WANGANUI JUSTICE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 4, Issue 202, 2 August 1860, Page 2

WANGANUI JUSTICE.

1 here was a : most singular case in our police court on the 18th ult.;, and? the verdict, of the Bench was muck more singular; at least, it would be considered so in any other court; bu,t we have often had occasion to subm.it t,o the most unjust • decisions in our court, owing, we suppose, to some privilege our worthy J.Pl’s have in their charter; but as we don’t know what is the necessary qualification for a seat on our Bench, wc must remain in. ignorance, or grin and bear it How-' ever, the case we allude to stands' thus. A respectable widow sues a publican for trespass, which some would consider perhaps of a trifling nature, but the case was only brought into

oarfc in consequence of a great deal of abuse • and defiance on the part of the defendant when . remonstrated-will) by the plaintiff, and as soon as defendant knew that a summons; was taken out against him, lie went and acknowledged the trespass, and paid Is. damages; and when ' the case came before the Bench, they dismissed it, plaintiff paying 14s. costs. Now, sir, if this is not giving a licence to the strong to insult the weak, what is it? You can call it • nothing else except “ might is right”—a doc- ' trine long since exploded in civilized countries; but as here we are a mixture, it- may be according to the charter under which our J.P.’s hold ' office—(bv the bye, I wish you could get me a copy, if there is such a document in existence). The common way of deciding cases is surely not to let a breaker of the peace .off because ‘ he confesses his guilt; you might stretch a 1 point for a justice of the Peace, but . even that could only be done in very trifling cases, such ns.disputed and not; where they put the law at defiance,' as was don 6 in the present case; Please insert this pro bono publico.-t Communicated. [We believe that our correspondent has been to a certain extent misinformed. The shilling ■ was lodged by the defendant for nominal damages ; hut the testimony, of the witness brought forward by the plaintiff was to the effect that no damage had been done-; so that of course nothing could be awarded for damages. The part of the case that had regard to trespass, though formally before the court, ■was curiously enough not adjudicated on‘]