MAGISTRATES’ COURTS.

Globe, Volume III, Issue 239, 16 March 1875, Page 2

MAGISTRATES’ COURTS.

CHRISTCHURCH. Tuesday, March 16. (Before G. L. Hellish, Esq., R.M.) VAGRANCY. Ellen Jordan, arrested for being drunk and disorderly, was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment, with hard labor, as a vagrant. John Conley was charged on warrant with vagrancy. Detective Benjamin stated that he arrested the prisoner. He said he had spent all his money, and was suffering from dysentry. Thomas Bennetts, boarding-house keeper in Manchester street, had seen the prisoner at his house during the previous month. He stayed there for three weeks. He had come to his house with a farmer, and said he had been working with him for years, and that he was a schoolmate of his. At the end of the week, when asked for money, he said that the farmer with whom he had come in owed him money. Afterwards, when he (witness) saw the farmer, he was told by him that the prisoner was a perfect stranger to him, and had only worked for him for one day, If it had not been for prisoner’s representations he would not have allowed him to stay there. Andrew Stevens, farmer, at Shaud’s track, remembered going with the prisoner to the house of the last witness. He (prisoner) was employed by him for one day. He did not owe him any money, nor did he authorise him to use his name at the boarding-house. So far as he knew the prisoner was not a schoolmate of his. Chief detective Feast had known the prisoner for some years. He had been convicted once or twice. He had lost sight of him for some time, and when he returned to Christchurch he (prisoner) told him that he had no money. Sentenced to three months’ imprisonment, with hard labor. DRUNK AND DISORDERLY, James Kurman, charged with this offence, and also with resisting the police, was lined 10s, it being his first offence. Thos. Davis, who had been before the Court lately on the same charge, was fined 10s and cab hire. John Burns, charged with being drunk in the railway train between Duusandel and Christchurch, was fined 20s. John Watson, for drunkenness, and who had been recently before the Court, was fined 40s. Joseph Haskett, for being drunk and creating a disturbance, was fined 40s. LUNACY FROM DRINK. Ellen Talbot was charged with this offence. The prisoner was suffering very much from the effects of drink, and was reminded to Lyttelton for a weei* for medical treatment,

embezzlement. Montague Fox Henry was charged with embezzling £SO from the firm of Messrs J. Shadbolt and Co, Sandhurst, Victoria. Detective Benjamin stated, that from information he received he arrested prisoner the previous night at the Warwick Hotel, and charged him with embezzling £SO from the firm of J. Shadbolt and Co, Sandhurst, Victoria. He said his name was Montague Fox Henry, and that he had embezzled the money. He handed him the keys produced, and said they belonged to Shadbolt, and also the cheques produced. Chief-detective Feast, examined, stated that he produced a Victorian Gazette, which contained a notice of a warrant issued against Montague Fox Henry for embezzling £SO, from J. Shadbolt and Co, Sandhurst, Victoria. Some time ago he (witness) received an anonymous letter. Prisoner that morning admitted that he was the writer of that letter, and that he was the man described in the Victorian Gazette. Detective Feast asked for a remand until the Commissioner of Police had communicated with the Victorian police. Remanded for a week. LARCENY. Harper Morgan was charged on remand from Kaiapoi with stealing a watch and chain, valued at £5, and a carving knife, valued at 7s 6d. Inspector Barsham stated that a man reported to him at his office that he had bought a watch and chain from the prisoner, and after examining it and from what he had heard, he suspected it had been stolen. On closely examining the inside case of the watch he saw the name “Trounce” scratched there. Subsequently he traced the owner of the watch in Christchurch, when he told him that he had lost a watch and chain. Before seeing the watch he (the owner) described it to witness, and said the number was 11838. He produced the watch which had been identified by Trounce. Afterwards arrested the prisoner on the charge. Prisoner made no reply when arrested. Frederick Lambert, labourer, saw the prisoner on last Tuesday, near the Kaiapoi Island, The prisoner asked him if he would buy a watch, and he (witness) said “no.” Prisoner afterwards said that he had been in Christchurch, and had spent all his money, and, as he had broken it, it was of no use to him. Afterwards offered the prisoner £1 for it. Prisoner said he would sell it for £1 5s ; but eventually took £1 Is for it. When he took it to a watchmaker, at Kaiapoi, he was told that it would take 7s fid to repair it, and that the watch was worth £5. He then suspected that the man had not come by it honestly, and when he afterwards saw him drinking in Middleton’s Hotel, he told a constable he had bought a watch from the prisoner, and he did not think he had come by it honestly. Charles Trounce, called, stated that he remembered being in the White Hart Hotel on Saturday week. The prisoner was there. On that day he lost a silver lever watch, made by Clark, of London, and a chain. The watch was numbered 11838. The watch and chain produced are those he lost. He had the watch that Saturday, and fastened it so that it could not drop out of his pocket. Did not speak to the prisoner that day, nor did he have any drink with him. He (witness) must have gone to sleep or he would not have lost his watch. The prisoner was sober when he was at the hotel. Was certain lie did not sell the Avateh, nor give it to any one to take care of. No one had the right of possession of the watch and chain but himself. When he discovered his loss he reported the matter to the police. By Prisoner—l do not think I had my Avateh on Sunday morning. The prisoner said he had found the watch on Sunday morning at the back of the White Hart Hotel. Sentenced to six months’ imprisonment, with hard labor. The charge of stealing a carving knife was then proceeded with. Inspector Barsham stated that on searching the prisoner’s swag he found the carving knife produced. From inquiries made he learnt it had been stolen from the White Hart Hotel. E. H. Gerard, boots at the White Hart Hotel, stated that he also cleaned the knives there. On Saturday, fith March, he missed two carving knives and a carving fork. SaAV the prisoner loitering about the hotel on that day, The knife produced Avas one of the two missing. Sentenced to tAvo months’ imprisonment with hard labor, to take effect after the expiration of the first sentence.