A LENGTHY TRIAL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 179, 2 September 1909, Page 3

A LENGTHY TRIAL

WELLINGTON POST OFFICE CASE. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Wednesday. The fifth day's trial of Arthur F. Wimsett, charged with, complicity in roHbery of parcels at the Post Office 111 January last, was entered upon today. Accused's wife repeated the conversation slie had had with Hemingway in gaol. Witness spoke of her husband's arrest, and asked Hemingway what he was going to do. Hemingway replied: "I am going into the box to give Wimsett five solid years, as he has given to ine." She replied: "How can you do thait?" Hemingway answered: "t am <o for five years* What with you giving up stuff to the detectives and Arthur with his long tongue telling the detectives I was in Sydney; lam here." u« added that the detectives told him that Wimsett had given inforinaitton away. Several witnesses testified to he good character of Wimsett. WIMSETT FOUND NOT GUILTY. "NO STAIX ON HIS CHARACTER." Wellington, Last Night. The lengthy trial of Arthur Frederek Wimsett, charged with complicity in extensive robberies by Janus Hemingway from the parcels department of the Wellington Post Office, where accused' was employed, came to a conclusion this afternoon. Without leaving the bo:; the jury found Wimsett not guilty, adding that ihe trial left no stain On Uis character.

"IAIIXG EVIDKXCE." INJURING A WOMAN THROUGH HER HUSBAND. Giving evidence on Tuesday, ChiefDetective Broberg stated that he arrested the prisoner on April 20th. He questioned him with regard to the burglaries that had been committed at the Parcels Post Office. He said that Hemingway had stayed at his house on" and on for something like nine months'. He said Hemingway had never suggested to him that the Parcels Post Office could be robbed; and if Hemingway had anything ■ to do with the burglary, he (the present accused) knew nothing of it. Wimsett also stated that Hemingway had made him several presents —two fountain pens, a leathern wallett, some tweed clothing material, and other articles. The Chief Detective enumerated these articles, which Wimsett said Hemingway had given him, and said that in his opinion the whole lot was not worth more than £3 or £4.

Mr. Hislop, in opening the case for the defence, said the prosecution was built entirely upon surmise and mere suggestion, and the jnry must come to the conclusion that the Crown Prosecutor had not made out his ease. It was not made out that the accused had possession of the keys at all, or that the safe was opened by him or with nis knowledge. Yet the convict Hcming<way, upon whose evidence the case for the Csown entirely depended, now endeavored to injure—through her husband —the woman wbo had in a womanly ■way nursed him 'through an illness. Tt was an outrage upon society that a man should be put upon his' defence in regard to charges imiue by j. man who had disgraced the witness-box in which ne had given lying evidence for two days. Tnere was absolutely no evidence, beyond that of James Hemingway, to support the accusation against Wimsett. J An 4 the evidence taken did not show that Hemingway might not have got the keys from other persons employed in the Parcels Post Office, and not from Wimsett at all. As a matter of fact his attitude towards Wimsett was entirely due to a feeling of revenge on Hemingway's part, and also on the part of someone else. This was the sole motive {or this prosecution. I Catherine Wimsett, wife of the ac-1 cused, said she first knew the Hemingways in 1900, when they were neighbors. Witness' husband was ill, and Mrs. Hemingway, mother of James Hemingway, was extremely kind, and James Hemingway used to come in and sit ■with her husband. James Hemingway's father and mother went for a trip to Scotland, and James Hemingway went to South Africa. When he returned to Wellington he said that he had had several attacks of enteric fever in Africa and he suffered very much from pans in Ms hesd. He lived at witness's bouse occasionally. On one occasion he threatened to shoot himself. He was nursed in witness's house, and subsequently he made her a few presents, but they did not amount to a great deal in value. She had no knowledge that he was in any sense dishonest.