RESIDENT MAGISTRATE’S CODRT, PORT CHALMERS.

Evening Star, Issue 3231, 28 June 1873, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE’S CODRT, PORT CHALMERS.

Friday, June 27. (Before William Thomsen, Esq., J.P., and John Drysdale, Esq., J.P.) Theft. —William Jarman was charged by George Clark, ship chandler, of Port Chalmers, with stealing a stove from off the beach at Port Chalmers. Mr Hansford defended. George Clark said he had missed the stove, and from information received, he went to the prisoner and questioned him about it. The prisoner told him to go to hj ■, and said Mr Robinson, stationmaster on the Port Chalmers line, had given it him. By Hr Hansford; Witness had it placed at high water mark, but he could not swear that the pieces now produced were a part of his stove. —Hr Robinson, station-master on the Port Chalmers railway, said ho remembered the prisoner asking him if he might pick up some scrap iron which was lying about the side of the pier. What he meant by scrap iron was bouilli tins, Ate., which were thrown away with the ship’s sweepings. By the Bench: He did not know the value of the stove.—Robert Somerville, one of the Workmen on the line, said he saw prisoner and another man rolling a stove into a spring*cart, It was daylight, and no concealment was attempod. —R. Prout said he had purchased the stove from the prisoner on Friday, and gave him 5s for it. It was on the beach high and dry'; it was considerably below high water-mark. He sold it to the Vulcan Foundry.--John Burke said he had known the prisoner for tea or eleven years, and believed him to be a strictly honest man. Mr Hansford raised several objections, one of which was that the property had never been identified, with which the Bench coincided, and dismissed the case.