TOLD ON LAMBTON QUAY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 5104, 15 August 1895, Page 3

TOLD ON LAMBTON QUAY.

[Dv Tin: Asciest Mawser.]

" And that spake on that ancient man, This bright-eyed manner."— Coleridge.

WraisoTON; Tuesday. ™* THE MJXATIC. Tho sensational termination of tli trial for murder of Andrew Joh Somerville has been the ono tliom of conversation in the City, and ha ovokotl quite as mucli interest hei as it has probably in the Wairarapi I _ happened to have attended th trial from start to finish, and to m tho verdict of not guilty seemed dead certainty from the beginninj of the medical evidence, although must confess that the opinions o Doctors Chappie, Pollen, and Tear wore not weighty enough to insur ',<& acquittal, but when Dr. Fooks the Medical Superintendent of th Mount View Asylum, had beei finished with,the case for the defenc was very complete. I was not sur prised the jury declined to accep the responsibility of returning i verdict against the prisoner, I there is a miscarriage of justice, am Upon this matter opinions will differ tho miscarriage is the effect of tin expert evidence. The jurymen wen Pbjfed in a delicate position, as thej wwpbliged either to wholly dis credit the medical testimony,or holt that tho testimony was not snllicicnl in the eye of the law to convert Somerville into a lunatic. On tin first point the jury modestly gav( way to tho experts.und ontlicsccond point they appear not to have seen tho facts through legal spectacles. SOSIK 01,11 HIKI'S. • It is quite true old birds arc not to be caught with chaff, and when old birds are found with a covey ol fledglings, the former take charge, much to the advantage of the latter. Among tho twelve men who took their places on the jury benches to try Somerville there must have been some tough and experienccdold 'tins; birds that have beeu on the jury job " many a time and oft," and knew every move worth knowing. As soon as the twelve good men retired to consider their verdict, their first command to the bobbies in attendance was for a lire to be lit in the jury-room. The next request was for supper, and a large hamper of sandwiches -with a few bottles of lind to wash down the bread-and-butter and ham, were placed before . them. lam told they did not start business until they had "wolfed" the supper and warmed themselves insido and outside. After seeing to their creature comforts, the verdict was discussed and settled in a very short time, and they were ready to appear fully fifteen minutes before they were permitted to enter the Court. One of the officials was away, and the delay was necessary to permit bis being present. COniT KKKiJI'DXTKIIS. All through Somerville's trial the Supreme Court was crowded, but there was a singular absence of tiw better class of people. In the dress and manners of the occupants was strongly suggestive of the out-of-work class. In the portion of the Court reserved for witnesses, jurymen, and officials a few of the respectable portion ofthoeomniunity were to be seen, but why the police pemnit small boys to invade this listed space is a mystery. One of the most painful features is the number of children of both sexes that attended the trial, and were present into the small hours of Sunday morning, when the verdict was given. There is some justification for a father bringing his son to such a place to give him au insight into the workings of the Supreme Court, but with girls it is surely unnecessary that they should besocducated. The Ladies' Gallery was fairly full all through the proceedings, the tenants being mostly young women and girls, For the convenience of the Court officials, and those obliged to be present, some care should be taken to limit the admission uf spectators to the official quarters, AFTEIt'IUK VERDICT. Immediately the Court adjourned on Sunday morning, there was a rush to get out and away home. I was moving at a break-neck speed, when I came across a young fellow, "half-seas over," singing softly, "I've just come away from tho Inquest," and staggering fantastift, 1 knew the lad and endea■ed to turn his course, to keep out of harm's way. Nothing would induce him to alter, he was as he put it, '■ I'm (hie) going down (hie) to hear the verdict." 1 tried to satisfy him on this point, but failed in my efforts, he propped himself up against tho fcucc, sang a few snatches about the Inquest, then suddenly gathered himself up and sfavted oil to hear the verdict, His legs wore off the job, and worked in the most erratic mannor. I lost sight of him as he lurched against a fence, and the sound of a splash and some full-bodied curse-words indicated bis fate. Tilt ri,KAHF,i:. Whatever differcuco of opinion there may be as to the verdict of the jury in Somerville's trial, there is no 1 question as to the ability and cleverness displayed by prisoner's counsel. " There are no flies " on Mr Jellicoe, and in this case he has scored heavily, sufficiently so to make his reputation, if he possessed none at all before. The defence was most complete, from whatever light it is viewed. He collected thirteen witrtfjjs from almost all points of the ><pfipss, and {he order in which "ffiey were put through their facings was such as to give tho greatest effect. Ho started off with the family'history, secured Somerville's school-mates to fell tho story, and capped their statements with the evidence of a distant relative of the prisoner, Then came a posse of work-mates, such as Anderson and Lloyd, to describe his peculiarities as known to them; Hales and Cole to certify to his propensity for liquor, and finally -the quartette of experts to propound the thoory of insanity. It was a clever stroko to dash in as tho lihal dose, tho evidence of Dr, Fooks, which undoubtedly was tie strongest and most valuable of the expert testimony, Mr Jellicoe's address, to the jury was telling, and thoso who were present and heard him speak, were impressed with his perfect knowledge and complete grasp of tho case.. Mr Jellicoe has changed a am deal in style since his visit to l?ngland._ Before, he was brusque and snoi't'grained, now' he is suave, cool and deliberate, and therefore more impressive, Hostile witnesses tire not heckled and badgered as of yore, but led gently and cloyorly. into his (raps. He is probably one of'thobeßt'Ci'imiiial lawyers hi the, Colony.' '"•'

