off th-> i beach round to Tliorndon. and after a ' wait the expedition started. As she was ! going down the harbour she began to leak ', t>he made more water outride the Head<= ' and the crev/ had to bale. The pumps \ were orokeu down, and the bailing appliances were uncertain. The boat" was not capable of carrying more than three, though there was a crew of nine aboard Hie vessel sank on the beach in bnd ! weather. The ca.*e is not yet concluded, j r „ c Auou.^t 27. I in tiio h'spienie Court to-day Charles f> .^-s*^ 64 > c «me up for -entenee for he I.K-.t of goo,d< from the Stewart Timbe,- CotiDany. where he was employed as sioreman .Mr Wilioi-d, for acruwtl, I .--"ved tor probation. ; -v, r i . fiaif i Kn ,, e w . flq a n.-a.-iicl mm with nine children Jlis . Honor said he ipgrelted that he conl-1 not < amply. There had been too many cwm j 01 ths kind, and \varr,ine> from the i onun had not proved effective. Acru.-cd 1 mu*t he impri.or.ed for .-ix month.-. A I verdict of <r"iitv v.as returned in the ci\-o :i t, ,1 • n^ t Sebastian Npvison. chirked -n ilh fending the scow Rona on a vo\a<,'e to Palfee.- Bay in ?n ui*eavoithy toii'ij-i'-<-v.. ITi.-, Honor *aid th it if" he clkl not think the a^c.i-ed had acted more through iynortn.e th n through wilful n^^l r .t he \roukl have inflicted a term •of_ iiiipri-' nm-nt. The nccuaed was fined £30, 3-ad 3V&S ordered to pay £10 costs.

John Phllpol Wilson, who was connected with W. J. Noman in a case of theft, ■was sentenced to three months' imprisonment. August 29. In the Supreme Court yesterday Edgar John B. Clough. for obtaining money by false pretences through uttering a valueless cheque, was sentenced to four months' imprisonment. CHRISTCHURCH August 24. In the ca-e Cooke v. the Kaiapoi Trading Company, heard at the Supreme Court today, a claim for £-501 damages for injuries .sustained while loading the s.« Wootton at Lyttelton in February last, the jury awarded £300. The " fonsuTjDtion " of pianos fell off slightiy during the year ended June last, eompaied with th» previous year. The nu'iiber landed at the four chi?f ports was 3281, as against 4023 the year before. We have to acknowledge receiwt of Stone's Otago and Southland ABC Guide and Diary for the month of September. ~