THE GOLLAN’S VALLEY WHISKY STILL.
THE DEFENDANTS BEFORE THE COURT.
The cases in which the brothers John, Allan, Charles, and Hugh Cameron are charged with being the owners of the illicit still found at Gollan’s Valley, came up in the Magistrate’s Court to-day before Mr. Martin, S.M.
There were five separate charges preferred against the accused, but as these have already been fully recited, it is only necessary now to mention that the informations laid by the Customs authorities are that the accused were on the 13th June in the possession of an illicit private still, and had in their possession apparatus for the distillation of illicit whisky.
Mr. Gully appeared for Mr. D. M’Kellar, Collector of Customs; Mr. Skerrett for Allan and Charles Cameron; and Mr. Wilford appeared for John and Hugh Cameron.
Mr. Skerrett raised an objection that the Distillation Act, under which the informations were laid, was not the Act under which the defendants should have been brought before the Court. Proceedings should have been instituted under the Customs Act. The defendants should, he considered, have been separately charged on each of the five counts.
After argument, Mr. Gully decided to proceed at present on only count 2, charging each defendant with unlawfully making spirits.
Witnesses were ordered out of Court.
Acting-Detective James Gantley described the trip to Gollan’s Valley in search of an illicit still. The witness went on to say that going up the valley the party searched the residences of John and Hugh Cameron, and of Charles Cameron and his mother and sisters, but found nothing of a suspicious character.
After the raiding party had searched the Camerons’ houses, witness left his companions and proceeded through the bush in the direction of where he heard wood chopping, and after a time he came across a man felling timber. There were two dogs with the man. Witness turned to look for his companions, and when he turned again the man had disappeared.
Witness then rejoined Mr. M’Kellar and his party, and they shortly afterwards came across a still. Near the tree behind which the man disappeared he found an axe and a coat. In a pocket of the latter witness found receipted accounts and other documents in the names of Hugh and Charles Cameron.
(Witness enumerated the articles seized at the still, including spirits in barrels, and the apparatus for working the still, the fireplace of which was constructed of sods.)
There was a dray-road running to within a few yards of the still, and it appeared to have been recently used.
