MAGISTERIAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1944, 14 September 1888, Page 2

MAGISTERIAL.

4 ASHBURTON— THURSDAY.

(Before Mr 0. A. Wray, RM., Mr D. Tbomap, J.P and Mr 0. A. 0. Hardy, J P.) "

INDUSTRIAL SC_OOLS ACT. A little girl, 11 years of ago, named Helen Raddick, waa charged with having no sottlod plaio of abode. Tho child's mothsr was dead, and the father's whero aboata were at prosent unknown. She was absolutely destitute, having no relatives hero save two brotbera— boys who were not In a posit r on to support her. For Borne months past sho had been taken charge of by a family In Ashburton, who had, however, now £ono to Melbourne.—The girl was committed .tc Burnham, the police In the meantime tj make enquiries aa to whether there were any persona to be fonnd who were liable to contribute to her maintenance. A boy named A. Lattuby waa brought up charged with having no settled place of abode. The boy bad left his home, and had bee_ arrested m the Oamaru district.— SorgtFelton reolted the circumstances of the 0486— Ihe boy was 03m< mltted to Burnham, the polioe to make enqui-lcs aa to the ability of his father tc contribute towards his maintenanca. ALLEGED ATTEMPTED EXTORTION. Robert Woods waß charged with having attempted to extort the sum of £1 anc three rloga from Mrs W. Lockhead by meanß of a letter of menace or August 31st. — Mr Purnell appeared for defendant, and Mr Crisp to watct 'the o_Be on behalf of Mrs Lockhead anc her fatbe-, Mr J. Iy\mbie 3ftr Parnell said he won'd object to Mr Oris| taking any part ln the proeecution.Sergeaut Felton Bald such waa not con templated*— The following evidence wai called : — John Lamble, farmer, living a Kyle, s»ld Mrs Lockhead was his daughter She h»d been marded two or three month to William Lockhead. He lived abon five or six rollea from witness' place Kaew Robert Woods, the accueed. Hi wag working for witness about five year ago, for about fivre or aix monthe. H< lived m the mana hut with three othe men. Wltneaa' daughter made a complaint to him last month, and gavi him a letter. (Letter produced). Ao oused In the letter atked for £'. and three rings, which he said he hac given Mra Lockhead, and eald tha "she bad done It pretty quiet,*' anc added, "I told you if ever you married '. would let your husband know." — Sergean Felton proposed to qaestion the wltnea regarding a former letter bearing on thi present one, but Mr Purnell objaoted submitting that the Oourt could not g< beyond the Bpec'fio letter set forth In th< Indictment. — After argument the "Bene! sustaiued Mc Pacnell'a ot jectlon — Tin witness oontinued : Mra Lockhead w*b 2\ years of age. —By Mr Purnell : Ii was < years since accused lived with him Se came In ,1883, and left In January 1884. The men's hut Ib 112 yards fron the farmhouse. His daughter and acocsec were on ordinary speaking terms. Thoj were not on such terma of intlmooj that wltneßs d!s»pprcved of It Ab far as he knew Mra Lamtte did not dlaipprovc of the Intimacy. The ringa referred tc m the letter were rings which csme by a man named Fowler, Rome time aftar accu ted left. They came to witnesß' daughter, Witness waa postmaster at Kyle when accused worked for him. Never knew his daughter to assist In making np the malla. His wife always made them up when he waa not at homo. — By Sergeant Felton : Besides tho rings a pound note also came In the lettor. That waa m 1884. The rings and £1 were Bent bick, tho day after receipt.— By Mr Purnell ; There waa no letter sent back with the rings j they wero put In the box thoy came ln, tho £1 note was placed on the top, the box tied up and addressed to accused; Stamps were -foxed and the box Bent by the hands of a messenger, named Robert Quald. Tho accused's addreaa wai at Ohertsey. — George Hirrlaon, farmer near Kyle, met accused ln Rakaia about three Sundays before he was arrested. Had a conversation with him. Accused said, "I will wait my opportunity until I get Lockhead away, and I will go to lookhead's -and demand my jewellery, rings and pound note, and If I don't get them 1 will have vengeance." Accused said that he had sent a letter with three ring' and a pound, and that Mra Lookhead had never returned them to him. Accused Bald that if he got the rlnga baok quietly it would be all right, but that if he didn't be would have vengeance. Wltneaa Bald that he understood that the rings had been sent baok to acoused by post. Aooußed replied that If they were he bad never got them, the letter was not registered. The conversation went on and acoused Bald that he had been engaged to the girl and he added that he had written her some letters which he would guarantee she would not show to her hnsband

