MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1714, 3 April 1913, Page 9

MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

(Before ■ Mr. W. Ci. I{idtlell, S.M.j ATTEMPTED BURGLARY. A COMMITTAL FOR SENTENCE./ ' ' Before Mr. W. G. Riddell, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court yesterday, «' young mail, aged 21 years,' named Edward Raffles Bentley, was charged -with having •in his possession an. instrument for tho purposes of breaking into the premises of tho Winflyor Billiard, Parlour in Chow's Lane, aiul with intent to commit crime. : Fred. William .Needham, manager of tho Windsor Billiard Parlours, stated in ovidenco that 011 the night of March 27 ho locked up tile parlours, leaving about „£SO in'money 0)1 thd proniises;. [ . Maxwilliiiim Juriss, liightwntchman, said that ho was oil duty on tho niplit of March 27, and morning of March 28. As ho ■ came round from Victoria Street into Chew's Lane at'-about 4.15 a.m. on March 28 he noticed accused silting down ill front of the doors leading to tho Windsor Billiard Parlours, pretending to bo asleep.! Witness apked him what ho was doing, and the accused replied that ho was "jiist taking a rest." Witness then signalled a passing: coiistablc, and. when accused' saw tho -policeman coming ho ran off down Chow's La no into Victoria Street. AVitness and itho constable then pursued the accused, and found'him in a vacant section at tho back of a building behind Customhouse Street. • When tho accused started to run witness noticcd a bar of iron (produced) wedged between the two'doors. Inroply to a quostion put by. witness, accused Baid that "Jio wanted to break' in to get a few shillings to go away.'* Accused also said he "had just come down from tho hill"—meaning tho Terraoo Gaol. There wero marks on tho door showing that tho pieco of iron had been used in an endeavour to open tho door.. . " Constablo Thompson stated ithat at 4.30 a.m. on March 28 ho was passing Chew's Lane, in Willis Street, when he noticed someone down tho lane. Ho heard witness, Juriss,- call oitt "Come on," and blow Ills whistlo. Witness searched accused, and found an open knifo in his coat pocket. This concluded the evidence. The accused pleaded guilty, and was committed to tho Sttpromo Court for sentence. THEFT OF BICYCLES. Charles Marshall Fyffo pleaded guilty to chargos of the theft "of three bicycles, of a total value of .£ls. Two of the bicycles had been recovered, but tho third' was still missing. Tho accused, according to police evidonce, had stolen the bicycles, and then sold itlieui to second-hand dealers. The accused wa9 a qualified chemist. . Mr. W. Perry, who appeared for tho defence, stated that tho accused, tit tho time ho was studying for his chemist examinations, had suffered considerably from insomnia. Lifter ho took to drinlc, and also became subject to tho drug habit. Counsol contended that at tho timo oocusod committed tho thefts, he did not know what he was doing. Hia Worship fined accused 20s. oil the first and Second charges,- in default seven days' imprisonment i on tho third charge, tho accused was remanded until 10-day, as no owner as yet had boon found for tho bicyelo. A CHANCE TO REFORM. • John Anslow, who follows tho occupation of a night porter, was chEtrged with having committed the theft of «£2 lis., in' monoy, tho property of Henry D. Bodson, proprietor of tho Now Zealauder Hotel. Detective Broberg explained that accused'had been given the sum of £2 by Mr. Dodson on tho night of March 2 to use as change,, in caso anybody should conio in during, tho night requesting n bed. Tho following morning tho accused had disappeared. Somo days later ho came to the Dotectivo office and gave himsolf in charge. Ho is a widower, aged 30 years, and his child is coming out from London to join him. His Worship convictcd tho defendant, and ordered him to oomo up for sentence when called upon, tho money to be re-. funded. FURTHER REMANDED. Fitzgorald Clark, who was represented by Mr. W. Perry, was further remanded until March !l, on a charge of assaulting Edward Doherty, so as to cause him actual bodily harm. lnspocbor Hendry stated that Doherty Was still in the itospital, and had been thoro since tho day of. the assault, March (I, but was slowly regaining his health, and would bp discharged from th® institution in tho coul'so of a fow daye. On tho application of accused's ccun-

sjJ; " ,c bail was mluml from .£IOO to I J-WO, or two sureties of JiGO each. THEFT 01'' WEARING APPABKL. Martin Johansen pleaded guilty to iiu IC ri. af k* DS theft. Tho offences were: i.licit of a skirt valued nt-2s. lid., the property of Alex. Dimdore; theft of 0110 pair of boots, valued at 83. Gd„ the property of Henry Edwards; theft of one pair of trousers, vtdticd at 3s. lid., the property or Isaac Solomons. The accused was fined 20s. on eae'.i charge, in default -even days' imprisonment. A NEW SOUTH WALES CASE. Sarah Myers, a ' middle-aged woman, was charged that on December 1, 1912,' in New South AVales, being tho bailee of. certain property, to wit, a quantity of household furniture and effects, valued at ~£57 145., the propjrty of George Goldsmith, she did fraudulently convert the same to her own vise. Chief Detective Broberg'stated that tho accused liad been arrested on Monday on a provisional warrant, and a remand until Friday was desirable. His Worship granted the remand, and allowed bail in the sum of ,CIOO, or two sureties of .£SO each. OTHER POLICE CASES. John Henry Garrick nnd William James Smith, who endeavoured to elude the payment of their fares on the steamer Uliuuu-oa 011 the journey from Sydney to Wellington, wpro each fined JL'o, in default 0110 month's imprisonment.