DISTRICT COURT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8518, 24 August 1907, Page 3

DISTRICT COURT.

MASTERTON—FRIDAY

His Honor Judge Haselden.)

The quarterly session of the Wairarapa District Court was opened in Masterton yesterday morning. A SERIOUS CHARGE. A young man, named George William Hully was charged on six separate counts with having, at Carterton, in January last, procured certain medicine and an instrument for an unlawful purpose. Accused pleaded not guilty. Mr B. J. Dolan appeared for the Crown, Mr P. L. Hollings for the accused, and Mr C. A. Pow-; nail for the young girl concerned.

The following jury were empanelled Percy Young (foreman), Robert McLaren, Joseph Preddy, John Boxhall, John Henry Yerex, W. H. Buick, William T. Masson, J. S. Pepper, A. G. Sullivan, John Teal, William Bridge, and Ernest Smith. By order of his Honor the Court was cleared during the hearing of the case. The girl was only asked a few questions, and then her counsel claimed her privilege not to answer any further questions, which might incriminate her in any subsequent proceedings. After hearing lengthy evidence for the prosecution, and addresses by counsel and his Honor, the jury retired at 12.45 p.m. and returned twenty minutes later with a verdict of guilty with a strong recommendation to mercy. Mr Hollings asked that the accused should be admitted to probation on the grounds of previous good character. His Honor said he would take the matter into t consideration, and ordered the accused to be brought before the Court this morning. Bail was allowed in on? surety of self at £SO and another at £SO. A CLAIM SETTLED. Mr B. J. Dolan, acting for the plaintiff, announced that the case of Searanck v. Wadham, an action for illegal distress, in which damages to the extent of £232 were claimed, had been settled. Mr P. L. Hollings —'"WMMflfPii the dofpnriant CHARGEOTP^yWTSr-*-^ Richard Reeves was charged with having committed perjury during the hearing of a case in which he was charged with theft in the Master- i ton Magistrate's Court on July 12th. Mr C. A. Pownall, counsel for the accused, said that he also appeared .for Henry Edward Shine, who was <®B}Jtarged with a similar offence. Counsel asked that both charges should be heard together, because the same set of depositions applied to each case, and also for the sake of expediency. Mr B. J. Dolan, Crown Prosecutor, offered no objection to the application, and his Honor consented to the accused being charged conjointly. Henry Edward Shine was then charged with an offence similar to , that of Reeves. Both accused pleaded not guilty. The following jury were empanelled:—J. S. Pepper (foreman), D. Kiddie, W. Redmond, A. W. Birss, E. Smith, R. Mclvor, H. C. Walker, 1 W. A. Home, W. A. Grantham, W. j Bridge, F. E Dorsett, and R. Mc- j Laren. j After having outlined the case for ; the jprosecution, Mr Dolan called . Harry D. Bennett, bailiff, who gave j evidence as to administering the oath to the accused before they gave evidence in the Magistrate's Court. William P. James, Stipendiary Magistrate, who presided at the sitting of the Court in which Reeves was charged with the theft of a watch from George Brighting, read his notes taken at the hearing of the case in which Reeves said he had a drink with George Brighting in the Central Hotel on the morning of. the theft, and Shine also said that he sa?; Brighting having a drink in the Central Hotel. li' he had believed the statement of the accused at the hearing of the theft case, he should certainiy have dismissed that case. George Brighting, dealer, denied having seen the accused in any hotel that morning. He was not in the Central Hotel, and had had no drinks anywhere. By Mr Pownall: He had never had a drink in a hotel for the past nine years. He had only gone into hotels on business. The jewellery, etc., that he'hawked about the country was bought from warehouses or obtained by exchange. He could not name any of the warehouses where he had obtained jewellery. Mr Dolan begged leave to point out that the witness could not tell the name of the boarding-house that he stayed at. His memory was apparently defective with regard to the names of any of the warehouses where he obtained jewellery. Mr Pownall said the same thing applied to the statement of witness that Reeves did not pay for the watch. His Honor here stated that the accused could not be convicted on the last witness' evidence. If there was no other evidence than that given by the last witness he would have to instruct' the jury to acquit. Annie Peterson, boardingnousekesper, said that Brighting had stayed at her house for some years off and on. and she had never noticed him the worse for liquor. William Haviland, barman at the Central Hotel, gave evidence as to the accused having drinks at the hotel on the morning of July 12th, but 'he had not seen Brighting in the hotel. Walter D. Thompson, night porter at the Central Hotel, said that Brighting may have been in the hotel on the morning of July 12th, but he did not see him. By Mr Pownall: The accused were in the hotel for about twenty minutes. He only saw them having two drinks, but it was quite probable that they might have had more. Alex. Fraser, drover, said he was drinking with the accused in the •Central Hotel on the morning in question, but he did not see Brighting about. Frederick S. Cooper, licensee of the Central Htel, said he did not .see Brighting in the hotel.

George Groombridge and Sergeant Miller also gave evidence. Mr Dolan briefly summed up the case for the Crown. After Mr Pownall had addressed the jury, His Honor reviewed the evidence. The jury retired at 5.20 p.m. and returned after twenty minutes' deliberation with a verdict of guilty in respect of both prisoners. Mr Pownall urged his Honor to deal leniently with the prisoners on account of their age. He also asked his Honor to take into consideration that when they gave evidence in the lower court they were in a hazy state of mind as the result of their drinking bout in the morning. His Honor said the prisoners were liable to long sentences, but he thought the ends of justice would be met by short terms of imprisonment. Each prisoner would be sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment in the Wellington Terrace Gaol with hard labour. ,