—By Mr Purpell ; Accused epoke like a man that had a grievance ; his grievanoe being that he had not got his rlnga acd pound note baok. It waa general talk throughout the country that the rlnga had bf aa aent back to acoused. Did not hear of it through any member of Mr Lamble'a family. — Constable Casey said that he arrested the accused on a warrant, on the 31st Inst, at Pendarvea. Read tho warrant to him $- acoused made no reply, bot he oontinued harrowing, whioh he waa engaged m. He then said that It waa his own property for which he aßked.— Mr Purnell aaked if the oonatablo cautioned the prisoner — In reply to the Bench Constable Casey said that he had not. — Witness continued : The accused said that It was only a deb 4 , and he was writing demanding it. He continued that abmt four yeara ago when he waß working for Lamble he gave Miss Lamble the rings, when she promised to be hla wife, but" now that she had married another man be had a perfeot right to ask for hia own. Acoused Bald no niore t|ll ho reaphed hla hut. While In tho aot of changing his diesa at the hut he said : "I gave her the pound and rlngß when Bhe took her oath on the Bible that Bhe would be my wife." — The witness recounted a lengthy string of allegation of extreme In.tlraaoy with the girl mide by the acoused, who said that soph intimacy had continued till lately. Acoused aaid that after leaving Lamble'a be wrote the girl three letters, and as Limbie kept the poat, he (iccuaed) made It right with the post boy to deliver them to her. He added that he had reoelved one lettor In reply whlqh was -till m his posßeaslon (letter produced). The letter told accused to discontinue writing Accused Bald that ohe told him she had returned the rings by post to him, but he told witness tbat he had never reoelved them. She never wrote *o aay that she had sent them.— Mary Lockhead, wife of William Lockhead, farmer, at Dorle, and daughter of Mr Lainbie remembered Friday, August 31st. Her husband and tho three men were away from home and she was quite alone. About ten o'clock m the morning ehe heard a knock at the dopr; She went to the door and saw Woods. Tie had a stick m his baud. He asked if she know where he came from. She said she did not. He aaid thai he wanted the presents ho sent her five jears ago. She replied that she hadn't got them ond that they had been sent back a long time ago. Ec eaid tbat witness had not registered them. Witness replied that she had not, to •which he Btated that his word was just as ! good as her's He said that he hud not ; received the rings. He got very excited then, and used very abusive language. Be awore and said that he did not know how she cou'd daw to get married after ( what he had Baid about her. He produced , a letter, and said that she/dared not show j

it to her husband (this was the letter first > produced, demanding the rings, e'o.) Bo- \ fore be gave her the letter he asked if her husband was at home. She replied that' he was not. She was co terrified that she shut the door and went into the farmyard with the intention of going to Carruthers. He said tbat she need not be afraid for he would not touch her On j his saying this she stopped m the yard. Ho askod her to shake hand 3 and be fn'enda She rep!ied that she would not. I H« caught hold of her and tried to kiss him. Mia s'ruggled and seized him by tho whiskers He held her about three minutes She showed the letter to her husband when he came homo that evening,— 3y Mr Purnell: The three rings were ringstliat accused p.ont her. They wore sent together. Ho did not give her an engage ment ring while at her father's. The throo rings feat were a dress ring, a wedding-ring, and a keeper. Never received an engagement ring from accused. Sent letter (<ocond produced) after she received the rings. Ho had written two or three times threatening and demanding the rings back. He had not written to her father demanding the return of the rings. After he left her father's employ she went out to milk the cows ono night and he attacked ber m the paddock. He didn't say anything about the rings. He never asked her to return the rings, exoept by letter. At tho interview on August 31st she did not shake hands with accused and part good friends with Jrim. —By fcergeant Felton: She never met accused to have any conversation with him, beyond what had already been stated. — This waß the case for the police. —Mr Purnell submitted that the letter on which tbe information was based did not come within tbe meaning of the fetatute, 1 He quoted authorities m support of hiß contention,— Sergeant Felton replied, i adducing authorities to show that the i letter was a menacing one.— The Bench retired to consider the point raised, and j after a brief absence, commit'ed the accused ! ' who reserved his defence, to take his trial '• at the next sittings of the Supreme Court m Christchurch, ball being allowed bc- > cused m £200 and two sureties of £100 > each. ' The Court then ro6e.