MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 936, 1 October 1910, Page 14

MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

: ■. (Before Mr. W. G.'Riddell, S.M.) HAPPY FOR A WEEK ONLY. ■ : YOUNG COUPLE PARTED. "The evidence will disclose brutality that is, not usually dealt • with in this Court-," remarked Mr.-'P. Jackson yesterday morning in the . Magistrate's Court, in connection with a story of domestic .'.trouble;' which caused the ap-. pearance of a . young man. named William Wat-kins, a bill-poster by trade. He was charged with assaulting Eva, Wat-kins, his wife, and pleaded net guilty.' He . was .not -.represented ,by counsol.. ■ ;■■■.'■■ v.':- '. '.' : ' Mr." Jackson . stated . that- ho would bring forward ' conclusive evidence as : to the mariner .in 1 which . accused had treated his wife, and would ask • that, in addition to; any penalty that might: : be. imposed,..accused, should be. ordered •to ■ find. sureties, to .- keep; the peace with respect to his' wife,. who was in actual dread of hor life. . Eva Watkins stated that slio was only 22-years of. age, andhad ,- been in 'New' Zealand, "about '/two" years., She, had known Watkins about- four months, and - they were- married on' September 19 last. .They, took rooms -in King Street, and for, a. weeklived -happily : to- 1 get-her: At the. time of the-' marriagewitness ', had":: £30in the" 'bank,';, saved:from; hw .wagesi.;-:iShe gave-her husband £20 lis.< 3d. to buy furniture, but most of:.it' ; he had spent in drink. On Tuesday last'ho . .exhibited jealousy;. and alleged- miscbriduct,/against her,, .threat-, emng: to "use the table knife. Next day he threatened to cut her head right ; .'off . unless • she ate her dinner... Ho tried-to • sharpen the;knife on the; poker,-, 'and;'--then;; actually.'-: drew .it:,across'her throat. .Finally, on the Wednesday night .witness became terrified; and fled to her.'motlier's home in Hopper Street.: Accused'' followed licr. to. the: house, and . as' a. -result' :of . the disturbance which he, caused,-: the .police- had- been ■called iin.v/ - 'r Eliza Gibson'} mother | of, complainant, and: iSainuel/.'Charles I .Gibsonj"'her; step-. father, 1 gavd;corfoborative'eyidehce.'7!iei; former stated that '■ on "'account'; of ac-, -sh'e';fouhd tit. necessary .to strike': .and.'.soi.came the black eye with -.which his' facewas at present. marked. _; The '-Magistrate: : :_Did : drink before he 'was married ? • '. ■; •

; ' Mrs; 'Gibs6'ril uovor saw hirii "drunk." Ho said could drink all day without • any.bno noticing him. ■ v The, Magistrate: That- : was .rather a good recommendation. -.''' • .- ; Wheri i complainant's case,had closed 'accused asked for a week's hail, but was informed that ha could, not have; it at (that In the witness-box lie. stated that he. had only pushed his. wife, arid she had then run home to her - mother. - He: admitted that lie had been drinking "during the',week, ; and that the trouble liad been caused by his jealous 'state !of mind. /It was true tliat. ho. tools up/a .knifo on Tuesday, but not on tho Wednesday. ■ : '■• : Ilia Worship remarked that it was an 'extraordinarj'; case. Here was a young • man, aged' 25, and in steady employment. rHejhad got married,/and'within fcforini'gKt'";there .had come this trouble. Accused ! had 'spent his.-. wife's money apparently,;m drink. His' Worship did : riot;'- at'; present - propose .to ■ ' imprison' him, oreveii'-ihflict a .monetary penalty) al^Kough':'tho' ; assaultj.had been proved. A/pJrohißitibn,';Order. would, issue, against hihlforonb/year, and Ire would be .'c'on- : ; yictedjand iprdered. to como up for sentence,. when / called upon. If his wife had .tb.bnrig hjm before /the Court again he ; ]would- bo penalised, for: this offence. He would have'to enter into a bond of £40 and find two sureties of £20 -that ho would keep peace towards his wife, /and : would 'haye ;to pay her solicitor's fee of £1 Is. No time would bo allowed in which to find tho. money. ...

