POLICE COURT.

Auckland Star, Volume II, Issue 608, 21 December 1871, Page 2

POLICE COURT.

THIS DAY

Before His Worship the Mayor, and L D Nathan, Esq. DRUNKENNESS.

Three persons svere punished as usual for this offence; and W H Pooley for being disorderly as well, was fined 20s and costs, or 48 hours' imprisonment.

BREACH OF MUNICIPAL CORPORATION ACT

Francis Pascoe, for allowing a goat to stray, was fined 5s and costs. James Maxwell, for leaving his cart unattended, without chaining the wheel, was fined 5s and costs.

Peter Brown, for a liko offence, was similarly dealt with. Henry Shaler was charged with not keeping a boarding, erected by him in Barrack-street, sufficiently lighted, on the night of the 10th December. Defendant said he had engaged a pergon to light a candle, which had afterwards been stolon.

Sergeant Walker corroborated this statement, and the case was dismissed.

LABCENY,

Alexander Lamb was charged with stealing a coat, value los, from the Temperance Hotel, the property of Thomas Slater.

Mr Bennett appeared for the prisoner. Thomas Slater deposed that on last Friday evening he missed a coat; from a peg in the passage. The coat produced was the one.

Detective Ternahan deposed that on the 15th instant he he searched the prisoner'• house. He found the coat concealed in a cupboard. Prisoner told him ho had bought the coat 12 months previously. Detective Jeffrey corroborated the above evidence. Prisoner was then charged with stealing a waterproof coat, value 15s, the property of John Thompson. The evidence was the same as in the last case. Mr Bennett said that ihere was no proof that prisoner had committed 'a felony. No doubt the goods had been found in his possession, but it was well known that he kept an old clothes shop, and there was nothing in the evidence to connect him gith the larceny. The Bench thought there was no proof to connect the prisoner with the theft, and that the charge should have been for receiving stolen property. Case dismissed. James Millan was charged by Henry Schmidt with stealing on or about the 14th November, certain goods, to wit one box clothes, one box glassware, and a quantity of other valuables enumerated, to the value of £13. Mr Uees appeared for the prosecution, and Mr Joy for the defence. Henry Schmidt deposed : I know the boxes produced, they are my property. The goods now shown me are my property ,—dock, silver watch, gold chain, &c. They are worth about £13. The clothes in one box are all mine. The other box is full of cooking utensils. I left Auckland on the 12th September, and went to Christchurch. I left the boxes with Mr Johnson, of Wakefield street, and the watch and chain with Mason, the hairdresser. The other things were in the boxes. I returned on the seventeenth of last month. I oiade enquiries about my property as I could not find it

where I left it. I found the articles _in prisoner's house at Tararu. Detective Murphy was with me. The boxes had been emptied of their contents. I know that my wife is living with prisoner now. They were living in the same house where I recovered the goods. I saw prisoner previously in the house of Mrs Landers, Landers, where I had gone with a constable to look for my wife. Mrs Landers denied that she was there. My wife then came out of a room where she had been hidden. As I was going away prisoner said, " It's a good thing you have protection, or I'd give you something." Nothing was said about the goods. I then took out a search warrant and one to arrest prisoner.

To Mr Joy : In last July I was living in Elliott street. My wife was there also in the beginning of the month. The information is laid for on or about 4th November. It was not laid on my own knowledge, but from what other people told me, as I was absent at the time; In July my wife went away from me for the good of her health. At that time the watch produced was in the house. I bought it from my wife before our marriage. She had then had children by another husband. I think she took the watch with her when she left in July. I did not look in the box to see. That box is still missing. About four weeks before I went to Canterbury I took the boxes to Wakefield street and stored them with a man named Johnson. Two months before, my wife had left me for her health. When the boxes were taken from Wakefield street, that which contained the watch was also taken, but I cannot say whether it was in it at the time.

At this stage of the proceedings, to suit the convenience of the Bench, the case was adjourned till to-morrow, prisoner's bail being enlarged.