SUPREME COURT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 191, 22 November 1910, Page 5

SUPREME COURT.

WELLINGTON'S LIST. By Telegraph. —Fress Association. Wellington, Monday. Twelve prisoners were sentenced by the Chief Justice to-day. Regarding a sexual offender, he said he had never ordered a flogging, and would not do so in this case. In the charge referring to Griffiths for house-brea,king, he said: '•The jury acquitted you on another charge, but I am of opinion you were guilty of both." John Taylor, for attempted carnal knowledge, received five years'; Jjahn Earnshaw and Henry Robert Hunt, for burglary, the former 18 months' and the latter 18 months' probation; William Lavery, for carnal knowledge, four years; James Vincent Crimmins, John Lewis, and Charles Reston, breaking, entering, assault and robbery, two years', and were declared habituals; Charles Cunningham, on the same charge, two years'; John Griffiths, for house-break-ing, 12 months'; Alexander Taylor, for theft on the high seas, six months'. The Chief Justice refused to grant probation to Frederick Blacklidge, for house-break-ing, and gave him 12 months'. John Charles Seymour, alias Charles Simpkiss, for a theft of jewellery, received 12 months' concurrently with a sentence he js now, serving.

CHARGE OF BIGAMY. Wellington, Last Night. The criminal sessions of the Supreme Court were continued to-day before the Chief Justice, Sir Robert Stout. A young man named William Watkins denied a charge of bigamy and of having made a false declaration before the registrar of marriages. There were two charges arising out of the same act, that the prisoner, on September 19 last, went through the form of marriage with a young woman, being at that time already married to another person. In 1904 the prisoner had married Mrs. Reed, a widow. After he had lived with her in the Old Country for some time they had separated, the lady apparently going home to her people, and prisoner continuing his way alone. A little later accused came to New Zealand, remaining here while lie went through the form of marriage with a Miss Gibson, in the registrar's office at Wellington. The prisoner, when accused, had made a statement to the effect that he had heard from a seafaring man in Lyttelton that he had been informed that Watkins' wife was dead. When asked to say who had informed him, he said he did not know, and, furthermore, when asked if he had taken anv steps to verify the information, he had replied that he had' not done so. Before the registrar he had declared that he was a bachelor.

No evidence was called for the nrisoner, but counsel submitted that there was no evidence that the former wife ol Watkins was alive at the time of his second marriage. A verdict of guilty was found on each charge, the prisoner being remanded until Wednesday for sentence.

LAX PARENTAL CONTROL. Wellington, Last Night. Frances Joseph Lyons denied charges of having, on November 9, carnally known a girl under the aae of fourteen vears; of having attempted to have carnal knowledge, and of having indeeentlv assaulted the said girl. The case was heard in camera. During the hearins; the j>irl gave a different version of what had occurred to the story told by her in the Magistrate's Court, saying the evidence she had then <yiven was untrue. All that prisoner did was to kiss her. The jury found a verdict of "'not guiltv" on all counts. The jury added a rider that it wis strongly of opinion that the g>rl should be under more careful control than that which had been exercised over her of late. His Honor said the rider would lie sent on to the police, so that they could make enouiries. Tt was perfectly clear that her mother did not control her.