AUCKLAND.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2925, 1 July 1878, Page 2

AUCKLAND.

This day.

The criminal sessions of the Supreme Court opened today. In his charge to the Grand Jury, Judge Gillies congratulated them on the diminution of crime. Only eleven prisoners were charged with thirteen offences, hot serious ; at the same time the number of prisoners in the gaol wa3 less than at any former occasion. He hoped this indicated a permanent decrease of ciime. In one case a Maori woman charged a Maori with attempted rape. The Judge hoped this shewed a disposition on the ptxx j of the Natives to appeal to the^law instead of resorting.to violence.

A disgraceful affair occurred on Saturday night. A man named Hamilton was arrested in the theatre for being disorderly. He resisted and was assisted by a mate named Craig. A large crowd gathered which afterwards increased to about 100 persons. At first there were only three policemen—McDonald, Strathern and McLennan —and they bravely opposed the crowd. After some time assistance came from a number of other members of the force. All this time the crowd we doing all in their power to rescue tae prisoner. Finally the crowd dispersed. Hamilton, Craig, and another man named George Hart, were arrested. There appeared to be a desire on the part of the crowd to do some injury to thb police. At the Pplice Court this morning Hamil- | ton was/fined £1, Craig nbout £15, and ' Hart about £3. '' \