CITY POLICE COURT

Evening Star, Issue 4094, 10 April 1876, Page 3

CITY POLICE COURT

Monday, April 10. (Eiefore H. S. Fish, Esq., arid R. Patterson, Esq., "J. P.’s.) Drunkenness.— Charles Evans, who had been delighting the. residents of George s la reet with the strains of a penny tin-whistle, wi is discharged with a caution; James R Pi dllips and James Maxwell were each fined ss. ' - Window-breaking- Robert M'Kay, charged with breaking a pane of glass in the do or of the London Tavern Hotel, was fined 2 Os, in default, forty-eight hours’ imprison--0 sent. Excessive Cab Hire.—Wm. M'Ewan, c abman, was charged by Robert Rossbotham v rith demanding and taking from him the b am of sixpence above the proper fare.— C Jomplainant stated- that Mr Spedding and hj«) got into defendant’s cab at the Water-of-lieith on the night in question, and were d i iven to town, arriving at the Post Office at 11 tree minutes to nine. Witness gave defend is ant a shilling, but he demanded another e lulling, which was given to him after his a sttention had been called to the time. He gjaye his name as Wilson, and refused to d jrive them as far as the Police Station.— 1 uspector Nimon said the defendant’s cond iaict was so bad that his father would not a JU’ow him to drive any longer.—Mr Fish said tihait this case showed the folly of allowing Ibcya to drive cabs. They could not expect lac Is ’to have the same sense as men, and this wa.9 another illustration of the bad policy of alio wing boys to drive. No doubt cases of thu i kind were exceedingly frequent, and it wa;) not once out of every twenty dr thirty tim «s that one would take the trouble of bmiging a charge like this against a cabman, . Excessive fares were often demanded from, ladies, who were entirely at the mercy of ti te cabmen ; and the parties in this case wew ) to be commended for bringing the mats ter before the Bench. It was their duly to make an example, in order to prevent sucli excessive fares being perpetrated on the . public. Another charge might be laid agr dust defendant, that of refusing to drive M<essrs Rossbotham and Spedding .to the ph ice they wished to go to. Defendant was nnied 40s and costs. .Assault. —Benj. M'Pherson was charged by Francis M'Cheyne with assaulting him. —.Mr Hay appeared for complainant, Mr Howorth defended.—Complainant’s case was that defendant’s buggy ran over him, and that defendant then horsewhipped him. Defendant stated that complainant’s dog c aused his horse to shy. He denied the sllcgid assault.—The Bench considered the evidence so contradictory that one side had rather been, grossly mistaken or had combatted wilftu perjiiry. The case wm dismissed.

Alleged Babbit Stealing. Charles Coleman was charged with stealing two raityxts, of the value of 3s, on April 8.~

Detective Bain saw prisoner going , into Harper’s shop, in the Arcade, on Saturday, with a bag. Witness followed him, and found the bag contained two rabbits. Knowing prisoner’s character, witness took him into custody.—A remand for seven days ' was granted, to give the police an opportunity of finding an owner for the rabbits. Alleged Rape.— James Prescott was charged, on remand, with having at Kaikorai, on March 25, carnally abused Eliza Aim Prescott, bis niece. Mr F. R, Chapman defended.—William Prescott, shepherd, residing at Hawksbury, said that he had a daughter, Eliza Ann Prescott, seven years old. She had been .living with her uncle and aunt at Kaikorai Hill. —George Prescott, licensee of the Kaikorai Hill Hotel, stated that the accused was living with him on March 25 last. On the night of that day he was in witness’s house. About eight o’clock that night the members of his family in the hpuse were his brother (the accused) and his niece (Eliza Ann Frescstt), his wife being absent. About that time he wantfed some water for use in the bar, and he had occasion to call his niece to get it. She did not come at his call the first time, but afterwards came and explained that she had been out at the back. Nothing further took place at that time. Accused was on the premises. On the following Wednesday, the 29th, witness went into his niece’s room to call her, and then noticed certain marks, concerning which he spoke to his wife. Cross-examined: Accused came to reside with witness on March 22. Previous to that he had been living with the girl’s father. —Eliza Ann Prescott was not examined on oath, but she described the assault. The evidence, which is unfit for publication, was ascertained with much difficulty, owing to the child’s age. Cross-examined: My uncle (the accused) did not call me into the back yard. I told someone he did : that was not true. I told someone that the assault was done in a paddock, but this was not true.— At the close of the witness’s cross-examina-tion, the further hearing of the charge was adjourned till noon to-morrow.