POLICE COURT.—This Day.

Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1706, 6 August 1875, Page 2

POLICE COURT.—This Day.

(Before P. L. Prime, Esq., Mayor, and Dr. r , Home, J.P.) DRUNKENNESS.

Elizabeth Burt {alias Curry) and William Crow (alias Jim Crow) were fined for this offence. VAGRANCY. John Meikle [.alias Happy Jack), a wellknown native of India, received a sentence of six months' hard labour for wandering about homeless and oceupationless. William F. Campbell was remanded till next Monday on a similar charge. THE FOTj(W)L ACCUSATION. ; George Ray was charged, on remand, with stealing four gobblers (alias turkeys) and thirteen chickens on the 26fch ultimo, the property being part of the worldly possessions of William Stewart, of Mount Eden, The prosecutor deposed that he missed two of the gobblers on the 22nd, and two on the 26th, with thirteen" fine hens. He reperted his loss to the police, and on the 28th he went in company with Detective Jeffrey to the Sailors' Home Hotel, and there saw his property. By the Prisoner: He was quite sure about the fowls and turkeys being his. j Jno. Stewart, a son of the prosecutor, corroborated this evidence. Win. Williams, landlord of ihe Sailors' Home, deposed to having purchased the poultry from the prisoner. He bought them in two lots. Altogether there were 4 turkeys and 14 fowls. j Detective Jeffrey recollected receiving some fowls from the last witness on the 20th June, He charged the prisoner with the theft, and he said at first he had obtained them from Matakana/ and afterwards that he had bought them on the wood wharf. Prisoner was well known as a notorious thief, having previously been many times convicted of stealing fowls, &c. Prisoner : Did I not tell you I bought the fowls from a man named McLeod on the wood wharf who said he got them from Mataiiana.? Detective Officer : You did afterwards not then. This was the evidence and the Bench con-

sidering it sufficient to prove the charge sent the accused to prison' for six months. THK LTJTTERWORTH AGAIN. William Sinclair a sailor was charged with using most abominable threats to Peter ChristiaD, boatswain on board the Lutterworth, yesterday morning. Peter Christian, boatswain of the ship Lutterworth, said he was on deck yesterday marning when he observed the prisoner shirking bis work He told him to do it properly, when he turned round and abused him—ending by threatening to rip him open. Thomas Eadington, mate of the ship, corroborated the language used. Sergeant Martin also gave evidence. Tbe prisoner admitted using the language, but pleaded as his excuse that, since he had been subpeened by the passengers in the case against the mate, he had been systematically ill-treated, and made to do the dirtiest of the work. He thought Englishmen should have English officers over them, not Dutchmen.

Their Worships considered the offence made out, and bound the prisoner over to keep the peace for three months, in his own recognizances of £20, and two sureties of £10 each.

The accused on being removed into custody aaid, " 1 hope nobody will bail me out; for I'd rather stay in prison than sail with that man again." POSTPONEMENT. Mr Laiahley said he appeared for the complainant in a case of alleged abusive language. Defendants's lawyer. Mr Joy, wished an adjournment till Tuesday to procure witnesses. He had no objection. The charge was on the sheet as Mosenstiet versus Henrickson. The case was allowed to stand over. The Police and Hotel-keepers-A VERY PRETTY CASE. William Evans, landlord of the Pacific Hotel, was charged with a breach Licensing Act, by illegally selling alcholic liquors to one Harriet Podesta, on Sunday, the Ist inst.

Constable Moore said he was passirjg the Pacific Hotel on Sunday night when he saw the bar open and heard voices talking inside. He called Constable Axam and entered the house by the back entrance. The landlord saw them coming and tried to shut the door in their face They effected an entrance, when they discovered five men in the passage. Three pints were standing on the accommodation bar, and Mrs Evans behind the bar was in the act of drawing another pint. The men went away leaving their beer. In the parlour were fonr men and two women with liquor before them. When asked if they wera travellers, one of them said he was a boarder. They knew the women well.

By Mr Heaketh : They entered the house by the back door. It was not dark at the time : it was half-pa3t eiuht o'clock, but the house was lighted up. He took down the names of those in the parlour, not those in the bar. Did not see any beer actually supplied.

Constable Axam was the next witness, and substantially corroborated the evidence of Constable Moore. When he and Moore went in, the men in the passage took the opportunity to skedaddle. They could not take their names. Saw Mrs Evans drawing a pint of beer. When in the parlour, he saw beer on the table before the men and women there. There was a part of a glass in front of Harriet Podesta. There was another female there. Both were notorious prostitutes.

