MAGISTERIAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1565, 23 May 1887, Page 2

MAGISTERIAL.

ABHBURTON— MONDAY.

(Before Mr H. 0. IS. Baddoley 8.M.) LICE IN BHEEP, Robert Qilling was charged with being the owner of 50 sheep offered for sale m the County saleyards, and which were infected with lice. The defendant did not appear, but had acknowledged the offence. A fine of £1 and cost*- wai - inflicted. UNREGISTERED DQGB. Thomaß Magee, Richard Adams. S. Thomas (2), J. Stoddart, T. Timms, G, Gilmour, Jaß. Croy, and W. Gray were fined 10a eaoh for having in' their possession dogs of a greater ago than six months. A similar charge against Jas. Coohrant was adjourned for a week. •...,; HOBBE AT LARGE.' Patrick Brodoriok, for having allowed a horse to wander at large on March 31it, was fined 7s 6d and costs. ILL-TREATING A H0R8B; John Tondra was charged on two inforTuationa with haying ill-treated a horse by leaving it without sufficient food or shelter. The information with regard to , the leaving the animal without food was withdrawn, and only one information proceeded on. — A plea of guilty was. entered. 1 he case -was a rather bad <me. : —A fine of £4 and costs was inflicted. DISTURBING A CONGREGATION. Albert Rooke and Dennis Belts, two lads, were charged with haying disturbed a congregation assembled for public worship m the Primitive Methodist Church on May 15th.— Constable Beddek said that on Sunday, May 15th, m consequence of complaints, he went to the Primitive Methodist Church, m company with Constable Casey, both being m plain clothes. They heard a loud knocking at the door, and as they came up about twenty larrikins ran away. Casey and himself caught the defendants, who acknowledged that they had made a<( little noise." The defendants refused to give the names of the, other boys who were with them.—Constable Casey gave corroborative evidence. The lads when caught admitted making a noise, but said that the other boys made more. — Both lads made statements, m defence, but what they said was entirely inaudible at the reporter's table.— Tha Magistrate inflicted a fine of 10s on each of the boys, with the alternative of being locked up for three days. WHOLESALE WINDOW BREAKING. Frank Leggatt, Henry Lawrence and James Mcßae, three boys, were oharged on three informations with having wilfully broken nine panes of glass m a house m Wills at, with having broken two panel of rlbbs In the Primitive Methodist Church, and with having broken three panes of glass m a house near the. gasworks. — The boy Moßae pleaded guilty m regard to two of the Informations and Leggatt to one. Lawrence said m one ca o that he had thrown a itone bat had not broken a window.— Sergeant Felton eaid that window imeshing was getting'a serious matter, the damage done In thia diabilot amount'nc? to handrectsof ponads. Under these circumstances he would aik the Bench to deal severely with the culprit now brought up m order to put a stop to the practice. In the present case the three buildings m regard to wbioh informations had been laid, had been very much damaged. It having cost £4 15s to repair the windows- — After consultation Sergeant Felton >aid that it would answer his purpose to proceed only on one Information, withdrawing the other*.— Th© information charging; the boys with breaking nine panel of glass was amended co as to read "breaking a pane of glass." All the defendant* pleaded guilty. — E, Gale saw the boys throwljag stones at a house m Wills street and breaking glass. Leggatt seemed to be foremost. He was throwing atonea as fast as he •• knew how. "— E: Cookadn, gave evldenoe.-i-Gonatable Smart said that Lawrence and Leggat, when charged with having broken the windows, oast, the blame on to Mcßae. — Laggatt said that he and his companions on the day In question saw a jam tin m a tree and they threw stones at it. — The Magistrate stated his intention of putting down with a firm hand the praotlce of window* breaking. In the ease of Leggatt and Lawrence a fine of 30* and coats waa inflicted, In default 10 days imprisonment. In regard to Moßae a fine of £1 and costs with the alternative of seven days imprisonment waa inflloted. DRUNKENNESS.

G. Haivey was charged with having been drunk while m oharge of two horses. A fine of 40s and oosts wai inflicted, m default 7 days imprisonment. John Moorhead was charged with having been drunk and disorderly. — The accused had a long record against him, having been convicted of all aorta of offences from housebreaking downwards* A fine of 60s and oosts m default 14 daya imprisonment was inflicted. OBSCENE LANGUAGE.

Elizabeth Anderson was charged with having made use «f obscene language on May 9,— Mr Cathbertson appeared for the accused, who pleaded guilty. The 0388 was a very tad one, and the accused!

was ordered to be sent to g*ol for tea days, the Magistrate warning the woman that If she came before him again on suoh, a charge she would be sent to gaol for a very much more lengthened period, INDECENT ASSAULT.

Alfred Burmeiater was charged with indecently assaulting, with" intent to commit a rape, a girl 4 years of age. — The accused, who is a Burnham boy, and about 15£ years old, was licensel to an Ashburton resident. It appeared that the boy throHgh the greater part of his life had been accustomed to vice m its wotsa aspect His mother was a prostitute, and his father bore a very bad reputation, and the lad was accustomed to the society of prostitutes from his earliest years. *;The accused, who is very deaf, appeared to be affected m his reason, and when arrested the police said that he appeared to have very little idea of the enormity of the offence he had committed. — The Sergeant of Police went into the circumstances of the case at great length, and said that the facts would justify the Bench m dealing with the case summarily. — The evidence was heard, and the Magistrate decided that he was empowered to deal with the case under the 40th clause of tba 11 Offences against the Person Act, 1867," this beinp tantamount to altering the charge to one of assault upon a female. — The accused was ordered to be imprisoned and kept to hard labor for six calendar months, and at the conclusion of that time to find sureties to keep the peace for six months. ASSAULT. James Murray was charged with assaulting Joseph Haskett at Methven on May 16th.— Joseph Haskett said that he had a quarrel with the accused at Patton'a hotel, neither of them being quite sober. He did not know what they quarrelled about. That evening he slept at the hotel. He was sitting m bed talking to another man who was ill, when ha (witness) received a stab m the neck. [The witness seemed to have a very indistinct recollection of what occurred.] Ho could not say if the quarrel arose m consequence of jealousy ia regard to a Bervant girl — The accused questioned the witness with a view to showing that the latter started the qflarrol, whioh took glace during the day. — In reply t<* the euch the witness said that he felt no pain from the stab. The man who witnessed it was " laid-up " and too ill to | appear m Court — Constable Bourke gave evidence as to arresting the accused, who admitted assaulting the informant, but e»ia it was the latter's fau.lt. Bafkjtt wt|

bleeding from a small wound on the left tide of the neck. He was drunk, and tho acoused Beemed to have been drinking.—The accused expressed his sorrow for what he bad dene, bat said that it was m a great measure Haskett's own fau't. Haekett called him names and was jealous of hfe friendship with the servant. — The Magistrate advised both parties to abstain from drinking.—The aocnsed was fined 10a and costs m default 48 hours Imprisonment. PLEADING BY PROXY. M. Patterson was charged with having been guilty of furious riding and with j having disturbed the Salvation Army The alleged offences took place tome months ago, but the accuaed, a youth, cleared out and the police knew nothing of his whereabouts. As he would not return while the charges were pending, and is his mother wished him to come home m order to do ploughing whioh was required, she wished to plead guilty to the oharges whioh had been laid against ht» ion.— After the particulars of the ease had been gone into, the Magistrate lnflioted a fine of 40s and costs on the first oharge, and £3 and oosta on the ■econd.

The Court then rose.