CORRESPONDENCE.

West Coast Times, Issue 42, 9 September 1865, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

[The Editor docs not hold himself responsible for any opinions expressed by his correspondents.]

TO TOE EDITOR OF THE WEST COAST TIMES. Sib, — Now that tho case for which wo have been committed for trial is over, we wish you to publish a denial to a statement made by Thomas Zealand, and which we could not refute at the time, being prisoners at tho bar and noi allowed to give evidence. - * The statement we deny is this : — That wo ever offered him a bribe to sign a Bottomry Bond, although Zealand swore we offered him £20. We stigmatize tho assertion as a perjuieJ lie. It is a mean, oouar.lly act to take advantage of a man's position at the bar, in not being able to defend himself except by witnesses, to swear a malicious libel whioh he cannot from the position ha occupies refute, and which tho prosecutor well know* the prisoner cannot bring evidence to prove falß3 ; for all the evidence in the world could never prove that we did not oiler him a bribe, but merely that certain witnesses did not hear us offer him one ; and a. base libel would then go unanswered but for (h« rediess we seek at your hands, viz., that of pub'ioity to our donial of it. E. & J. Houqutoh. Wharf street. Hokitika, September Bth, 1865.