CITY POLICE COURT.

Evening Star, Issue 4144, 8 June 1876, Page 2

CITY POLICE COURT.

Thursday, - Junk 8. (Before V. Pyke, Esq;, J.P.)

Drunken n ess. —Thomas Draper and Chav. Sutherland were eachfined ss, or, in default, twenty-four hours' imprisonment ; Ohak Martell, 10s or three days.

Illegally on the Premises. —Jane DeL more was charged with having been found at night in the house of John Kelly, without lawful excuse. Prisoner was found in an empty house in South Dunedin at 10.30 p.m. The house was'a new one, and prisoner was in a half-drunken state. She was an abandoned character. The Bench sentenced her to forty-eight , hours’ imprisonment:

Receiving Stolen Property. —Ah Him was charged with receiving a quantity of copper, knowing it to be stolen. AJr F. R. Chapman, who defended, asked for an ad-journment,—-Inspector Mallard stated that the police, in executing a search-warrant in accused’s honse, recovered--the stolen pro-perty.—-A remand till Wednesday next was granted. Stealing Copper. John Brown was charged with stealing the copper found in lost prisoner’s possession. This case was likewise adjourned till Wednesday.—lnspector Mallard stated that the police on executing the search-warrant in Ah Hiin’shouse had found a quantity of lead bearing several brands, and they hoped by giving’ publicity to the matter to mid owners for the property.

Vagrancy. Ann Sherry -was charged with haying no lawful means of support,— Mr Lewis defended, and pleaded not guilty. —His Worship held that the law called on che accused' to prove a negative—that she had means of support.—Mr Lewis submitted that it was a monstrous thing for any person to be called upon to answer to a charge of this description without a nrjpta facie case being first made out.—His Wor* ship said it was a literal construction of the Act, but if counsel wished it he had no objection to hearing the evidence on behalf of the police first, but he unhesitatingly stated that be paid no attention to it, and relied solely on the statement of the accused. The onus of-the proof reSted'onvthe aooused. —Sergeant Dean and Detective Bain deposed to haying visited a house off King street on the _2nd inst„ occupied by the accused, and in which with- her Anne JCameron** Jane Blackie, and Kose Jackman* - Detec* tive Bain stated that to the beat of his*belief accused was maintained by the keeping of prostitutes and: prostituting.herself.—ln defence, accused bank-book, which showed that she had drayn ft; >m the Bank Lls 10s within the Lost six weeks’ She received 16s' a week from one Sherry,—The charges against Anne Gameron, Jane Blackie, and Rose Jackmim were next taken. Blackie pleaded that she" bad L7O when .she: came • here two years , ago, and 'that She received L3O from her husband, who was a sailor,' some six weeks ago. said she had a husband in Dunedin, but was not livingwith him.—His Worship said that in the absence of a marriage-certificate the husband should have been produced: he: could notaccept a mere asaertion.-r-C.ameron, in pitiful tones, stated that she got money from the governor. On being pressed as' to what governor she referred to, she admitted that it was the governor of the gaol, under whose care she had been for fourteen days, The police records shows that all four, women were convicted thieves. and Cameron were sentenced to two months’ imprisonment ; Jackman and Sherry to three months, * • J ,

Charge against A Dodson was charged with, allowing a person acting on his behalf, on Jtme'2, to supply a man with liquor while in a drunken state. Mr Harris, who . defended, pleaded-that the liquor was sold during Mr Dodson’s and that defendant had given strict instruc tions to his servants not to supply any person the worse of liquor with drink.—John Darling stated that he was barman to defendant oh June 2. Cross-examined :He had then only been about a week in defendant’s employ. He recollected serving two men with beer that day. When they came he was in a room adjoining tho bar. Herei ceived a shilling for the drinks, and when he served them it did not occur to Idm. that, they were intoxicated. Immediately after some one came in and said one of the men was drunk and that he would sumpdon witness ’ for serving the men whilein that: 1 state. Witness thereupon took this beer' away, and -.returned sixpence to the man. Defendant: had cautioned him to be very: careful.—Wm. Hooper, commission. agent; noticed- two men, going into, the Empire Hotehabout noon on the day in.question. One tras slightly the worse of liquor, the othelr was staggering drank. They' were supplied'by last witness with two glasses of beer, for which one shilling was paid.. Withess then went into the oar and told the barman that he had' acted contrary to the 'licensing Ordinance and he would summpn him. The barman'then tookaway one 'glassof beer and placed it under the counter, but did not return the money. Witness then Walked round to the police Station and laid an information.—Cross-examined : He was not in the habit of acting as he had dohC in i this case, and did'not consider it part of his I. agency business. He thought it a thousand pities that poor drunken wretches should be daily picked up in the street and consigned to prison, and the publican who so supplied, them should he allowed to go free.— This was the case for the prosecution.-rf-The witness Darling was. recalled and examined by Mr Hams, when he denied* that he was in the bar when the two men came in. He returned’ the' Sixpence to the mauafter depriving hi >n of bis beer.—His Wbrehip said that the practice bf supplying intoxicating liquors to drunkenmmern r shouidbe, if possible, suppressed.:. The/.very,, heavy penalty imposed rendered it necessary that the ;Bench should be very, circumspect as to the nature of the proof they .required. The evidence of the two witnesses was very conflicting, and he (his Worship) would * like some confirmatory evidence-of-that -given by Hooper before he Could* allow it to overweigh that of Darlingpand the case must be idismissbd. -Had-the charge been he would have/inflicted the full peiialty.M the.praetice vfcai'h mbst undesirable one Mnd must be put down. , - // u; ;