MAGISTRATE'S COURT

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 26, 25 October 1919, Page 3

MAGISTRATE'S COURT

HAMSTRINGING A COW CHARGE AGAINST AH LEE Ah lee, an aged Oriental, whose knowledge of growing vegetables stood out in. strikim; contrast to his acquaintanceship of the subtleties of law, figured in tho dock at the Magistrate's Court yesterday j before,Mr. K. Page, S.M., charged with cruelly ill-treating a cow, the property of Telford and Bone, dairymen, Miramar. it appeared from tho evidence produced by the prosecution thnt Ah Lee was the right-hand man of Yip Wall, who owned a market garden at Minimal' on property adjoining that of Telford' and Bone. The hitter's cows had a penchant for Yip Wall's cabbages, and frequently they crossed the Rubicon in the shape of a wire fence, and dined off the products of tho garden. Ah Lee and his employer frequently downed tools and chased- the offending quadrupeds back through the fence. On a recent Sunday Ah Lee's meditations were disturbed by the sight of four cows and two calves belonging to his European neighbours grazing hi his employer's treasured ' cabbage patch. He gave chase to the animals, and in doing so struck one of them on the leg with. a sharp-edged spado. The cow was missed; and several days later it was found lving in some grass on Yip Wall's pro-, po;-ly in n helpless condition, it linving been hamstrung. All this time it had received neither food nor water, and at the instance of Inspector Henry, of tho S.P.C.A.. it was shot. Questioned by a mounted constable, Ah I.ee had mado tlie following statement:—"Cow in garden every (lav and eat cabbage. Mo hit. it with spade. Me did not. mean to hurl. him. Mo sorry." In his statement to the Court, All Lee said that after he struck the cow he did know he had seriously hurt it, and lie did not cee it again until it w;>.s destroyed. Tho cows were the worn- of his otlierwiso placid existence. Cross-examined, Ah Lee said that his wages were .£2 ss. a week, and, further, iliat if the Court imposed a fine Yip Wall would payMr. Mellisli, who defended Ah Lee, submitted that J-he prosecution had failed to show that the injur;/ was wilfully inflicted. and therefore must fail. H's Worship held otherwise, and fined tho defendant the maximum amount, ,£2O, with costs.,£4 Sis., and also ordered lum to par -£18 compensation to the owners of the cow. Default was fixed at one month's imprisonment. Mr. 0. Mas®!l- - prosecuted on behalf, of the S.P.C.A., and Mr. Salek represented the owners of the animal.

TITEFT OF AN OVERCOAT. A hawker .named Charles M'Caulhy was arraigned' on a_ charge of .stealing an overcoat; 1 the valuo of .£3, the proriertv of Alfred Moody. It appeared that on Fridav last the complainant had_occaeion to visit Messrs. Luke and l\-cn-nedv's offioe. Before entering he left his overcoat at the door. As he passed in he casually noticed a man who had in his pos?e»s*ion a hunch or firtulcial flowers; including some- fine white specimens. His business concluded, the plaintiff prepared to leave the oilice, only to find that his overcoat had vanished, and bv n peculiar coincidence the individual with the (lowers had also disappeared. The noli'-'" were notified, and Plainclothes Constable. Holmes, with an cyo open for a vendor of artificial Hovers, riiadfl the rounds of .the-city. The coat, was found in a pawnbroker's shop, ami the accused (Moody) was. subsequently identified bv the constable on account of his association • with things aesthetic Moody, who has been convicted ot thett nn six occasions since 190", was sent to saol for three months. , ' "KiNTOiif) SPIRITS."' • , The recent' "joy-riding'' escapade of two voutlis was again' mention®!, when F. l'alletle was brought up on two charges of'lhelt and one of wihul damage to property. Detective-Sergcant Eaw.le explained tlml; .Pallctte was tho companion of the youth' Watt convicted oil September 1!) last in connection with the disappearance of. Mr. D. S. . Patrick s motor-car. ' The car was taken irom Mr; 'Patrick's garage by the two accused, who used up the gasoline it contained m driving it about the country. In tho course of their "tour" they also stole gasoline from a motor-lorry abandoneu l>v Mr. Moore in tho Ngahauranga Gorge. Hence Hie charges. The. reason for tlie dcla> in bringing IVilleltc to justice to that ho -had disappeared from Wellington after the ofTcnct) was committed. "Is there.any diflerence," asked the Magistrate, "in' the two youths" "No, Sir," replied "the* art, just kindred spirits." llis Worship convicted Pallette on all three ! cliarsci. and imposed penalties totalling JEll 14s. An order was made directing tiie accused to pay this sum off at tho rate of .CI per week. AN EXPENSIVE' NAM?. It.. T. Bickerton, was charged with having committed n broach of the Medical Practitioners' Act, hi respect of which his counsel, Mr. Mellish, entered a plea of guilty.' Sub-Inspector Emerson said tlia.t in April last the defendant inserted in the "Marlborough Express," in two isuss, an advertisement setting out that "Dr. J|. T. Bickerton, M.P.0.C., G. 1.0., scientific optlialmic optician," was open for consultation. Bickerton also had printed professional cards bearing tho same words. Seeing that tho defendant was'not a'registered mcdicai practitioner it iins an offence on his part to adopt tho prefix "doctor." When first interviewed by' the polico on tho subject, Bickerton had held tlmt lie was justified in his action, but sinco then he had apparently been legally advised to tho contrary. Mr. Mollish. pointed out that the defendant had acted in ignonuico of' tho law! lie was a fully-qualified optician, being the'holder of an American diploma, "Doctor of Optics," .and lie had thought that, on the strength of this he was entitled to call himself "Doctor Bickerlan." In inflicting a line of • .to, the Magistrate said he had taken into account the fact that tho defendant .had acted in ignorance.

