DEFAULTING BANKRUPTS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2038, 26 April 1890, Page 3

DEFAULTING BANKRUPTS.

Difficulties havefrequently occurred at the Bluff over arrests of defaulting bankrupt criminals, m route to Melbourne, by the police on telegraphic information. The late Resident Magistrate used invariably to decline to remand, and discharged them when persons arrested without a warrant were brought before him. Josiah White who absconded from Christchurch was brought up on Tuesday, two lawyers appearing and asking for a discharge on the ground that he had been arrested illegally, without warrant. Fortunately the police came into possession of a warrant from Christchurch before the Court sat, and Sergeant McDonall tapped his man on the shoulder and made a formal arrest under it. Thus the legal gentlemen were left without a leg to stand on. Judge Rawson, R.M., before whom the case was heard, made a suggestion as to how to avoid the old difficulty in future. He stated that the proper course for the police to pursue when they received a telegraphic intimation that a warrant had been issued against anyone elsewhere, was to lay an information that they had reason to believe so and so had committed such and such offence, and upon that sworn information to obtain a warrant from a local magistrate. Upon this warrant the accused could be detained and brought up, aud if the other warrant arrived in the meantime no difficulty would arise. The bankrupt White was remanded to Christchurch to appear there on Friday.