MAYORS COURT.

Evening Star, Issue 2964, 19 August 1872, Page 2

MAYORS COURT.

Tins Day. (Before His Worship the Mayor and R. H. Leary, Esq., J.P.) DRUNKENNESS. William Williams and Walter White were each fined ss; Henry Dodson and James l ow, 10s each ; and Bmjamin Farra 20s, or three days’ imprisonment. THEFT.

David John Thompson was charged, on remand, with stealing a walking-stick from the. shop of S. Doodeward. George street.— Prisoner asked for the lenient consideration of the Court; he had been locked up two days, had lost his situation, and, if discharged, would leave the town the first opportunity.—His Worship said the Bench, considering it was the prisoner’s first offence, that he had been locked up since Saturday, and the smallness of the article stolen, had decided to let him off with a caution, in the hope that it would act as a warning. Margaret Abbott was charged with stealing a pair of boots, valued at 15s fid, from the shop of Mr Prictor, George street. The boots were missed from Mr Prictor’s shop door shortly after six o’clock on Thursday evening, and two days afterwards were traced by Sergeant Neil to the shop of Mr Reeves, dealer, to whom prisoner had sold them the day before for 4s fid. ‘ To Reeves she said she had received them as payment for needlework done ; and when he suggested that she ought to change them if they did not fit, she said that if she took them back she would neither get mouey nor boots. When arrested she said she got the boots from a woman whom she did not know then, and afterwards said she would rather bear the brunt of it than tell who that person was. She was sent to gaol for six months. Ellen White, who appeared in Court with an infant in her arms, was charged with stealing six pairs of boys’ knickerbocker suits from the shop of Messrs Herbert, Haynes, and Co. On Saturday afternoon a man named Smith, employed at the oyster saloon near the Octagon, observed a woman make a “raise” from the shop-door of Herbert, Haynes, and Co., and go across the street with a bundle. When she saw him she dropped the bundle, which he picked up and gave to Constable Fynmore. According to Fynraore’s evidence, Smith, when he saw the prisoner at the house of a Mrs Nichols ux in the Octagon, recognised her as being the person he saw with the bundle; but in Court he was unable to identify her, although he admitted having said in the house referred to, that he did not think there could be any doubt in the case It was admitted that the worn in was drunk at the time. —At the close of the case, Mr Herbert, of Herbert, Haynes, and Co., said he did not desire to press the case. He did not think the woman would have taken the things had she been in her proper senses; he had known her for seven years, during which time she had supplied his establishment with vegetables, and he had never known anything against her. Her husband bad left her, and she had a very large family to support. —Sergeant Mallard said that there were unfortunately three convictions against the prisoner. —Hjs Worship said the Bench were of opinion that the evidence as to the identification was not so strong as it might have been, although it pointed to a great extent to the prisoner as being the person who took the articles. Added to that circumstance were the statement of Mr Herbert, the real prosecutor, and the prisoner’s large family; and the Bench decided to discharge her with a cautiou.

ALLEGED SHEEP STEALING. John Batty was charged with this offence. Mr Barton defended, Mr Menlove stated the prisoner bad been in bis employ for seven years. At the end of last week he sent him to Waikouaiti to take delivery of 524 sheep from Mr Oliver, which he was to bring to the slaughter-yard at Half-way Bush and account for according to custom. He received 521, but only delivered and accounted for 504; and although questioned on the subject, denied that he had received any more, or that he had sold any, which he was not authorised to do unless they were lame. Prosecutor, in company with Detective Farrell, afterwards went to Blueskiu, where in the yards of a butcher there, named Carlton, he saw a number of sheepskins, which he identified as his. On the application of the police prisoner was remanded for a week, being allowed bail himself in LSO, and two sureties of L 25 each.