; LIQUOR-IN NO-LICENSE AREA. ■ Two alleged, breachos of the Licens;ingi Act were'heard yesterday, morning. Henry James Poters was charged with that on September : ,9 1 : he"/did send liqubr intoia :No-i-iiceriseV area,' suclivliquor riot' being properly labelled. Alfred Usmar. was' charged..with .that on. September,9 at Wellington', lie did /deliver/ liquor 'iri a No-License area, sueß hquor not be-; ing properly labelled, Sub-Irispectgr 'Norwood conducted tho prosecution, arid; Mr. A.. Fair'appeared for tho defence; ■•/. Both charges : were taken /; together.- \ ; ./Eyidence: by Sergearit Mathiesori arid' Constable Taylor was to the effect that .on the'' date ;iri' ■ question TJsmar's' cart' was stopped in Newtown, and a case was discovered: with bottled beer and one bottle of. whisky. The case was not labeUed, -but .' was' branded "Begg's whisky.",; ;Usraar, Lwho/is a driver em-ployed-..byi Wollermanand; Co., - was -taking-':the liquor to the residence of Peters, .who is manager for Wollerman and Co.:. . The/Act permits a certain amount of .liquor to be taken into a- No-License area .for'pers'onal use, and this particular / section was referred to by Mr. Fair, for the defence. Peters, he stated, was: in the habit •of carrying homo tho liquor himself,: but on this occasion the cart happened to be going that way, and Usmar volunteered -to take , the case,- but was not paid for so doing. If there had been an offence it-was an innocent one. ■ ■■ , ■ His Worship said that tho case was not i ah' ordinary one,- where ono person sent. liquor into a No-License area to some other pei-son. Decision- , would thereforo be reserved, till' Monday: next.'

. PERMITTED OPIUM SMOKING. Sue Young was charged, on the information of. the Collector of Customs' (Mr. C. S. Nixon) with permitting the smoking of opium at l'otone. ■ : Mr. Gracroft Wilson, on behalf of accused, entered a.plea of guilty, and asked for leniency. The Minister was asking for the full penalty of £10, but, if that were imposed, it would mean that accused would have to go to gaol. Accused was only in business as a laundryman, and had a wifo to - keep.; Hitherto he had been a law-abiding citizen: : The _ Collector of Customs said he did not wish to pross for a heavy penalty. His Worship imposed a fine of £3, with costs, 75., in default 14 days' imprisonment.'

ASSAULT. John William Collins was charged with assaulting Donald Grear at Porirua,on August 29. Mr. P. Jackson, .who' appeared for' accused, asked leave to withdraw a plea of not guilty, and to enter" one of guilty. When the case had first been brought forward, Collins was under a jnlsa£prehenßion as to, the

person whom lie was charged with assaulting,' but, when ho saw complainant in;. court,., he recognised "the mistake. Mr. Jackson asked that leniency be extended to his client, as the evidence showed that the assault was not a serious affair, and Collins had apparently had the worst of it. His Worship imposed a fine of 205., and ordered accused to pay £1 6s. 10d., complainant's railway fare from Feild- ; ing to Wellington, in default I' 4 days' imprisonment. • ; - ' INSOBRIETY. Patrick Ruddy pleaded guilty to entering licensed premises during the currency of a., prohibition. order, and'was fined 405., with costs'7s., in default seven days' imprisonment. Lavinia Beard, for breach of a , prohibition order, was fined 205., with costs 95., in 'default seven days'; imprisonment. Jesse, Underwood," on . a . charge.'of drunkenness; w'as: convicted . and , discharged. For breach of a prohibition order, the same accused was fined 205., in default seven days' imprisonment. Henry Wilson,; alias; Gunthorpe, alias Preston, who , appeared in court. with a pair of black eyes, was "deemed, to be an habitual inebriate, and was .sentenced to'-21 • days'; imprisonment. Sarah Ackerman,; for drunkenness, was fined os., with the alternative of 24 hours' imprisonment. A first offender was similarly dealt with. - • ( MAINTENANCE.. ; The case against Edward Brown for disobedience of a maintenance order was adjourned for a month. A similar ad-j jourument-was granted' in a case against I J. H.- Warner, • for; disobedience of;an', order.. ;• OTHER CASES. . Tor. leaving, a vehicle unattended for more than five minutes, Albert Garbes was fined 10s., with, costs 7b., in default 48 -hours' • imprisonment. .-- ; For boarding; a; .tramcar .. while... m motion, Robert .Mack'ay was'fined '55:, ; ; withcosts 135., ".in'default 48. hours' imprisonment. •r For. failing to close.his shop at 1 on Wednesday,. September ,14, .Daniel Coronno was-fined ;10s., with .costs .9s/,' in default 48 ;hours'';impfisonnient: ' .'' Stanley Alfred. Clench was. fined 10s. j with ; .75:,. ;iri "default 24 hours* Imprisonment,,.; for - failingsto |allow.':''a; night'.; portfer '.a ;half-hdliday ; .■ in'.' accord;, ance'with tho. Act. , '•.."