MAGISTRATES' COURTS.

Globe, Volume V, Issue 568, 13 April 1876, Page 3

MAGISTRATES' COURTS.

CHRISTCHURCH. Thursday, April 13. (Befere G. L Mellish, Esq, KM.) Drunk and Disorderly. —John Smith, for this offence, was fined ss, or the usual alternative of twenty-four hours' imprisonment.

Husband and Wife.—Noah Symons was charged by his wife Jane Symons with being an habitual drunkard ; with using cruelty towards her ; and with neglecting to maintain her and her family. Mr Wynn Williams appeared for the complainant, who deposed to several acts of assault and cruelty. He had slept, 'with knives under the bed, locked her in, and threatened her life. She had a life of misery with him. Every penny he got he spent in di'ink. She therefore applied for protection order and maintenance money. Constable Hughes gave the defendant a bad .character. Defendant said tha this wife had sold all the furniture, and made his his home unhappy. He himself had had to sleep upon the floor. The Bench —And serve you right, too. The Bench then granted the complainant a protection order, and made an order for the payment of J 5s per week. Assault.—Mary Ann Freeman, a middleaged person, was charged with committing a violent assault upon Frances Stamford. Mr Thomas appeared for the complainant. It appears that the quarrel and assault arose out of a child that complainant was minding, and wsts of a most trivial character. The defendant was ordered to pay costs, but no fine was inflicted.

Another Assault. —John Macguire was charged with assaulting Arthur Haughey. Mr Cresson appeared for the complainant. In this case the squabble arose through the pounding of certain cattle, but from the evidence given the assault was not a veryserious one. Fined 10s. A Serious Case —Charles Edward Hatfield was charged with beating one Mary Ann Hatfield, his aunt. The defendant was a little boy about eight years of age, and during the hearing of the case stood beside his father. The complainant, a grown woman, deposed that the little boy—with whose mother by-the-byehe was not on good terms—had hit her three or four times with a stick, and thrown stones at her—she had the marks abont her—she was black and blue. Sarah Hatfield, the mother of the boy, deposed that plaintiff wanted to force her way into her house, and that her boy protected her. Complainant dreadful. I never struck a woman in my life. Witness—l think it's me that ought to have summoned her, and not her me. The Bench cautioned the young defendant, and dismissed the case.

Breach op the Public House Ordinance.—Henry Waldridge was charged by John Wild with having created a disturbance in a licensed house—viz, the Sawyers Arms. Mr Thomas appearsd for the complainant. Defendant was fined 20s,

Very Unmanly if True.—William Furness,and Alex. Foreman were charged with assaulting Margaret Warne. The complainant

deposed that the two defendants had gone to her house, and after enquiring for her husband, had dragged her out of the house and assaulted her. Defendants denied the assault, and said they only went to complainant's house to ask why her husband had stabbed a certain r arty in the eye. On the application of defendants the case was adjourned for a fortnight. A Nice Lot.—James Kane and Mary Granes were charged by Patrick Gallagher with assaulting him and with breaking his door and window. The complainant, who is a cripple, said be wa3 a " boy that wouldn't swear a lie." Defendants stated that the windows had been broken a month before this occurrence. The female defendant said she had herself broken one of the windows and paid for it, and that the other was broken by complainant's wife. The crutches walked on were only a "stall"—a blind. Women were no sooner out of trouble than they were in again, and he got all their money. If he took off his clothes at night he could nov find them in themorniug. The Court dismissed the case, saying that the plaintiff was a disgrace to the community. The complainant was then placed at the bottom of the table, and charged by the male defendant with having stabbed him once in the head and three times in the breast. He stated that after being stabbed he fell down senseleßS, and was conveyed home the next morning. Defendant said that complainant had slept in his (defendant's) own bed that night, and received every comfort. Complainant —It's false ; two men and two women were in that bed, and you know it. Mrs Tracy, an a?ed party, who was decidedly intoxicated, depoeed to dressing the complainant's wound. On leaving the Court she was politely conveyed by a constable to the lock-up for drunkenness. The defendaub was then sentenced to a month's imprisonment with hard labor.

Maintenance Order. Stephen S. Blighting was ordered to pay 30s per week towards the support of his wifo Mary Brighting and his family of young children. The Women Again.—Betsy Richards was charged with assaulting Mary Shaw. This case also arose out of the pounding of a cow. The defendant said that the complainant was "tight" when the alleged assault took place, and that she had commenced the row with her tongue—an artiole by the way which the defendant was well able to use'herself. Complainant's husband deposed that his wife was perfectly sober on the occasion in question. Defendant— Why she never goes to town but she gets "tight." Complainant—Oh, Mrs Richards, I have a good mind to pull you for defamation of Ttaracter. It'3 a eonspireaoy against us on the part of the neighbours. The complainant's husband and the defendant here entered into a noisy argument, which had to be stopped by the police. The defendant was fined 10s.

Cross Cases—John Wild was charged with assaulting John Highstead, and John Highßtead was charged with assaulting John Wild. Mr Thomas appeared for Mr Wild who keeps the Sawyers' Arms at Papanui. From the evidence given it appeared that there had been a bit of a row at the hotel, and that Wild had turned Highstead out of the hotel. Both cases were dismissed, Highstead to pay costs. Creating a Disturbance.—D. Douglas and Patrick Kruse were summoned by Mr Wild, the proprietor of the Sawyers' Arms, Papanui, for creating a disturbance in his house. Kruse strongly advised the Bench to station a constable in this district, admitting that on the occasion in question he had himself been very much the worse for liquor. Kruse was fined 10s, and the case against Douglas was dismissed.