SLY LIQUOR.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 76, 23 December 1907, Page 9

SLY LIQUOR.

WOMAN APPEALS TO MAGISTRATE. (FBOM OUtt SI-KCIAI, COI!RIiSrONDENT.) Auckland, December 20. Mr. C. C.Kettle, S.M., at the Police Court to-day delivered judgment on, tho charges, of sly grog-selling preferred against Alfred Crosscy and his wife, of the Grey Street boarding house. After dealing.briefly with the nature} of tho charges, His Worship said the. question for him to consider was ono purely,of fact. Was ho to'ifccept tho testimony of the two constables 'who wont to tho boarding-houso; for'the oxprcss purpose of seeing what was going on and detecting sly grog-selling,, or was he, on tho other hand, to, a'ceopt the evidence of Mr. and Mrs. Crossey, and that which they had produced? I am confident," continued the Magistrate, " thattho evidenco of tho two constables is the evidenco of truth, and what took place as sworn to by them did take placo—in other words, I say that : Mr. and Mrs. Crosscy did soil' liquor for which' cash N v;as paid. * Tho accused will bo convicted' on both charges. On tho first thoy will.bo imprisoned for ono month, and on tho second for three months, the terms to be "concurrent.' It is ovident," added Mr. Kettle, "that these people took this boarding-houso with tho deliberate- object m view of starting a sly grog shop of tho very worst order. It is only heroic treatment that will put a stop to this kind of thing m Auckland; therefore,' I feel it my duty to givo the maximum penalty that tho law allows, and I shall continue to do so in oases of. this kind in this city." Sub-Inspector Gordon: "That is the only way' to copp with the traffic, Your Worship." Mrs. Crossey: "I havo two little bovs to look after. Give mo-the option of a'fine sir?", i • The Magistrate said ho thought tho Industrial School would bo tho best place for tho children. If was decided, however, to remand Mrs. Crossey until next morning. The polico then proceeded with the other charges of'"sly grog" soiling against tho male accused. The only now evidence called was that of Lizzie Clark, whoso statement corroborated that of Constables Shalders and Bradley -in man,y particulars. Accused was committed for trial on> nino of the charges, one being withdrawn. Tho defendant, Alfred Crqssoy, was arrested during yesterday, on a' charge of having obtained money from William Murdoch Cooke, licensee of tho Prince Albert Hotel, by means of a valueless cheque for £5. Detective M'Mahon asked for a remand for a week. Tho accused had been arrested on warrant, ho said. Mrs. Crossey: "It isn't fair, your Worship." . Accused: "I want to mako an explanation." ■ ' ■ Detective M'Mahon: "Thcro are other Charges pending." Accused was remanded for eight days, bail being allowed in accused's recognisance of £50 and sureties of a like amount. ' (BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Auckland, December 21. When Mrs. Crossey, who was yesterday found guilty of sly grog selling, was brought up at tho Polico Court to-day. she mado another- appeal for consideration, urging that she had been dragged into the sly grog business by Crossey, and that sho did not want to come up to Auckland from Wellington at all, but was forced to do so by her husband. -She further'explained that, since sho was thirteen years old, sho had boon mixed up in the liquor business in one way and another, and now " hated tho sight of it —it's a curse! " His Worship suggested that her hatred of it had led her, during the progress of tho present case, to put a good deal of it " out of sight," as she had shown tho effects of liquor on several occasions in Court. His> Worship ultimately decided, in response to the prisoner's appeals to ho spared the shame of prison, to convict and order her to come up for sentence when called upon. /.