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Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3657, 15 September 1880, Page 2

ANOTHEB CHABOE. The same prisoner was then charged on the information of J. B. Thomson with having attempted to repair a double*, barrelled gun, the property of Maka te Xohurua. Mr Miller, for accused. Superintendent Thomson and Sergeant Louis gave similar evidence as in the last case.

Maka Te Kohurua, sworn, deposedHe lived near Whangamata, and remembered John Davis putting up a stockyard for the accused. At that time he owned I a muzzle-loading doable-barrelled gun. He would know the gun attain if he saw it. (Witness then picked but this particular gun from among several others.) Hb had the gun before the stockyard was built, but about the time it was. built he took it to Whangamata, and while there John Davis, his wife, and another native : saw it repaired. He gave it ta the , accused himself, and asked him to repair 1 it, and he agreed to his having the gun there. No price was mentioned. The locks were on the gun when he left it i with accused.. It wanted a new screw in one of them. He did not get the gun again after he left it .with accused, though he had once asked for it. By Mr Miller—Only one lock was wrong. I did not tell him to take both locks off. I do not know the words : Sainsbnry nsed when he agreed to repair the gun. I did not sec the storeman at the time. Davis stood outside .the door of the store while I was talking to accused. I spoke in Maori. The locks were on when I gave the gun to Sainsbury. When I went for the gun Sainsbury said he had not got it done. i John Davis, sworn, deposed—He built i a stockyard for accused in Aprils 1879. He saw Maka te Kohurua take the gun into Sainsbury's Btore, and heard him tell i accused what wanted doing to it, and also ; heard accused agree to get it repaired. He went into the store while they .went i talking about the.gun, and heard accused say that he would get some tools, and , then apply for a license to repair arms. Mepia also gave evidence, which was. of little importance, except that he identified the gun as belonging to Kohurua. Maka te Kohurua, recalled, said he had had the gun over three years. . Sergt. Russell deposed—That he had proceeded to Whangamata in execution of a search warrant, and searced accused's store. The gun in question was found there. It was in the same state now as when found. ; Mr Miller then addressed the Court in \ defence, and said that the evidence of the natives and Davis really amounted to nothing, as Sainsbury did not really pro- j mise to repair the gun,' but only said that he would get it done. His Worship, after summing up the evidence, dismissed the c«se. The Court then adjourned till two o'clock.

On resuming at two o'clock, the last charge' against the prisoner (that of repairing a double barrelled gun, the property of Hohepa Taieri, at Whangainata) was proceeded with. The evidence of J. B. Thomson and : Sergt Louia wag accepted aa read. Hohepa Taieri, sworn, deposed—He did not own a gun, and had never possessed one. He knew Sergt. Russell and John Davis, „ and. had seen them together lately' at Perakiwi, but had no conversation with them. They were sitting close together, and he a little distance from them. He had not seen them since, till to-day, nor had he spoken to Davis on the Thames. He had never told Ser»>t. Bussell that some years ago accused had converted a flint gun into a percussion one, nor had he said that he had purchased ammunition from accused. Sergt. Bussell, sworn, deposed—He was sergeant of constabulary, stationed at Faeroa. He knew Hohepa. First saw him on the Ist of September, when some conversation took place between them. Davis accompanied him as interpreter. He made notes of the conversation, and wrote a report on his return to Paeroa. On that occasion he served Hohepa with a subpeina, but he would not take it until it was explained to him. [Witness then gave a resume 1 of the conversation that took place.] Hoheps, re-called—He remembered Sergt. Bussell giving him a subpoena. He denied having any conversation with Bussell and Davis relative to guns. Mr Kenny then withdrew the charge. Court adjourned. .