RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT, PORT CHALMERS.

Evening Star, Issue 4261, 23 October 1876, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT, PORT CHALMERS.

Monday, October 23. (Before T. A. Mansford, Esq., R.M.) DBTJITKKNNESS.-Charles Peltham, whom the police described as a surgeon, pleaded guilty, and was fined 10s, with the usual alternative. -■■-•■.■.•*., Assault.—Walter Johnson, one of the boys of the Mataura, was charged with assaulting William Watton, the boatswain. —Complainant stated that he had given the boy orders to clean paint work, and char£eH him not to use a knife, and %m finding him doing so, he (witness) pushed him away. Thereupon Johnson struck at him with a knife, inflicting a cut oh the forehead. The captain of the Mataura gave the boy a very bad charaqter.—His Worship considered Johnson fully deserved severe punishment, but on account of Jus tender age he would only sentence iaixMo seven days'hard labor. LARcmnr—George Dean, a carter, plying at the Port Chalmers railway station; was" charged with steakng three gold rings valued at oOs, the property of John Welsh. Mr Joyce defended. From the evidence of the witnesses examined, it appeared that Welsh, who is a hawker, obtained permission from the station master to leave a basket in the parcel-room. A few days afterwards he took -the-basket away, and found three rinea missing. Suspicion fell onto the prisoner, and in his possession was a ring, which Welsh at first identified as one of those ne had missed during his examination. ltas morning, however, Welsh refused to swear to the ring produced, although he positively swore he had not been tampered with in order to suppress any evidence.— The Magistrate considered the case a very suspicious one. Although Welsh had sworn he had not been tampered with, it appeared otherwise. Under the circumstances 3ekn would be discharged, but he" wished him to understand he did not leave the court with a stainless character.