A Ft!N.\-y FELLOW

dreary, dry-as.'dust financial debate, which 'has' absorbed the otteutipn of tho Douse" for'over a yyeekyis'no} wppiit'ilscbijtißßide,

A Southern member, whoso acquaintance with the works of the lexicographers is extremely light and superficialjbut who nevertheless persists in padding his speeches with 1 words of inordinate length, afforded ! ' tho houso a few moment's pleasure on Friday evening last, with a display of big-word ignorance, which is worth recording. The member in 3 question was bubbling over with i praises of tho Ministry, and in his ■ own opinion was eloquent, but the i rest of the House thought him J flatulent, when Sir Robert Stout • happened to interrupt, and drew ! upon himself the wrath of the memi ber, who stopped abruptly and said, i "The lion, member for Wellington ; City always attempted to bo 'factitious.'" Thelfousogreetedtliiswith ' roars of laughter, which increased in i volume when tho southerner einpha- ! sized his remarks with " I repeat, Sir, the lion, member tries to be jaciiti- < oiih." SirßobortStont's interruption was of a comic nature, and the southerner meant to say that Sir Robert always tried to bo facet lorn; ■ but ho substituted the other word at his own expense. Thero is a moral j to this, and it is: " liabour members I should let long words aloue." | AXOTHF.II HAM'. I When the first baby arrives after j four or live years of married bliss! and patient waiting, the happy' parents generally rush into print j with the news, and wind up the' notice with: "father delighted; mother pleased." The stupid old things think it necessary to make known their feelings as though any- i one doubted their capacity. I have, : however, no domestic occurrence to i notify, there's no such luck in my' i whare, but I have something to say ■ i about a literary baby whose birth i Hill be heralded in a day or.l two. The youngster is to be called j the Commercial Daily jYcim, and the, i name will suggest that it is a news-' s paper. If anyone presumes that Mr | Joseph Ivcss is (lie putative father, i he is wrong; (his baby belongs toil Wellington, and ils parents are in i comfortable circumstances, so tlint! j the prospects before the little 'mi j 1 are of the brightest character. This j1 baby story comes to me second-hand; j I I cannot therefore vouch for its ac- j racy, but my informant looked » dignilied when he gave me the yarn, \ and was so extremely exact in his 11 style that there is possibly some, i truth in the matter. Tl|e Cummcirinl j i Daily A : eiet, 1 understand, will bej devoted principally to financial, 11 shipping and commercial intelli- i {fence, which it will serve up for 1 breakfast every morning. The \ 'youngster is welcome. x I'AKMAMEXTARY I'll'S. 1 Mr C. Hall, the member for Wai- !a pawa, is already threatened with } political extinction—he possesses no political distinction that could be r assailed. Mr George Hunter has \ announced hisdeteriniuation to again I contest the seat at the next election, s Messrs Hall and Hunter, however, n lira not to have it all their own way, s for I learn that Jlr K. A. Hngsren, o the apostle of paper-money, is to give j them a run for it,

The Hill introduced into the Upper House by the Hon. Mr JleCiillough, which will enable the convict Cliemis to secure a fresh trial, is likely to pass the Legislative Council; tho debate on the second vending was adjourned.

f Tho Masterton Trust Lands Trust Bill has run the gauntlet of the j Local Bills Committee, and has come off withonly ufewslightamendments, I and its second reading may come on this week. The prospects of the Bill are good, and Mr Hogg has great hopes of getting it into the Statute Book. TMJ'I'ED BY illi: TARIFF. In one of my previous letters 1 think J related the trouble we are experiencing through the scarcity of bricks. It appears that this fact came to the knowledge of au enterprising gentleman in New South Wales who seemed to see the'ehanco of turning over a few pounds, A ship was coming across to Wellingand the cute Australian dropped sixty thousand bricks into her before she sailed,thinking it good business, but he counted the sovereigns before they were earned, at any rate he did not reckon with the Hon. Joseph and bis torturing tariff. While the bricks were on the way the duty on bricks went on, and when the ship came into port, sixty thousand bricks wentintoboiid,.sothal instead of a profit the adventurer will be lucky if he gets off without loss. The bricks stood the journey very well,someof them look a bit sea-sick, but allowing for this and omitting the duty there was a possible profit in tho shipment. It is another case of being tripped by the tariff. MF.MIIF.KS MAILS. Members of Parliament are beginning to appreciate the signs of the limes. Whatever the Ministerialists might say in the heat of debate about the unemployed, their daily mails leave no room for doubt about the existence of the unemployed. The appeals for work which come from all parts of the Colony to members, is their greatest trouble just now, There appears to exist on the part of the able-bodied young men a feyerish desire to become soldiers, and the demands upon members by t|iosc anxious to get into the Permanent Artillery are yeiy numerous. From the Artillery to the Police Force there is a small stream easily crossed with a littlo influence, and to become a policom.au is the ulterior object in view by most of tho applicants.