A SOLICITOR IN TROUBLE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9180, 1 September 1908, Page 5

A SOLICITOR IN TROUBLE.

A CHARGE OF THEFT. ACCUSED COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. BT TELBSBAPn— PItBSB ASSOCIATION. PALMERSTON-N., August 31. C. E. Harden, solicitor, was charged to-day, before Mr A. D. Thomson, S.M., with the theft of £250 from a clisnt. The police p'ros-.-cuted, and Mr Cooke asked for a further remand on behalf of accused on the ground that he was physically unfit for the ordeal. Mr Thomson, SjM., refused a further remand, and Cooke withdrew from the case on the ground that it was impossibly to do it justice in the circumstances. Dr. O'Brien gave evidence that though accused was in a state of collapse in the uiorning his condition had sufficiently improved to allow the case to go on. A large amount of evidence was taken. A most important witness was Hughes, accountant at the Bank of Australasia, who produced entries showing that only £1 14s 6d was in the trust account prior to paying in the £250 and a cheque for £IOO was drawn against that, and several other debit entries were also shown, and the credit balance of the account on July 30th last when transactions ceased was 14s. , Accused was committed for trial at the Supreme Court, and while reserving his defence made a lengthy statement in which he stated that his books and affairs had not been looked after owing to his illness and continual absence from town. "It was a considerable shock," said he, "when I went to the bank and discovered my position." He also laid stress on the fact that he had made no attempt to shirk his responsibility. x