"NO CHANCE IN LIFE." Charges of being an idle and disorderly person, in that she habitually consorted with undesirables, and of-being a rogue and vagabond, - having boon previously convicted as an kilo and disorderly person, weTe admitted by a young woman named Winifred Stanton. According to Sergeant Lopdell the girl had never had a, elrnneo in life. Tho Magistrate convicted her and ordered her to come up for sentence when cal'led upon within twelve months, on condition that she remained in the Mount Magdala Home during that period. Edith Potter, who was al.-o charged with vagrancy, was eiiiiilarly dealt with,, conditional 011 her reiiuvaiing in the. Salvation 'Army Home, . ALLEGED ADULTERATED MILK. Hoy Whifitinglon,- an ox-employeo of the City Mill; Supply, was charged with selling adulterated milk. Inspector F. M. Dawlinson testified that lie took two samples from tho defendant. The parentage of fats in one (the official) sample were K.G and 5.2, whereas those in the second sample were 13.04 and 7.74. The inference Vaa, stated tho witness, that TVhittington had skimmed the milk and placed tho cream for his own use in the can from which the second sample was taken. Tho defendant, in evidence, denied having tampered with tho milk, and blamed n small boy assistant for anything that, had occurred. Ho (defendant) had been dismissed from his employment on account of (110 trouble. Tliti information was dismissed, tho Magislrate remarking nt the «ime time that the charge was a very suspicious 0110. OTHER CASES. . • For insohrioty, Eva Mary MatUon was .fined .£l, and Alexander Milne ss. On a further' charge of having committed an iiidecont act in .Quinn Street, Mi'.jio was also lined £2. William Lewis Sliley was fined "is. for drunkenness and .A- for having coinmitted a breach of his prohibition order. A breach of a prohibition order was also admitted by J. Wallace, who was fined il. ' Charged with Sunday' trading, Percy Holt, who made 110 appeaarnco, was penalised in the sum of .CI on each of two informations. /

Moo Yeii, who admitted a charge of selling cigarettes to a boy _ under 15 years of age,' was lined ill, with costs 7s. On a. charge of failing to register a change of ownership in a car, Percy Otto von Hartitizsch was fined .£l, and cost 3. A remand to October SB was granted in the case of .Tames M'Laughlin, who was charged that on .September ,1 last at Wellington he did knowingly and wilfully make a false declaration to the Urgistrar of Marriages, Wel.ington, that his intended bride was f-nrait Ash, aged 21 years, he well knowing her name to Ik? Elizabeth Ash, and her age 17 years, for the purpose of procuring the f<ud certificate. ~ IJernard Mansey ami I*'. S. C. A. Donnellow.l who were charged with the theft of a bicycle valued at .£l2, the property, of some person or persons unknown, were remanded to October 29, v