MAGISTRATES’ COURTS.

Globe, Volume V, Issue 529, 28 February 1876, Page 2

MAGISTRATES’ COURTS.

CHRISTCHURCH. February 28. (Before G. L. Mellish, Esq, R.M.)

Drunkenness. —The following inebriates were dealt with—Thomas Carter, was fined 20s; Joseph Bryant, fined ss; William Watts, fined 5s ; Henry Buckett, who was also charged with resisting the police in the execution of their duty, fined 40s; Mary Price, fined 20s. Vagrancy.— John Turrcll was charged under the Vagrant Act with obtaining board and lodging from Edward Brinkman by verbal false pretences. Mr O’Neil for defendant. Detective Bettington deposed that he arrested prisoner on Friday for obtaining board and lodging from Brinkman by means of a false advance note. Prisoner said, “ I did not want to swindle Brinkman, but I wanted to keep him quiet ; I thought the fraud would be on Captain Mitchell.” Received the document produced (the alleged advance note), and the others witness found on prisoner. Edward Brinkman, a boarding house keeper in Peterborough street, deposed that prisoner had been boarding and lodging with him, and owed him money; on asking prisoner for money he said he was going to ship in the Langstone, and would give witness his advance note ; a day or two afterwards prisoner said he had been on board taking in stores; he still kept staying at witness’s house. On Wednesday afternoon last prisoner gave witness the advance note. [Produced.] Prisoner said Captain Mitchell gave him the note. Witness allowed prisoner to stay on the strength of his statements that he (witness) was to have half of the advance note, and that he had shipped on board the Langstone. Crossexamined—Prisoner came to witness’s house in October last, and remained about three months, he left then for about three weeks and came back again in January, and remained until Friday night last; prisoner had partly paid for his board and lodging. If prisoner had remained until this morning, he would owe about £6 ; prisoner had paid one or two pounds this month; he paid £1 on the 7th; prisoner said that witness was to receive £5 three days after the ship sailed, and that he would try and give witness some to-day. Re-examined: When prisoner left it was because he could not pay. Captain Mitchell, of the Langstone, deposed that the prisoner had not been engaged by him; did not know him ; did not recollect seeing him ; prisoner had never been on board ; never gave him an advance note. Did not know wheither prisoner had written to him or not; had received five or six letters, and tore them up, as he did not want a steward. Mr O’Neil submitted that the information must be dismissed. Prisoner was a permanent boarder at Brinkman’s, and had to tell him a lie to quiet him, but he would submit that did not amount to false pretences. The lie was told not to gain board and lodging, but simply to quiet Brinkman and gain further time. His Worship said that the prisoner might think himself fortunate that the serious charge of forgery had not been preferred against him. He was loath to sentence a young man like prisoner to a long term of imprisonment, and would therefore only give him a month’s imprisonment with hard labour, and he trusted it would he a warning to him. Larceny from the Person— Edward Kennedy was charged with stealing a watch at Rangiora. Prisoner, who was arrested at the railway station, was remanded to Bangiora. Lunacy from Drink.—George Amor was brought up and remanded for seven days for medical treatment.

Unruly Child. —William Swinbourne was brought up as a child whose parents were unable to control him, The lad’s mother said that he had been ir a place since he was before the Court before, and had left it. They could not trust him anywhere. The lad was eleven years of age. His Worship ordered the boy to be sent to the Naval Training Ship at Auckland until he had attained the age of fifteen years, and to be brought up in the Boman Catholic religion.