RESIDENT MAGISTRATE’S COURT, PORT CHALMERS.

Evening Star, Issue 3308, 26 September 1873, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE’S COURT, PORT CHALMERS.

Friday, September 26. (Before Hugh M‘Dormid, Esq., and Captain Thomson, J. P.’s)

Theft. —Edward Wood was charged with sterling a silver watch and LI 9s, the property of Ross Anderson. The prisoner pleaded not guilty, Ross Anderson, a fisherman, redding in Deborah Bay, deposed that on the evening of the 24th inst. he was in the prisoner’s company in several public houses iu Port Chalmers, and between eleven and twelve on that night, prisoner asked him to come to the house oa the Peninsula where he was living. Witness went, but did not go in, as another man named Sullivan, who was with them, told him all the beds wore engaged. The prisoner and Sullivan went in, and witness slept outside the door, _ When he woke about daylight next morning he found his watch and money gone. The money consisted of a pound note and 9s The note was a National 1 ank one. Witness saw the prisoner and Constable Carter yesterday. The prisoner said he knew nothing about the watch; afterwards he said, “You need not be hard ; 1 know where your watch is; I have planted it|in the garden. The watch produced was the one he lost The note was a new one, and a little dirty on the back.—James Lilley, hotel-keeper, Port Chalmers, said : The prisoner changed a pound note in my house, the Royal Hotel, yesterday. It was a new National Bank note, and was a little dirty.—Constable Carter deponed to the prisoner’s assent when he said he knew nothing about it. Previous to searching him. witness asked him if he had any money ; he told him he had 2s, that being the only money he had had for a considerable time. Witness searched him as directed by the prisoner, and found the watch. Witness had known the prisoner about three or four weeks, but did not know of him doing any work during that time. The Bench sentenced him to six months hard labor.