RESIDENT MAGISTRATE’S COURT.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume III, Issue 547, 30 January 1882, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE’S COURT.

ASHBURTON— To-Day.

(Before his Worship the Mayor and Mr 5 R. Alcorn, J.P.) j Poultry Fanciers. —Charles Dancer, (William Purser, Fred Farmer, and John Seymour, four laboring men, vere charged with stealing three fowls, of the value of 4s 6d, the property of William Byrne, carpenter, of Rakaia. It appeared from the prosecutor’s evidence that he resided at Rakaia, and had a xowl-house adjoining his cottage. On Saturday night he locked up his nineteen fowls at nine o’clock and retired to bed, but yesterday morning three of the birds >vere missing, and an inspection of the fowl-house revealed that the door had been tampered with. On this he gave information to Constable Rouse, stationed at Rakaia, and the pair paid a visit to a camp, and situated about a quarter of a mile from the prosecutor’s cottage, and occupied by the four prisoners. The men were at breakfast. j3n searching the tent the sack produced |vas discovered, with the three birds jnside it with their necks wrung. On being detected, the men offered to pay for ];he fowls, but the prosecutor gave them in iharge on the spot.—Constable Rouse deiosed to accompanying the prosecutor to .he tent occupied by the prisoners. When bund out, they said it was a drunken ipree, and asked him (the constable), to et them off. Dancer remarked, addressng the Bench, that he was entirely innocent. He only got back to the camp at lalf-past ten on Saturday night, and knew nothing whatever about the fowls. Another of the prisoners remarked, with a guileless glance at their Worships, that he was as innocent as a child. He was quite surprised, etc., etc. - Sergeant Felton said that complaints from Rakaia of poultry-stealing, had been numerous of late, and he trusted their Worships would make an example of the accused. —The Bench considered the charge fully proved, and sentenced the prisoners to fourteen pays’ imprisonment, with hard labor. ■ Drunkenness. Two inebriates from Rakaia, first offenders, were discharged ■with a caution. A first offender, arrested in Ashburton on Saturday, was ordered to pay 2s express hire to the lock up, it having been necessary, on account of the man’s violence, to cart him to the cells. —Robert Pender was charged with being drunk and behaving in a riotous manner, and also with using obsene language. Constable Da'y deposed that from information he received he proceeded to the accused’s house yesterday, found him drunk, and took him into custody. Several witnesses were called to testify to the disturbance the defendant was creating, and the objectionable language he was making use of. The Bench remonstrated with the defendant on his conduct and fined him 20s, with the alternative of eight days’ imprisonment. He was also ordered to pay the witnesses’ expenses, amounting to Bs. The Court then rose.