SUPREME COURT SITTINGS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2690, 8 October 1889, Page 2

SUPREME COURT SITTINGS.

[|iY TKLKGRAI'H. —I'ItKSS ASSOCIATION']. VVki.i.in'gton' Monday. The criminal sittings of the Supreme Court opened this morning before the Chief Justice. In his address to the Grand Jury, His Honor ='aid that as the calender was a long one, it had been agreed, in order to save time, to put utt the Napier cases ansin" out of the Broughton-Donnelly trouble, until the 28th inst., and the Grand Jury would, therefore have to meet again on that date, when the Bills will be presented to the in. The lists, His Honour went on to say, contained a charge of a peculiar nature viz., Breach of the Bankruptcy Act. C. E. Beckman of Masterton being charged under section 174, with having disposed of property in a manner calculated to defraud his creditors, and with attempting to leave the colony with the money. The accused's explanation was that the money was the proceeds of the sale of the hotel, which he had made over to his wife before his bankruptcy. There was a charge against the late Inspector Bullen of having broken into a house and stolen articles, and a second charge of assault. The accused had reserved his defence in the lower Court, and His Honour was not in a position to assist the jury in the case. He remarked at some length on the perjury charge against Detective Benjamin, arising out of the Chemis case. There were two separate indictments, one of which was that his statement that he had found a piece of paper in a drawer in the bedroom was false, and that he had, therefore, committed wilful and corrupt perjury. He thought it only fair to remind the jury that the charges were sifted by the magistrate in the lower Court, and after a long and patient hearing he decided there was no case to answer. Mrs Chemis then bound herself over to bring the indictment before the Grand 'I ur yonly material evidence, His Honour pointed out, that could be preferred against Benjamin was that of the convict Chemis, who was undergoing imprisonment for life, and His Honour held, as also did eminent English judges, he was not competent. The same remarks could apply to Mrs Chemis. He had been under sentence of death, but the fact of sentence being commuted to imprisonment for life, altered the circum«t inces, and he could now properly give evidence. IXJN'KDIN", Monday. Judge Denniston, in charging the Grand Jury this morning made extended reference to the changes in the law of evidence made during hist session, by which criminals may be examined on oath and wives and husbands give evidence for each other. He also drew attention to the dangerous position in which judges are placed by Acts coming into force the very moment they receive the Governor's assent at Wellingt.iii which inipht lead to most awkward results, and it was advisable that a certain lapse of time should be allowed so that it might bo physically possible for judges to know the law they were administering.