SUPREME COURT. YESTERDAY.

Evening Post, Issue 259, 6 December 1865, Page 2

SUPREME COURT. YESTERDAY.

(Before his Honor Judge Johnson.) Michael Neil was charged with stealing a gold watch and chain from William Kenrick, ac Wangrfnui. Hugh M'Grotty, barman at the Commercial Hotel Wanganui, deposed to having seen prisoner take a watch out of Kenrick's breast pocket, and put it in his own ; witness heard prisoner asking Kehrick to give' it up to take care of , as he was the worse for drink, but did not hear the reply ; prisoner left the hotel a short time before Kenrick, Charles Frale, sworn— l am a private in' the 18th Royal Irish ; I know the prisoner j I saw him one day in the Commercial Hotel with Kenrick ; I saw the latter get up and a»k the prisoner for a watch ; prisoner sait% " I have got the watch, but you shall not have it';" Kenriok cadfeht hold .of the prisoner, who held up his hand to strike, and I saw a watch guard, hang out of his sleeve ; I did not see anything returned to Kenrick by the prisoner ; prisoner left before Kenrick ; Kenrick was drunk, but the prisoner was pretty sober. By the Prisoner— l saw a gold chain bang- , ing out of your sleeve ; I do noc know | whether it was a long one or not. William Kenrick, sworn— l am a private in the 18th Royal Irish ; I was at the Commercial Hotel on the 15th September last ; had with me a gotd watch and chain belong, ing to Ensign Chapman, of the 2nd battalion 18th, whose servant I was ; when I was in the hotel I got veiy near drunk ; I recollect prisoner taking the watch out of my pocket and refusing to give it up ; I ga?e informs, tion of the watch having been taken to the police j I lmve never seen the watch since. By the Prisoner— You sat at the same table with me, but you were not. drinking along with me. By the Court— He did not say when he took the watch that he would take care of it for me because I was the worse for drink j if he said so, I did not hear him. William Edward Chapman, sworn -I am an Ensign in the 18th Regiment ; Kenrick was a servant of mine in September last ; I had then a gold watch and chain ; 1 missed it after my servant went to Wanganui, in September last ; I valued it at 50 guineas* which was the price it cost me when new. Prisoner was found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment with hard labor for six months. John Hussey was charged with stealing, at Wanganui, a horse in charge of H. S. Harrisson, the property of the Defence Fo.ee. John Brigham, sworn— On the _lOih September, I met prisoner ou the beach in Wellington ; he asked me if I wanted a horse ; I said I did, and he told me to go to Chavannes, who keeps the New Zealander Hotel ; I went there and saw prisoner and Dudgeon ;

prisoner told Dudgeon to fetch the horse out ; he did so ; Dudgeon asked me £16 for the horse ; I 'bought tiie horse from Dudgeon ; I left the horse that night at Chavannes', and «)ld him next day to Mr Fawns, a horse dealer ; this was a chestnut g lding ; it had no particular marks upon it ; it was branded ; I do not know what the brand was. By Mr Borlase— l had been in Wellington four days before (his ; on the 21st September I was taicen to the lock up for being drank ; I saw the prisoner in the morning, and bought the horse at night ; prisoner was not sober when I paid for the horse'; he was lying on a sofa in the room where I paid Dudgeon ; I cannot swear to the brand. H. L. Harrison sworn, said— l am a farmer, resi ling at Wanganui, and am the' son of Mr H. S. Harrison ; ut the end of August we had fifty-eight defence horses depasturing on my father's land ; I saw the prisoner on th<3 laud at the beginning of September ; he came for a saddle which he had left when he brought the horses down ; he had been sergeant Mujor in the troop ; he said he was going in search of a horse No. 60 ; *re could not find that horse ; I went with himin search of it ; I lent him a oliesnut gelding to carry [ his saddle home, and he said he would return ,it next morning ; he never returned the horse. ?» By Mr Borlase— All the horses in our paddock are branded with the Crown ; the horse had brand No. 7 on it wh?n it Was delivered ; I - was present when the horses were delivered on"my father's land. lhe witness Brigham recalled, said— l was at the Court-housa at Wanganui at the time the examination was ¦ h.ld there ; that was the horse I bought from Dudgeon. Mr Borlase addressed the jury for the defence, contending there was ho evidence to convict, after which the jury found the prisoner not guilty. ' The next case was similar to the last one, the prisoner, whose name was Dudgeon, Being accused of having also stolen ona.of the cavalry iiorses fioni the pad duck of Mr 11. S. Harrison. Mr Keid defended the prisoner, who was acquitted. THIS DAY. Carl Meyer was paced in the dock and J arraigned on the charge of assaulting and ill treating a woman named Mary Dillon. Prisoner pleaded not guilty, ancj, the trial will take place to-morrow, bail beinlt accepted for the prisoner's appearance. "¦* A boy named • Williitn Clout, of about thirteen years of age was charged with the commission of a rape on a .little girl, named Jane croft, aged 8 years and 5 months. The trial, which was one of a paintul character to listen to, and destitute of any interest for the general reader, las led a considerable portiou of the day, and was at length brought to a termination by the jury finding the prisoner guilty of an assault' Mr Justice Johnston alluded to the want of reforinator.es, in the absence of which juveniles become contamin ited by associating in gn»l wic/i m-ire hardened criminals ; and, to obviate as far as in hi n lay the evil consequences resulting therefrom, postponed sentence until the 19th instant, when, if any respectable person ¦Would guarantee the future good conduct of prisoner, he would not be called on to receive judgement till btid conduct rendered it necessary io do so.