By Mr ETesketh : Supposed Mr Evans tried to shut the door to prevent them getting in. Perhaps he and his companion were not very welcome. Perhaps Mr Evans did not like him any more than he (Mr Heaketh) did. Attributed his success in effecting an. entrance to being too smart for Mr Evans. He tasted the beer and had no doubt about what it was. It was genuine colonial brew. There was no doubt at all about it. He could swear to it by the look without tasting. Constable Axam, being pressed on the subject of his familiarit y v. ith colonial beer, gave it a mosb exec: eat character as a tipple for general use. Did not know many of the men who wei c the e t but knew the prostitutes well. The men's names might be' fictitious, but, as their Worships were aware, prostitutes were to be found at any time.

Harriet Fodesta, a good-looking female of equivocal appearance, and about twenty years old, was then sworn.

Mr. Broham : Your name is Harriet Po desta, I think ?

Witness (volubly) : Yes it is, and I went into the Pacific Hotel on Sunday night to get a letter wrote, and I didn't have any beer. I know what you are going to ask me. Mr. Broham intimated to the witness that she was rather too fast. She had better be content with answering the questions put to her.

Witness then went on with her evidence quietly for a time, but every now and again she would break out with pert and irrelevant rejoinders, which caused much amusement. Her story was that she and a lady friend named Annie Absolom went into the house to pay a visit to a servant in the establishment whose name was Blanche. No one went with them. She believed there were some persons in the parlour, but she wasn't sure. She wasn't supposed to know who they were, and had better manners than to stare people in the face whom she didn't know. She was always that way behaved, and didn't approve of impertinent curiosity. She Bhould fancy by the appearance of the people they were lodgers. Did not have any beer. Was quite sure of that. Mr Broham : Do you know Mr William Alexander ?

Witness (appearing to think intently): No. Mr Broham: Do you know Thomas Brown ?

Witness (sharply): No, I don't. Mr Broham : Perhaps you are acquainted with John Jones ?

Witness : You're " out" again. Mr Broham: Well, you know Patrick Tierney, I suppose ? Witness : I'm certain I don't.

Miss Podesta steadfastly maintained that she did not taste any beer iv the house on the Sunday " evening, and that her only object in entering the hotel was to get the servant to write her usual monthly letter to her mother in Italy, who was always very anxious to hear how she was getting on. She was positive that she never admitted to the constables when they came in that they had been supplied with beer in the house.

11The witness^ was confronted with Constables Axam and Moore, but though those officers fixed on her their most searching glance she did not quail, but merely gave back a look quite as steady, and tossing her head exclaimed, " Its no good your looking at me;" and turning to the Court, "I suppose they thought I'd had some liquor, but they were jolly well sucked in." (Roars of laughter.)

On Mr Broham trying to extract from the witness some evidence favourable to the proving of the charge, Mr Hesketh objected to the witness being treated as an adverse witness simply because she did not tell the tale of the prosecution. Their Worships ruled that the witness was adverse, and that Mr Broham'a efforts to obtain testimony were allowable. By Mr Hesketh : The servant's name was Blanche. She had promised witness on Saturday to write the letter next day She was only m the house about two minutes before the police came in. She did not know what alcoholic liquors" meant, but was quite certain she had no beer in the house Annie Aosolom, another young lady, the companion alluded to by the last w£ne3B, was sworn, and deposed that she went into the Pacific on Sunday evening with Miss Podesta. There was no one with them. They wentm through the back yard. They did not see anyone ia the yard. The door was open. From the kitchen they went into the little parlour, at the request of the servant I

There were some persons there, but she could not say who they were. Mr Br»ham : I believe the room is very small. Witness continued : She recollected the constables coming into the room. Did not remember seeing any beer on the table when they came in. There was no beer before her. She was as far from the table as from the witness-box to the clerk. She knew Detective Jeffrey, and had told him a few minutes before that there were glasses on the table, not beer. She did not notice whether there was any beer in the glass. She did not enter the house with any of the men present. There were no spirituous liquors supplied while she was in the house. Could not say how many glasses were on the table. They were empty as far as she could recollect. None of the men called for any drink while she was there. Did not soe Mr or Mrs Evans till after the police had gone. Was not in the house more than a quarter of an hour altogether. On Mr. Broham pursuing his examination in this direction,

Mr. Hesketh appealed to the Bench to decide whether the witness could be treated as an adverse witness ?

The Bench ruled that she could be. Dr. Home : You may depend on it the Bench will do their duty.

The witness, in conclusion, swore that she had not seen Mr. Evans since the Sunday. Had not talked with him over the case or with anybody else on his behalf.

By Mr Hesketh : While she was in the house there was no drink supplied to Harriet Podesta.

Mr Broham said that was his case. Of course he did nob expect a conviction on that evidence.

Mr Hesketh said there was little occasion for him to speak after the Inspector's observation.

Their Worships retired to consider their decision. On their return they dismissed the charge. This was all the business.