MAGISTRATES’ COURTS.

Globe, Volume VI, Issue 628, 23 June 1876, Page 2

MAGISTRATES’ COURTS.

CHRISTCHURCH. Friday, Juke 23. (Before G. L. Lee, Esq, J.P.) Drunk and Resisting the Police.— George Robertson, charged with this offence, was fined I Os. Breaking a Pane op Glass.— Ellen Jordan, who had been arrested for breaking a pane of glass in the Warwick Hotel, by throwing stones at the window, was fined 10s, and 4s value of the glass broken. Drunkenness. Ellen Boyle, an old offender, tinea ted for drunkenness, and against whom there was a. long list of convictions, was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment, and ordered to pay Is 6d cab hire. Drunk and Fighting.— Stephen Ryan and W, William were charged with being drunk and fighting in front of the Prince of Wales Hotel. The accused had also broken a pane of glass in the bar of the hotel while scuffling there. B yan, who had violently resisted the constable, and had struck the other man in the presence of the constable after they had been separated, was fined £3 and Williams £l. The value of the glass, Gs, to be paid between the accused. LYTTELTON. Friday, June 23. (Before F. D. Gibson and H. Allwright, Esqs, J.P’s. Drunkenness.— John Taylor, arrested by constable Moutray, was dismissed with a caution. Embezzlement op Ship’s Cargo.— Jonas and George Cobb were charged with the embezzlement of some whiskey, part of the cargo of the barque Armytage. Alexander Hogg, master of the Ann Armytage, sworn, said that accused were seamen belonging to his vessel. At midnight, on the 31st May, the second officer came to him and told him all hands were drunk. On going on deck he saw they had been drinking, and charged George Cobb and Stove with embezzling cargo. At daylight next morning the officers found a case of whiskey ■with some bottles in it. The case was marked G in a diamond, Poverty Bay, 72, It was a part of the ship’s cargo. The spirits were stowed on the top of the cargo. The carpenter was down forward that day, the 31st, where the spirits were kept. His orders were to keep the hatches closed always. He authorised no one to take any part of the cargo at any time. By prisoner —He always told him to batten doivn the hatches. Thomas McDonald, second officer, of the barque, sworn, said that on the 31 si of May it was his watch from 8 to 12 midnight. When he saw Cobb the carpenter that night he smelled strongly of drink (whiskey), and he said to Potter, the man at the wheel, “ The carpenter seems drunk.” He took no immediate steps, but at eight bells told the captain. The next morning he found a bottle and a straw covering like that put over case whiskey bottles, and he sent the boy down the beef locker and he found a case of whiskey there; there were five bottles in it; it had been broached. “Poverty Bay” was on the case. The bottle produced is ore thoseof that were |left in the case. He observed the carpenter under the influence of liquor at 10.45 p.m. on the 31st. Stave, the other prisoner, he saw with a bottle of whiskey in his hand in the forecastle, Captain Gibson read from the bench the extract from the official log of' the Ann Armitage, describing the occurrences on the 31st of May, from which it appeared that there had been considerable disturbance on board owing to the drink, and a good deal of fighting on the forecastle. Joseph Potter, A. 8., sworn : Was at the wheel on the night of the 31st. The boy Hardwick came to to him and told him he was wanted forward, and on going to the forecastle found several

of the men sitting round and drinking whiskey. The carpenter, Cobb, handed him a bottle to drink out of, and he tasted it and handed it back. Cobb said to him “ Why do you drink so little?” and then remarked that it did not matter, he was as bad as the rest. Dm not know who brought up the' grog from below, but it was brought up between 8 and 10 p.m that night, while ho was at the wheel. Cobb told him it was brought from below, but did not say who took it. James Rennie, an O.S. on board, who was on the look-out between 8 and 10 that night ; saw Stave come running from aft with a case, which he took down into the lower forecastle. The carpenter was in the forecastle at the time; he came out and gave him a little drop in a pannakin. When he went into the forecastle at 10 p.m there were four men there ; they were drinking ; there were two bottles in the forecastle similar to that produced. He saw Stave throw something overboard that night at 9 p.m that looked like a case. Sergeant-Major O’Grady said that the prisoner Stave had made a statement the previous night to him, to the effect that the carpenter had told him he wanted him, and taken him down below, and handed him two cases of whiskey to carry forward. Stave, on being questioned by the Bench, admitted this. The prisoner Cobb made a statement to the effect that, owing to extreme wet and cold, he had partaken of the whiskey, but denied being one of those who abstracted it The Bench, after dwelling on the number of evils that sprang from crews broaching cargo, stating that during the last few months theremad been three mutinies on the high seas, all springing in the first place from this cause, and the Bench had no doubt of the guilt of accused after hearing the evidence, and sentenced them to six weeks’ imprisonment with hard labour.