RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Evening Star, Issue 3518, 2 June 1874, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Tuesday, June 2. (Before J. Bathgate, Ksq., 8.M.) Drunkenness. —Margaret Anglius, one of the Asia’s immigrants, was charged with being drunk at the Immigration. Barracks at 9.30 p.m. yesterday. Constable Rooney saia that at the time stated he found prisoner and mother woman in a beastly state of drunkenness near the Immigration Barrack. She was accompanied by some sailors, and wanted to get into the Barracks, but the authorities refused to admit her. She was conducting herself most indecently and behaving in a most disgraceful manner.— harlos Duke, Barrackmaster, gave similar evidence.—His Worship : How long has she ceen in the Barracks?— Witness : About five weeks.—His Worship: Can’t she find employment ? Witness : She is a married woman aer husband being employed at MosgieL His Worship : Why is she kept in the Bar racks ?—Witness replied that she had notice to quit, and he had spoken to her husband on the matter. The latter said' he could not find house accommodation. He was sorry to eay that some of the immigrants spent their money in drink, and it was very difficult to manage them. —His Worship : Those who commit breaches of discipline must be brought here to be managed. Whatever the result, discipline must be maintained. We cannot ailqw public institutions to be turned inside out by a set of unruly people. I cannot see what excuse there is for a married woman carrying on in the manner in which you have.—Prisoner ; I did not misbehave.—His v\ ership : Yon wore found with drunken sailors, duch conduct, by a married woman, is without excuse altogether. It is most disgraceful. I hesitate to send a married woman to gaol. You will appear here tnis day week, when I will hear how you are getting on. (Addressing the Hub. Inspector) Admit prisoner to bail on her own recognisance.— Margaret Charley, another immigrant by the sia, was charged with the same offence.—Constable Rooney said that the prisoner was the woman previously referred to as having been in company with Anglius. She was the worse of the two, and rolled from the top to the bottom of a precipice.— Mr Duke also gave evidence.— iis Worship ; What is the history of the girl ? Witness : She is an immigrant by the Asia (laughter) and had been at work for a month! after which she was sent back to tie barracks as perfectly useless* Last night she was frightfully drunk. I never saw any one like it before; she was an awful sight. She was inciting the sailors to rescue her. It was a most difficult part that the constable had to perform, being surrounded by the inhabitants, sailors, and others.—His Worship fined prisoner 20s, with the option of three days’ imprisonment. He cautioned her if ever she got drunk again she would get a much heavier senteuce.—Thomas Henderson was fined sa, with the option of forty-eight hours’ imprisonment. Elizabeth Carey and Catherine Powell were discharged with a caution. Shocking Assault on a Police Constable,—Thomas Connelly was charged, on the information of Constable Wm. Hooney with having, on the Ist June, at Caversham assaulted him while in the exercise of his duty.—The prisoner, whose face was very much cut and bruised, pleaded not guilty.Wm. Rooney, police constable stationed at Caversham, said he was on duty at the Immigration Barracks last night. He had occasion to arrest a woman named Charley for drunkenness. While so engaged prisoner and two other men seized her and carried her away in their arms. Witness succeeded in retaking Charley, and conveyed her to the lock-up at Caversham. He then returned to the Immigration Barracks, and, accompanied by the Barrack-master, went round the barracks for the purpose of seeing that no strangers were there. When they arrived at the single men s department prisoner was pointed 6 aS «r ßai or ’ And as h aviu g do right to be there. Witness, who was in uniform and had beeu so all the evening, then recognised him as one of the three who had rescued the prisoner Charley, and arrested him. He went quietly tilt they got on to the Main South road, where, when opposite the Crown Hotel, he'inade a desperate struggle to get

At this time he was not handcuffed. He jumped round and got witness by the shoulder. When he did so witness succeeded in throwing him on his back, falling on him, prisoner having hold of witness's heck. Immediately upon falling he felt prisoner’s teeth on his nose. Prisoner bit the point of bis nose clean off. His nose bled very much. With the barrack-master’s assistance he then handcuffed prisoner. Finding that one handcuff was improperly fastened he made a second attack. Ultimately conveyed him to Dunedin. Prisoner appeared to be quite sober. The wounds on witness’s face were the effect of the bite. They were dressed at the Dunedin Hospital. By prisoner : When you wore attempting to escape, after biting me, I struck you with my This I felt necessary to do for the preservation of my life.—Charles Duke, master at the immigration Barracks, gave similar evidence, and adde I; On going round the building to see that everything was secure, when the constable saw prisoner, be said, “I now arrest yon for attempting to rescue the prisoner Charley, also for being illegally in the barracks.” Prisoner went away quietly, and when opposite the Crown Hotel sprang round upon the constable, and grasped him by the neck. The latter threw prisoner, both falling, but the prisoner underneath. Wituess went and caught hold of one of prisoner’s hands, and while doing so the constable said, “Look here, he has bit my nose,” and witness saw the blood streaming down the constable’s face on to prisoner’s face. A desperate struggle followed, and this lasted three minutes before prisoner was overpowered. He was then handcuffed. About three minutes afterwards the constable found that one of the handcuffs was improperly fastened, whereupon a more desperate struggle than the first ensued, lasting four or five minutes, prisoner remarking that be was good for any three men. Witness wished to state that the constable acted in a most praiseworthy manner under the circumstances.—Dr Yates said that Constable Rooney was taken to the Hospital shortly before midnight. Witness examined him and found that a piece of the ffesh of his nose had been taken right out. I he constable would iu consequence be disfigured for life, there would always be a scar.—Prisoner was committed for trip,!. Money Stealing Julia Paul, about twelve years of age, and Catherine Palser, about seventeen, w«re charged, on the innormation of Detective Shury, with having on or about Ihe 23rd May, stolen from the Caledonian hj otel two LI note-, the property . John t ike, laborer, —The prisoner admitted the charge, and Mr Stout, who appeared for them, said that, as instructed, the ■ acts of the case were these j—There was a pocket-book containing L 6 lost by a man at the Caledonian Hotel, and the two'girls were servants there. ino of them found the book, and admitted to the detective that she had taken one pound from it, and the other girl admitted the same. Having found the money, they thought they could do what they pleased with it; but of course they had done wrong, as they should have given it to their master. The youngest girl oad only recently arrived in the Colony; the other bad been here some years. Considering their youth, he hoped the Bench would not send them to gaol, to mix with the people there. They had already received punishment, having lost their situations am character. He hoped his Worship won) exercise the discretion to discharge allowed him.—Sub-Inspector Mallard explained that -he prosecutor was living in the Caledonian Hotel, The Bench might think, after what Mr Stout had said, that he was not living ip town, whereas he was a lodger in the hotel. The girls must have had the book some time, as it was found under the mattrass. The younger girl was a late arrival by the Asia—(laughter)—being one of those who came out of the workhouse at Home.—His Worship said that, seeing both prisoners were po young, he did not want to send them to gaol, as perhaps to do so would make them worse, seeing the associates they wpuld meet with there. This was, however, a very serious offence, as domestic servants had a great deal of confidence placed in them. He would treat the prisoners according to their ' future behaviour. They would be both bound over in their own recognizances for three months, at the end of which time they would come up, and if be found th*y had behaved themselves in a proper manner, and had removed this blot from their characters he would be inclined to let them off Obscene Language. Eliza Blackwood for this offence was fined 10s and costs, in > default six days' imprisonment.