POLICE COURT.—Thursday.

Auckland Star, Volume II, Issue 315, 12 January 1871, Page 2

POLICE COURT.— Thursday.

[Before T. Ritchie and J. A. Wilson, Esqrs., Justices.] Deunkenness. — Michael Ryan was fined 5s and costs, or to be imprisoned 24 hours with hard labor. Laeceny.—Two children, aged about six and three years, were brought up charged with stealing fruit from W. Mason, value Is. —Mr. Broham stated that the police had not been consulted in bringing the case. —The prosecutor did not desire to press the charge, and the children were discharged with a caution. Breach oe the Naval Discipline Act.— Andrew Balchelor was charged with having assisted a seaman of H.M.S. Clio to desert. — Mr. Joy appeared for the defence. —Andrew Gollin, ship's corporal, deposed to having given the seaman Freeman permission to go ashore, but he had not since-returned. Identi fled the clothes produced as having been worn by the man when he left the ship.—SergeantJeffrey deposed to being in company with Detective Ternahau, found the articles produced concealed in the house of prisoner at Onehunga. — Cross-examined by Mr. Joy : Wife of prisoner stated there was nothing belonging to man-of-v/ar's-men in the house. — Detective Temahau corroborated the statement of previous witness.—Mr. Joy addressed the Bench to show that the Act referred to being an Imperial Act had not been shown to be in force in New Zealand. —The Bench held that irrespective of the question as to the Act, concealment or assistance to the deserter had not been proved.—Case dismissed. Larceny.—James Dumont alias H. Langlands alias Thomas Smith was charged with having in the middle of December, stolen from Louis Rose Jame?, various articles of clothing value £9 2s. —L. R. James deposed: I keep a hotel at the North Shore. Prisoner was employed by me in November to dig in my garden. Ho slept in a cottage a short distance from the hotel. He left my work in the end of Nov., but slept at the cottage some time. After lie left the cottage was closed and secured. I afterwards, in December, found the window broken. There was in the cottage a box containing wearing apparel, blankets, &c. I made a search early this month ; found the clothes missing and I reported to the police. I saw him about the place afterwards, and when he saw me he ran away. I missed one suit of clothes value £5, a blue pilot coat worth £1, trousers and waistcoat value £3, a pair of boots and slippers value £15, necktie worth*2s Gd. On the Bth January I saw the pilot coat (produced) in a dingy, at the North Shore. Edward Wrixon, deposed :lam a seaman. On the 6th I was discharged from Mount Eden. I knew the prisoner there. I met him on Queen-street wharf on the day I was discharged. He told me to meet him at the Waitemata Hotel at 9 o'clock. I met him there and went with him Io near the gaol. He planted 2 files, 2 saws, 2 giniblets, and 2 keys for Plummer to esrape. We then went to a boat at Shelly Point and saw the coat produced there. Prisoner had it in a bag, also the other articles produced. On Sunday last I told Constable Gen, at the North Shore, and pointed to the boat containing the articles. —Special Constable Gee, North Shore, deposed to having found the articles produced in the boat, as described. The boat was under the cliff, at Carpenter's Point, Worth Shore. A few minutes after I arrested prisoner on suspicion. He said he had never been on the North Shore before. Committed for trial to the Supreme Court. — Two other charges against the prisoner were adjourned till the following day. The same prisoner was charged with stealing a boat on the 15th December, the property of Miss Isabella Webster, North Shore.—lsabella Webster deposed: The boat was placed at h'gh water mark, nnd I saw it last on the 14th December. The boat is my property, and its value £8. I saw it again on last Monday at the Queen-street wharf, in charge of Constable Gee. The boat has been re-painted since I lost it. I have had the boat between two and three years. I distinctly recognise it. — Edward Wrixon deposed : On Thursday last I saw the boat referred to in the possession of the prisoner. On Sunday last I pointed it out to Constable Gee. Constable Gee corroborated the evidence as to finding the boat. It was since identified by Miss Webster as her property. On my arresting the prisoner, he denied knowing anything about the boat. —The prisoner was committed for trial. The same prisoner was charged with having on the 17th December stolen from the missionary schooner Southern Cross various articles value £6. —Michael Power deposed : I am a shipkeeper on the mission schooner lying at Kohimara; on the morning of the 18th December I missed off the vessel two hats, value 14s ; two white hats, 14s; two coats, 25s ; a vest, value 7s 6d; pants, aud other articles. I slept on board during the night of the 17th December. I identify all the article* produced.—John Jacobs, master of the Southern Cross schooner, deposed : On 18th December on going on board I missed threo books on navigation, value £1 15s ; magazines, value £1 ; instruments, charts, snd various other articles. I identify the articles produced.— Edward Wrixon deposed to having seen the coat produced on board prisoner's boat at Shelly Beach, on the sth inst. Prisoner gave it to me. Saw also theother articles produced. I gave information to Constable Gee. The clothes then on him I had seen him wear frequently before.—Constable Gee deposed to the arrest of prisoner, and handed him over to Detective Murphy in Detective Ternahan's presence. He had then on the clothes worn by him at the time of his arrest. Found the articles produced with him in his boat at the time of his arrest. —Detective Ternahan deposed: Oh. prisoner being brought to the station, on the 9th, by Constable Gee, he had on the clothes now produced, the boots, trousers, shirt,, coat, and hat, and already identified by the witness Power. 1 charged him with the robbery. Ho made no answer. —The prisoner was committed for trial at the Supreme Court.