MAGISTRATES' COURTS.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11505, 11 February 1903, Page 3

MAGISTRATES' COURTS.

Mr BeeHram, S.M., presided at 'the. Magistrate's' Court yesterday. INSOBBIErY. A. first offender wee fined fie and ooit» for 'dmufcenitew. . , t ■ ■ ; • THEFT. Charles Anderson, a youth, pleaded "Guilty" to ■ having, - on February "9th, stolen a- copper boiler, of the value of 14s, belonging to Mr A. W. Swift. Hβ was further charged with having damaged the brickwork in Order to remove tie boiler. Accused- waa convicted and placed on probation for two months. MMiNTENiANCE. William Oeborne, for whom Mr MoConnell appeared, was charged with failing to contribute towards the euppoti of two' of hie cMldren, wJbo were inmates of the Burnham Ipduetrial School. The defence J as tlidt the defendant litwi married a idow with a large family, that Mβ arerage earnings did not exceed two pounds a week, and that out of this amount he had/ to-keep a wife and four children, and keep up the interest on hie mortgage. Hie Worship adjourned the case in order that the defendant* wages sheet migJit be produced.

Edward Brown was charged with having , disobeyed,an order of the Court in regard to the maintenance of hk three children at Burnham, and with being £35 in arrears in respect of the earne. Accused said that during the intervale he spent out of gaol he. had no chance ■to save anything. He was fined 40s, with the alternative.of four-,-teen days' imprisonment. ' ' ■' In Wilkinson v Wilkinson, the charge wae that Wilkinson had deserted -his wife and daughter. Mx Donnelly appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr Creswell for the defendant. The plaintiff said that her lntfhand had struck her, thrown her out of the bouse when clad only in a nightdress, come home drunk, and performed other acts of cruelty. She and her daughter were destitute. In. cross-examimat'ion, the plaintiff admitted that she had parted from her hut* band on the beet of terms, .and had then eoldpart of Hμ furniture and gone to Wellington, .where she entered domestic service. Plaintiff admitted having .broken a candlestick on her husband, -and. having pelted him off the place with stones. Mr OressweU said it was impossible for the pefc to live togetner, and' that it was for his Worship to apportion .the amount of main* tenance. His Worship settled the husband's contribution at twelve shillings per week.