MAGISTRATES' COURTS.

Globe, Volume III, Issue 247, 25 March 1875, Page 2

MAGISTRATES' COURTS.

CHKISTCHURCH. Thursday, March 25. [Before G. L. Mellish, Esq., R.M.] DRUNK AND FIGHTING. Henry Howard, arrested for being drunk and fighting in the streets, was fined 40s. DRUNK AND INDECENT EXPOSURE. J. J. O'Keefe, charged with this offence, was fined 20s. FURIOUS RIDING. Samuel Osborne and Frederick Gee, two boys, charged with riding furiously along Park Terrace, were each fined 10s. ABSENT FROM HORSE AND VEHICLE. Samuel Clarkson, summoned for being absent from his horse and vehicle, was fined 10s. KEEPINO A HOUSE OF ILL-FAME. Richard Bray was charged with keeping a house of ill-fame in Gloucester street. Sergeant Wilson stated that numerous complaints had been made by neighbors of constant rows in defendant's house. On two occasions, when he visited the place he had seen prostitutes there, and drinkwas constantly being taken in there. A. G. South, residing in Gloucester street, stated that he and other neighbors were annoyed nightly by the rows going on in defendant's house, and the cries proceeding from there. He had also frequently seen improper females going into and coming out of the place. Similar evidence was given by other neighbors, and the Chief Detective detailed the condition he had seen defendant's children in when he visited the house. Defendant said all the rows were caused by the drunkenness of his wife, and he did not know the character of the women whom his wife brought to the house. Fined 40s. His Worship instructed that the children spoken of should be seen to by the police. UNREGISTERED DOGS. For being the owuers of unregistered doga the following were infJicted^Hujjft

McPherson, 20s; Charles McTaggart (two dogs), 40s; William Ogier, 20s; George Proctor, 20s; Wm Hoskins, 20s; John Dalwood, 20s; John McConkey, 20s; Hugh McClutchie, 20s; and Christian Detford, 20s. HOUSES AND CATTLE AT LARGE. For permitting horses and cattle to wander, the following persons were dealt with :—H. B. Huddlestone, fined 5s ; and Charles Dunn, ss.

BREACH OF RAILWAY REGULATIONS. George Sloen, charged with smoking in a railway carriage not set apart for that purpose, was fined 10s. BREACH OF RAKAIA BRIDGE REGULATIONS.

James "Wood, summoned for galloping his horse across the Rakaia bridge contrary to regulations, was fined 20s. Thomas Holmes was summoned for crossing the Bakaia bridge on the 27th February whilst in a state of intoxication.

The defendant had persisted in crossing the bridge when told by the keeper that there was not sufficient time for him to do so before the train would pass.

Fined 10s. Another charge of riding over the bridge on the same date at a pace above six miles an hour, was preferred against same defendant, and a third charge of crossing the bridge within fifteen minutes of the approach of a train.

The defendant had persisted in crossing when told not to do so, and the bridgekeeper was compelled to signal for the train to stop, to prevent an accident. Fined 10s in each case, and 13s 6d expense of witness.

Hugh Eobert Davidson and G. A. Searle were summoned for taking an engine and combine across the Rakaia bridge about midnight on the 17th February, contrary to the regulations. Defendant said he had applied to the railway authorities at Christchurch to have the engine and combine taken up the line, and had been told that it was against the regulations to take a combine on the narrow gauge. As he could not take the machinery through the river he was compelled to cross the bridge. The tires on the machine were over five inches wide, and as the asphalte on the bridge had now been taken up no irjury could be done in crossing. Davidson, who had been in charge of the engine, was fined 10s, and Searle 2s 6d. ASSAULT. Joseph Rich was charged with having assaulted his wife Elizabeth Rich on the 17tb March, Constable Eares stated that from a complaint made to him about half-past one on the morning of the 17th March, he went into defendant's house, Colombo street south, and found the complainant lying down, and her face covered with blood. Defendant was lying drunk in another room. Defendant here began to exhibit unmistakable symptoms of intoxication, and was committed for forty-eight hours for contempt of Court. NEGLECTING TO OBEY AN ORDER OF THE COURT. Anthony Ferrick was summoned for fail ing to obey an order of the Court for the support of his four children placed in the Industrial school. The master of the school stated that the children had been there for six weeks, and there was now £6 due. He had applied to the defendant for payment, but he refused to pay anything. Defendant said he would not pay anything, and wanted his children back again. Ordered to pay arrears £6, or be imprisoned for one month in default. REFUSING TO SUPPORT AN AGED MOTHER. James Pepper was summoned for refusing to contribute towards the support of his aged mother, Margaret Pepper. Mrs Pepper stated that she lived at Papanui. She could not support herself, and was hardly able to walk. Her son she thought worked on the road. He had four children. She had one little room of her own. Inspector Buckley told the Bench that Mr Callender had informed him that defendant also owned a farm. In reply to the Bench, Defendant said that he was unable to contribute anything toward the support of his mother. He earned 7s a day, and only rented the farm of six and a half acres. He had two cows, but was making nothing out of them. His eldest child was ten years old and the youngest four years, and he had had a good deal of sickness in his family during the last two years. His Worship told defendant that his mother had taken care of him for many years, and it was an unnatural act for him iiow to refuse to contribute towards her uupport in her advanced years. In reply to the Bench—Mr Callender said that the complainant was receiving 2s 6d ]per week and other necessaries from the Government. Ordered to pay 5s weekly. CREATING A NOISE IN THE STREET. Ernest Dann, Edward Dann, and Thomas Rutland, three young men, were charged with annoying the residents of Whately road by unseemly conduct at midnight on the night of Bth March. Sergeant Wilson stated that, shortly after midnight on the Bth March, he observed the defendant's, while going up the Whately road from the Kilmore street intersection, push each other against the doors of the shops and houses as they passed, and they were also shouting at intervals. The residents at this portion of Whately road had complained subsequently to him. He knew the defendants to be respectable young men, and had never seen them guilty of such conduct before. Fined 20s each. BREACH OF INSPECTION OF MACHINERY ACT, 1874. Henry Moffatt, flour miller, of Lincoln district, was summoned to answer the complaint that he, being the owner of certain machinery used in his flour mill, had failed within the space of one month from 26th November, 1874, the date at which the " Inspection of Machinery Act, 1874," came into operation, to send to the inspector for the district a written notice of suchmachinery in his possession, where erected, and kept; the nature and kind of such machinery with amount of moving power. Defendant did not appear. George Croll, inspector under the Act for Canterbury and Westland, stated that he remembered the 9th March. On that date defendant had a water power in his possession, and had not rendered him the necessary notice under the Act. The description of machinery used by defendant came within the operation of the Act. Inspector Buckley told the Bench that as this was the first case on which aetionJ»ad

been taken under the new Act Mr Croll had been instructed by the Government not to press for a heavy penalty. Fined Is. John Milne, of Lincoln district, threshing machine proprietor, appeared to answer a similar complaint. Mr Croll stated that defendant had not forwarded him the necessary notice. By the 11th section the boilers in connection with threshing machines had been specially brought under the operation of the Act. The Act was in force throughout Canterbury, and he had been directed by the Hon Mr Richardson to bring these cases before the Court, not so much with a view of a heavy penalty as to bring them under the notice of the public. Fined Is.