LAW REPORTS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1886, 21 October 1913, Page 3

LAW REPORTS.

-4 lower court. TENTACLES OF CHINESE BAND. CRIP OF PAK-A-POO. THE PICTURE DRAWN IN COURT. A vivid portrait of gambling leprosy was painted by Inspector Hendrey in the Magistrate's Court yesterday, when four Chines© pleaded guilty to charges of having kept houses in Haining Street as common gaming-houses. "This pakapoo business is assuming very large proportions," he said. "There is a band of men. whom I can only call a band of Chinese" spielers, stretching their tentacles out over the whole locality. Nearly every house in Haining Street is a gaming-house, and you can find respectable European boys in these men's dens. You had a number of men fined here some little time ago, but it has not checked the evil. It is still growing. I nm informed that there are as many as eight banks drawn in a day. The stupid people who go m for this do not know whether tho drawing is fair or unfair. They are simply in the hands of a band of men who are a curso to their own countrymen and a danger to the whole community. Jlr. R. M. Watson remarked that all this had nothing 'to do with the cases

under consideration. Mr. W. G. Riddell, S.M.: It cannot affect the penalty. , . ' Mr. Watson declared that his clients were respectable men', and that they had got into tho business by chance. To support this he called Detective-Ser-geant Cassells. ' Detective-Sergeant Cassells deposed that the accused were "all decent, quiet men." They were simply agents of tho bankers in Haining Street. They ran the risk, and got a penny for every ticket they sold. After remarking that the accused were liable to a fine of £100, His Worship entered a penalty of £20 against each of them. He allowed them a day s time in which to find the amount, and fixed tho default at ono month's imprisonment. Tho accused were: Loo King (No. 21 Haining Street), Kat Lee (No. 5), Ah-Wong (No. 9), and Ah Yung (No. 39). Distrain on Bail Depo3it? Later in the day Mr. Watson raised an unusual question. He said that while tho accused were on remand Joe You Wall, a storekeeper, had deposited £400 as bail money to release them. The court officers now proposed to distrain on that amount, but the four accused had elected to go to gaol. Tho money belonged not to tho accused, but to Joe You Wall. His Worship will consider this question this morning. Boys and Workmen in the Dens. William Tonge, Abraham Jones, and James Donnelly were each fined £2 for having been found in No. 5 Haining Street, on the night on which the house was raided by tho police, and Arthur Leonard was similarly lined respecting

No. 39. . . Inspector Hendroy said that with the exception of Tonge, who was a hoy, tho accused wore labouring men, who had caught the get-rich-quick spirit and drifted into these dons. Another boy, James Burdette, pleaded not guilty to a charge of haying been found in No. 5. Mr. E. J. Fitzgibbon, who appeared for him, raised the pointthat the boy was not there for any unlawful purpose, and said that he had gone in with a friend. The Court reserved decision. HIS RECORD. '

"OUT OF GAOL & IN AGAIN." Once more the familiar figure of George Hastings occupied the dock. The theft of a shilling tin of tobacco from the shop of Ah Tong was alleged against him. Ah Tong and Constable Sheahon : v.-ero the witnesses in support of the - charge. Hastings made a bold denial, J and declared that the Chinese had "a ( set" on him. Ho added that lie bought j the tobacco for eightpence from a man in the street. i "That is an old story," said the Mag- j istrate. "Last time you wcro here you ( said that the police had a down on you: now yon say that this Chinese iias a down on you. Yon come hero under a handicap; you have been hero so often. You have been hero frequently for petty theft—things valued at, ' from Is. to ss. ' Hastings: It stands to reason that 1 j didn't steal it. I wouldn't do it. TliOlngistrato: I really don t know what to do with you. It is no use sending you to gaol; you 110 sooner come out than you go in again. Hastings: Becauso 1 don t gefc a chance. I don't want to £0 to gaol. I am not in very good health. The Magistrate: You will be fined £1. OTHER CASES. THE STQRY OF A STOLEN* SHEEP. "Drink is not the excuse; but the explanation." Thus Mr. T. M. TViLord, counsel for William Hughes, wlfo pleaded guilty to the theft of a sheep carcass from the Wellington Meat Export Company's works at Ngahauranga, Shortly after 9 o'clock one night (according to Chief-Detective Broberg) the night-watchman at the Meat Company s premises found Hughes making oft with tho carcass of a sheep on his shoulder. Hughes, added the detective, was married, and had one child. He was in poor circumstances, and probably took the meat for food. "He was drunk," said Mr. .Wilford. "I think tho best thing to do is to issuo a prohibition order against him. It sometimes happens that men drink too much when out of work—just tno time when they should not." The Magistrate: The Chief-Detective says that defendant is in poor circum- , stances. He managed, however, to get drink. , .. Mr. Wilford: Many a man will stand i another a drink, when they won't buy him a feed. ' Hughes was fined £1.

THE IDLER. An alleged idler, John O'Donoghuo, who was found "dossing" in a railway truck, was charged with being a rogue and a vagabond, and he received a sentence of thrco months' imprisonment. THEFT CHARGES. For insobrioty, Florence O'Donoghuo was lined 10s., and sho was ordered to appear for sentonco when called on respecting a conviction for tho theft or a piece of meat. John David Speight was remanded till to-morrow on two charges of tho theft of overcoats and a charge of insobriety. Ho pleaded not guilty. THE TEAPOT. Henry Edward Hartwoll pleaded not guilty to a cliargo of having stolen an electro-plated teapot belonging to Henry Lucas. He was convicted, and fined £2. Tho police evidence was to tho effect that Lucas's child had taken the teapot on to tho street, and there Harcourt had seen it, and misappropriatod it. He had oersuadsd the

'keeper of a milk shop to buy it for 2s. FAMILY MATTERS. Henry Edwards was fined £1 for having trespassed in a house in which his vvifo (from whom lie is separated) resides. ' ... For disobedionco of a 'maintenance order, William Henry T. Pipe was sentenced to one month's imprisonment; and Thomas Asher was convicted and ordered to find a £G0 security. William Waters was ordered to pay 3s. per week towards tho support of a relative, who is in a house of detention. r