The Longhurst Petition.

Manawatu Times, Volume VIII, Issue 224, 31 March 1883, Page 2

The Longhurst Petition.

Tho petition praying for the release of Longhurst was presented to the G'veimr on Pri'lay. In the cour-e of his reply to the Remarks of the. (ieputation His excellency s;iiU it had been his " invariable rule to rofu-e to receive depmations having for their object the iuflnencinsr offche Governor or his advisers m ma-tiers relating to action, which he or they may, m the fnterestsjof j the public, consider it m his or tkfir duty to take concerning sentences passed' by courts of -law. As regards the petition itself there are some sentiments m it the accuracy of which I am not prepared to admit, and there is- one suggestion contained m it Io -which I must give my unqnalfied derial, I allude to the paragraph wherein it is susigestcd that the c«se of Longhurst was not fully laid before me before the i decision was arrived at which has j already been communicated to previous petitioners. The fact is that the whole of the evidence given m both trials was | printed from she Judge's notes. Both | the Government and myself were able | to confer ncrescivcdly with the Judges [themselves, and there was the fullest opportunity 'afforded ■ to everyone concf'med of deliberately weighing all the circumstances before arriving" at a conclusion on tho previous petition. Re-, spooling tbis distressing case it appears to me that The present petition, except as regards the statements to which 1 have referred, is m the main a reiteration of thj points which have a I eady b-'en *>.dv:;ncefl, and which, have been du'y coni>i«Krecl. At the same time I need scarcely say ' that any new and authenticated facts that may be adduced sh. 11 be f'dly weighed. Gen.lemou, your p« titiou anJ the representations which 'Vi U have made sh- 1 be mest cnrefu'ly considered, both by myt-eU" and my Minsters, and tlfe result of such further dtlibcratjdns shal'Pbe communicated to 7°*- . j