MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 886, 4 August 1910, Page 2

MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

(Before Mr..W. G. Eiddell, S.M.)

A STIFF FINE. . THE USUAL SUNDAY CASE. For some time past the police' have been using every endeavour to suppresa • sly grog-selling "camps," and have been somuwhirt successful. Essential parties in thin illicit busines arc individuals, known an'-"lighthouses."' They have nc fixed abode, but simply wander about tho public thoroughfares, principally on • Sundays and after closing hours on other days, carrying beer from the selling ■"camps", lor those who care to pay oightpcnpeiico or two shillings a bottle for it. "■ I . ■ ' ,'

A man named Sydney Phillips, who ■ waa caught red-handed, appeared.in the court yesterday charged with unlawfully selling beer, to Robert Henry Gray, iiii contravention of the Licensing Act. Th* defendant pleaded not guilty, and Sir,; P. W. Jackson appeared on his behalf. ,• Constable Gray stated that, on Sunday' morning, July HI, l'lulwtionw Slcetn and himself wero in the vicinity of the Ter- • minus Hotel corner in Courtqnay Place; A man unknown to him joined thorn,and, later, they met accused. The mat- 1 ' ter of getting liquor was talked about;-' and witness handed'Phillips 3s. to pnK cure Bomp. Phillips wont up the street, and, in a few minutes, returned withj two bottles of beer. One. bottle- was consumed on the spot; tho other was* handed over to Sergeant Eutledgo. To Mr. Jackson: Probationers wcro sent out to obtsin liquor from anyone they could. Witness and Probationer Sleeth were dressed as ordinary labouring men. They met , accused in the

morning, but it was not until the afteri noon that he sold them "the beorJ Spencer was the name of the man who! ivas with Probationer Sleeth and him•«ff (witness), and ho (Spencer).informed; witness of persons likely to - procure liquor. ... /

Corroborative evidence was given bfl \Villiaui Joseph Sleeth, police proba* tioner.. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ . Mr. Jackson asked his Worship to disf miss the case on the grounds that the information was one of "selling" liquor, whereas tho accused had only "proJ cured" liquor. The probationer handedi necused 35., and asked him to get eomei beer, and. Spacer told accused wheres it could bo obtained. That being so, iti was Spencer who was the actual procurer. • ■■■ ■ ■•■■..■ .■ -.-, - ■:■• '■ ' His Worship considered that there was, r case to' be answered. Accused might foe tho ngent or. nssisitiint o< , cuincone selling liquor, and, in that case, ho would bo equally liable with tho actual ofct'euder. ' . . • Sydney Phillips, in giving evidence, said that he procured the-beer for tho probationers from a Mrs. Baker, and did not get anything out of tho sale. The 3s. was given, to a Jlr. Anderson,who resided at Mrs. Biker's houw). 'Hβ did not know Mrs. Baker, and was not In hot <>ui])loj'. . ; . His Worship entered.a conviction. Ac« ensed would bo lined .£lO, with costs 75., in default twenty-one days , imprison* inent. An application for leave to appeal wns granted. Security , was ' fixed at JS7 :l ia, above the amount of tho fino.

. A TODNG MAN'S LAPSE. '.' A young man named William Childa Hart pleaded guilty to the theft of a ■ bicycle at Wellington in May last, valued \ at .Sα,' the property of Frederick Wil< . liam Hankin and another; also to steal.: ing a silver watch valued at w£2 10s. from :\ Frederick Shaw, at Cashmere, : between April 20 and 22 last. l Mr. P. W. Jack-.-; sou appeared tor accused. ■'■-■-. ' Chief Detective Broberg stated that, .' after stealing the watch, accused came ■ on to Wellington and sold it to a man . named Armstrong who pawned it for CS, ■■ Several days later, accused stole the bicyV cle and sold.it for 8s to a second-hand ■' dealer. ' ■" '

Mr. Jackson asked for,, 'leniency anoV.' mentioned that accused had stolen tho ". a- tides for the purpose of raising enough. ■' money to'enable him to proceed up coun> ' try in search of employment. , ' For the theft of the watch' accused was convicted and ordered to come up; .for sentence, when called on, on Condi- X tion that ho'repaid the 6s. For stealing.? the bicycle,'he,was fined, Sl, and ordered > to refund the sum of Bs., which he hid ' sold it for. :'■.■■ '■'.■■ ■■'■■. ROBBING A. FRIEND. Sydney Joseph Williams admitted ths theft of JCIO from- Leonard M'Kelvey on . July 30. Mr. H. Buddie appeared io« accused. . ■•.-.: Sub-Inspector Norwood said that the accused, a youth of eighteen years, was/ working with M'Kelvey for a Mr. War., dell at Karori South. The was missed by M "Reive/ from his trousers. ' pocket on July 30, and on being ques-, tioned accused' admitted his guilt. All .'. the money, excepting £1 2s. 10d., hadv been recovered; The accused had borne ': a good character previously and his em- , : ployer was prepared to take him back. .After admonishing the young man his "'. Worship convicted him and ordered him. to come up for sentenco when called upon,]', on condition that ho repaid the .£1 2a, ■ tod. , ■■.'-. ~ : '■.... \ FALSEDECLARATION. ; ; Mary M'Aneny, alias Wilson, appeared , ' in answer to a charge of having, on Fob-.. , /' ruary 13 of last year, made a false. de-Y elaration to the Registrar of Birth, Marriages, and Deaths, with respect to her •■■ Illegitimate cLilel. lit, T. 41. Wilford .; appeared for accused. • -.■:'.'.■'.

Gilbert Graham Hodgkins; Registrar '.. of Births, Marriages, and Deaths for the ' Wellington district, said that accused re- •' gistere'd the birth of her child on ■ Feb- , . rnary 13 of last year, and gavo her-name '.' ns Mary Wilson,, wife of .John. Arthur Wilson. She also stated that they werev married;on June 11, 1!)05,.at Auckland. . ; John Arthur Wilson stated that he was not'married'to.-accused. * - ' Accused pleaded guilty and was com- ; milted for sentence to the Supreme Court, bail being allowed in her own \ recognisance of. ilO. ' ■, CRUELTY TO A HORSE. Herbert Edward Ambridge pleaded guilty to ill-treating a horse by workins" it in harness.while suffering from a sow ; back, and was , fined ,£2, in default soveu days', imprisonment. Defendant was allowed seven days in which to pay the fine. . ' ' INSOBRIETY. - . .... For insobriety John Marshall was v lined 10s. with tho option of, 48 hours' imprisonment. Mary Burnip, on a similar charge was fined 55., or 4S hours. John Vincent, previously convicted., was again charged with drunkenness and remanded till August 6 for curative treatment. ' ■'.-'. - . • . ■■: ! " Two first offenders were fined 55., with' the usual alternative.