POLICE COURT.-This Day.

Auckland Star, Volume IV, Issue 1204, 2 December 1873, Page 2

POLICE COURT.-This Day.

(Before Thomas Beckham, Esq., R.M.)

DRUNKENNESS,

Thomas Ansell and George Craig were charged with being drunk last night and fined 10s and costs. John McMahon, charged with being! drunk and disorderly', was fined 20 and costs, or 48 hours' imprisonment.

SIMPSON THE SAILOR. Joseph Simpson Was charged under the Merchant's Shipping Act of 1554 with wilful disobedience of lawful commands ion aboard the Chile-on the lsb December. ■■; '>!

Prisoner pleaded guilty, and said hia rations were stopped, and consequently he would not work.

Joseph Hardie deposed that he was chief officer on board the Chile, and that prisoner, went on shore without leave, and when he. returned he asked him to scrape the boom, when he replied that he would not; he would rather go to prison. He liad his rations regularty. : ; LOIS

The prisoner said the third mate stopped his sugar.

His Worship said he thought his soap had barn stopped by the appearaice of .his-face,, which was very dirty. Prisoner said he wanted to leave the ship, and went on shore after the ciptain. for that purpose. , ,He preferred a whilor

The Captain said that prisoner wag most insubordinate all the way across, and he was terribly dirty. The sailors wsre occasionally olilioed to wash him by fores. ... ... His Worship thought a little imprisonment might do the sailor good, and,sentenced him to fourteen days' imprisonment with, tard labour. ; . OBTAINING OOODS UNDER FASE PRETENCES.

William Smith (a young man) was again brought into Court on three charges for obtaining goods and money bf false and fraudulent means, namely a watch value £7 10s, from Mr W. S. Dowdall, of JTercer ; £10 and £12 in money from Mr A. Diviania, of ther Queen's Redoubt, about tie 15th day of■■; November. Prisoner pleaded not gxiity. Antonia Diviania, storekeeper of Queen's Redoubt, deposed that ks knew the prisoner, and that on the 15th of November the prisoner called at his store with the cheque (produced) marked A, and solicited him to cash the cheque as he was it want of money. He replied that he did rot care to cash cheques for anyone. Prisonir pleaded hard'; he was " hard up," and he tvas at length induced to give prisoner two ive-pound notes. He stated that if he was in Auckland he could command plenty of money. He be-:, lieved the cheque to be geniine or he would',. not have parted with his notes. Prisoner;/ had been stopping for frwi> months at the tunnel of the railway worts. He paid the cheque away as cash to Me Harkins, Messrs Stewart and Anderson's traveller. He un- .; derstood that the prisoner »vas a cook. His Worship informed witness that he-■ would lose his money. lihe had exercised discretion, and not cashed the cheque for the: prisoner, who could not have had a bank account as he might haw known by his, position. Mr Broham stated that prisoner had told ', ' witness that he was a mai of immense importance in the country, aid that he had a . large farm a good way off. John J. F. Davis, ledger-ieeper at the Bank of New Zealand, deposed tlat a cheque was presented on the 26th November by th? Bank of Australasia. The! cheque was r<K ' turned with "refer to drawer " written on it.; Detective Temahan received informationl^ of the matter, and arrested the prisoner on the 23rd, when he said he had only been in J the country six months, and was waiting »;j remittance from home when he would make it right. , ~ ; <ii In answer to his Worship, prisoner said He was 19 years of age, and had been engaged „ in a solicitor's office. The other charge of defrauding the same person of £12 10s by the cheques of £5 and £7 10s was preferred against the prisoner, who obtaiued goods to the amount, of £1, and received the difference in cash. ; .)i' Witness on being examined proved the charge, and stated that he paid the cheque away in the same manner as in the former,,,•j-^.,--. case, and with the same result. :'' I Mr John F. Davis proved that the'^ prisoner had no account at the Bank of New it ., Zealand; that the cheques were presented. ; o and returned in the same manner as the previous one. The third charge was then brought against V. the prisoner—namely, that of defrauding v*^ Walter PowdeU, of Mercer, of a silver watch .jigl value £7 10s. : , .1 ' j !;V Adam H*>nlon, formerly a watchmaker, but now on the line of railway, deposed that he knew the prisoner, and on the 15th ot -| November, as he was passing Point Russell h liotel.

> After some further evidence the prisoner /■ was committed for trial. This was all the business,