THE LEADER PICTURE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 116, 24 August 1910, Page 5

THE LEADER PICTURE.

CURIOUS LEGAL POINT. THE TIERS ON TRIAL. By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, Tuesday. To-day, before his Honour Mr. Justice Chapman and a jury ol twelve,' Francis Edwin Tier and Michael i ier appeared in the dock in connection with the theft of the picture "Southward from Surrey's Pleasant Hills,".valued at £SOO. The canvas was cut from the frame and removed from the Art uallery, in Whitmore Street. It had been, stolen; once before and returned. It was the j gift of Mrs. Rhodes to the Art Gallery.] There were several charges against the. prisoners conjointly, the principal one of which was the theft, between March 27 and 30 last, of the Leader picture. Other charges included receiving the picture knowing it to be stolen, aamuge to a work of art, unlawfully detaining same, corrupt bargaining with Mr. B. S. Wardell, conspiracy to' ouuyn by menaces the sum of £SO from* him per medium of the picture, tuim prisoners did not do all they could to help to restore the oil painting to its owners. In outlining the case at considerable length to the jury, the Crown Prosecutor told them that there \v«»s no charge of breaking and entering in indictment against the accused. It was the iaw, that it was no crime to break and en-, ter .an art gallery and such places. A. inan might break into a warehouse, 1 shop, dwelling, office, and eon on, and be liable to the police, but there could be no charge of burglariously entering an art gallery or academy, though in them thqre might be several thousands of pounds' worth of art treasures. This accounted for the removal of the charge; of breaking and entering from the indictmentj against the accused. Mr. Ostler did not conclude his opening address till 12.40 o'clock. The evidence for' the prosecution lasted till 0 o'clock, when the court rose. There are live witnesses for , the defence to be heard. I

ACCUSED "NOT GUILTY."

Wellington, Last. Night. In the case in the Supreme Court against the brothers Tier, in connection with the disappearance of the Leader picture from the Wellington Art Gallery, the jury, after an hour and forty minutes' retirement, returned with a verdict that they were unanimously of opinion that the evidence was not conclusive enough to convict. They therefore found the accused not guilty.