SUPREME COURT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 191, 16 August 1900, Page 2

SUPREME COURT.

THE STYOHE CASE ADJOURNED. (PBR PRESS ASSOCIATION.) OHBisTonuacu, August 15. At the Supreme Court, John Chamberlain, convicted on the previous day of attempted criminal assault, vat brought up for Rontenco. Evidence was given by Dr. Mickle that the young man's mental condition was one verging on imbecility, and there was no security that the offence would not be repeated. It would be better that he were confined and placed under such treatment and light employment as would tend to his improvement in this direction. His Honor sentenced the accused to seven yeara' imprisonment, not so much in the way of punishment as with a view to proper care being taken of him, and as the Gaol Governor had said this would be done, it was better to give a sentence of this kind than a shorter one under the circumstances.

The greater part of the day was taken up in hearing the oharge against Henry Harris Divers of the manslaughter of James Yates Daly, The affair arose out of J some banter in a restaurant, in which Daly and a friend and Divers and a companion were having supper. Daly and Divers met outside, and a squabble took place. Divers had a walking-stick, the point of which entered Daly's eye, causing injuries from which he subsequently died. No evidence was called for the defence, but Mr. Hanlon, in his address to the jury, claimed that the evidence showed that Daly was the aggressor and grossly so, Daly being a big man, a fine athlete, and able to " knock both Divers and his companion out." When assailed by such a man as Daly, Divers took to his stick, and as a result of that Daly, by misadventure, met his death. There was no evidence to show that the bout in the restaurant was tinged in any way with malice on the part of Divers. He held that Daly received the blow that pierced hits eye when he was coming forward to again attack Divers, and when Divers was raising his somewhat innocent weapon in preparation for the downward blow. The jury, after retirement, found prisoner Net Guilty, and he was discharged. In the Styche case, counsel for the defence applied for an adjournment on the ground of the illness of Mrs. Styche. An affidavit was sworn by Dr. Jennings that having examined Mrs. S6yche on August 13th and 14th, and also during this day, he has come to the conclusion that she is suffering from mania, and is incapable of giving evidence; and he is of opinion that she will not bs able to appear at the Court and give evidence for a period of six weeks. His Honor adjourned the! trial to the November sessions. I