SUPREME COURT.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2132, 2 December 1890, Page 3

SUPREME COURT.

Auckand, Dec. 1. Ai the Supreme Gout this morning Judge Conolly alladed to the charge against Te Mahuki and twenty other natives. He said the conduct alleged contained all the elements of riot within the meaning of the Act; the ouly question for the jury being the identification of the prisoners. Deferring to the charge against Kerei Mabu ' of removing a trig station, he said any person removing a trig station from private land without permission was liable to punishment. There was an idea on the part of natives that placing a trig station upon native land was unlawful, but most probably the offence was one these foolish defiances of law some natives still indulged in. The prisoner admitted the removal of the trig, and there would he very little difficulty in finding a true bill. Deferring to a case of concealment of birth, the Judge asserted that the solicitor, Mr Hugh Shortland, was guilty of gross contempt of Court in writing to newspapers stating that accused was not guilty of the alleged offence. He directed the jury to take their directions from himself, not from any practitioner who chose to write to the papers. Wellington, Dec. 1. The criminal session of the Supreme Court opened this morning before Chief Justice Prendergast. In bis address to the Grand Jury he|referred at considerable length to the Hutt murder case, aud {pointed out that if the evidence before them warranted t they could have the indictment altered from murder to manslaughter. As to the question of pro vocation, he did not think the fact of the youths having assailed the Chinamen’s huts with stones was sufficient to warrant the jury to reduce the charge to one of manslaughter. The evidence showed almost conclusively that it was Sam Hoy who had deceased by the legs, and who delivered the blow that proved fatal, but that would not affect the charge against the other two men if the jury were sathfied in at; they were laking part in what tuned out to he a fatal assault. The other charges on the calendar flie of an ordinary nature.