RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT, PORT CHALMERS.

Evening Star, Issue 4104, 22 April 1876, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT, PORT CHALMERS.

Friday, April 21. (Before T. A. Mansford, Esq., R.M.)

Thept. —William Alders, William Miles, George Wollans, and Richard Phelan (whose ages varied from 15 and 19), were charged with having committed a series of petty larcenies on the 19th inst., at Blueskin From the evidence it appeared that the prisoners had been living at Blueskin for about three weeks, during which time they had only been employed for a few days at wood cutting. On the 19th inst. several of the working men living in tents, upon returning from their work, found that they had been robbed of various articles of

clothing, watches, shirt studs, &c. They immediately gave information to the police, which led to the apprehension of the prisoners. The lads pleaded guilty.—After the evidence of Mounted Constable Jones, H. M'Connoll, J. Dempsey, J. Gibbs, A. Liddle, and J. Davis had been taken, his Worship proceeded to hear a charge preferred against an elderly man named John Morrison of receiving several of the articles the boys were charged with stealing, well knowing them to be stolen. —Morrison, in defence, stated he knew nothing of the matter, and that the prisoner Wollan, who had slept in his tent, had given him a pair of scissors—,G. Wollan was then placed in the witness box, and distinctly swore that he had given Morrison the scissors, while he had uried the remainder of the articles stolen by him outside Morrison's tent.—His Worship said there appeared to be a doubt of Morrison’s complicity in the robbery. He would give him the benefit of it and discharge him. His Worship then sentenced the prisoners, remarking that they were a set of bad boys, and it was fortunate that their career had received an early check. He believed them equally guilty, and would inflict such a punishment as he hoped would prove a warning to them and others. He sentenced Phelan to be imprisoned, with hard labor, for four weeks, while Alders, Miles, and Wollans received cumulative sentences amounting in each case to twelve weeks.

Saturday, April 22.

Drtokerness. —William Knowles, a seaman belonging to the Colima, was discharged with a cannon. Walter John Golden, an old

offender, was charged with being drank and disorderly on the railway station yesterday evening. The police stated that his conduct had been most outrageous.jf-In defence, G eldeu informed the Court that he had hurt his leg on board the Taiaroa, and had been paid on yesterday. He confessed to having had a flass or two of porter and a little whiskey, ut pleaded hard to be leniently dealt with. —His Worship said prisoner’s promises were worthless, and fined him L 5, or fourteen days’ imprisonment, with hard labor.