EXTRAORDINARY PROCEEDINGS IN AN ENGLISH COURT.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1872, 30 March 1889, Page 3

EXTRAORDINARY PROCEEDINGS IN AN ENGLISH COURT.

A domestic servant sued her employer, a bank director, in the County Court at Portsmouth, for £5 ss, alleged to be due for board. Judge Leonard refused to accept the verdict of the jury for the plaintiff, maintaining that it was against the weight of evidence. A second trial was had and the second jury, after deliberating privately, came into Court, and it was at once apparent with a verdict for the plaintiff. The Judge refused to let the forman declare the finding until the jury had answered two questions as to the credibility of one of plaintiff's witnesses. The foreman angrily retorted that their duty was to give a verdict, not to express an opinion a 3 to whether or not a witness had committed perjury, and Baid that they found that a contract had been entered into between defendant and plaintiff. After an altercation between the plaintiff's solicitor (Mr Feltham), the Judge, and the foreman, Mr Faltham said that he should claim the verdict which the jury was prepared to give to his client. His Honor said that no verdict would be given until his questions were answered. A juror remarked that he was perfectly satisfied that the plaintiff should be awarded the claim, and he would stay there all night before he would give in. His Honor thereupon left the bench, remarking with great heat that he would return at ten o'clock that night.. After an absence of half an hour, however, he returned, and addressing the foreman, asked if the jury were prepared to answer his questions. The foreman indignantly replied that the interrogations were not relevant to the issue, and emphatically declined to answer. His Honor: Then you are discharged. Mr Peltham applied for judgment _ on the finding of the original jury, pointout that his client was a poor girl, and could ill-afford to go to the expense of another trial. Two juries had already found for her. The Judge refused the application, There was much excitement in the Court, considerable feeling waa shown among the solicitors present, and the action of the Judge was adversely critised.