MAGISTRATES’ COURTS.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1251, 11 March 1878, Page 2

MAGISTRATES’ COURTS.

CHRISTCHURCH, Monday, March. 11, [ Before G. L, Mellish, Esq., K.M.J Drunk and Dibokjwsbly. —George JackBoii, charged with being drunk and using obscene language, was fined -Os and la (id c.ib-hire. A first offender was fined us. Henry Pascoe, arrested for being drunk while in charge of a horse, and also with riding furiously through the public streets, was fined £?/ 10s. William Cody, charged on remand with drunkenness, was discharged.

Obstructing a Const .uile.—H. G. Johnson, who had obstructed constables Hill and Stevenson at the p dice depot, while they wers searching a prisoner, was fined ?.Cb. U.VRc'ENV. —Henry Humbling was charged wiih stealing a tent from the Borough Hotel. When arrested by Sergeant Wilson accus<d aumitted having pawned the tent, but said another 1 man whose name he did not know dead given it to him. »o pawn. Mr Selig, manager at Davis’i pawn-shop, identified accused as having pawned the tent produced there on Friday lust. James Mellor, carpenter, stated that he had come to Christchurch on Wednesday morning. His mate cone to town the night before and brought his (witness’s) swag with him, which contained the tent produced. Valued it at L»s. Joseph Henshaw deposed to leaving a swag for t he last witness in the back storeroom of ♦ he Borough Hotel on Tuesday last. A tent was missed out of it on Saturday. Had never upjjed tfae {twa| m ts

take a tent out of it. William Power, landlord of the Borough Hotel, stated that he saw a swag left at Ins place by the last, witness. Had seen the accused about the hotel for’ a few days lately. Sentenced to one month’s imprisonment with hard labour. Horses and Cattle at Laugh. —For permitting horses and cattle to wander in public thoroughfares, the following persons were each fined 5s ; —Alexander Hyndtnan, R. Tubman, F. Biggs, C. O’Malley, E. George, J. Amy, E. J. Comer, J. Brown, A. Blyth, John Lee, R. Wilkin, A. C. Josling, R. Shepherd, B. Bulraer, Michael Howard. On two similar informations, D. Foster, J. Corkin, J. B. Nisbett, and Hugh Taylor, were each fined 10s. Miscellaneous. —A case against Alfred Keith for driving round certain street cor; ers faster than at a walking pace was dismissed, being the first offence. William Creig, 'summoned for plying with his carrier’s cart without a license, was fined 10s ; James Barnett, for a similar offence, was also fined 10s. L. Clark, a little boy, charged with breaking two panes of a street lamp which had been left on the ground, was ordered to pay the value of the glass. George Sellars, charged with driving off the railway cabstand —as the constable put it —“in a mass” to obtain a faro on arrivd of a train, was fined 10s. E. Samuels was similary fined. Alfred Coker was also charged with the same offence. Defendant complained strongly of the bu lying manner in which the railway constable was constantly in the habit of speaking to himself and the cabmen generally, so much so that all the men had left the stand, determing not to return there, but were requested to do so by the town clerk. The stand was not defined in any way, and in this instance lie was the first on the rank. Thinking he was wanted, he went to the station, and found it was a four-wheeler that was required. Ho returned to the rank when told to do so by the constable. A complaint had been made to the station-master about the constable’s manner to the cabmen. The constable told the Bench that the stand had been defined by the town clerk, and shown to the men. Fined 10s. For riding across a footpath, Arthur Work was fined 10s. Alfred Wooledge, a young lad charged with throwing a stone out of the Lyttelton train, and striking a railway labourer named Thomson on the elbow, hurting him very seriously, received a severe reprimand from his Worship, who hoped liis father would give him a sound rope’s-ending for his conduct, which might have resulted so seriously. Ordered to pay the costs, £1 Is. A case against Robert Black, for obstructing High street, was dismissed.

Unbkanded Shbei*. —G. D. Lockhart was summoned for being the owner of 450 sheep without being duly branded with a registered brand. As the sub-inspector did not desire to press the case, as lie learnt they had only been purchased by defendant the morning he saw them, his Worship dismissed it.

Abusive Language. —Elizabeth Yale was summoned for using abusive language to Prank Yale on the Triangle stand. Defendant did not appear. Fined 10a, and 15s costs.

False Pretences. —Thomas Foster was •charged with obtaining 8s by false pretences from J. H. Watts, of Doyleston. Mr Izard appeared for accused. The prosecutor, who as a veterniary surgeon, stated that in December last, a few days before Christmas, accused came to his place and said he was employed by Stratz, watchmaker, Christchurch. He asked if witness had any watches or clocks to repair, and said they were short of work at home, and Mr Stratz had sent his men out to get work. Witness on the representation that accused had come from Stratz gave him a clock to repair. The clock had a broken mainspring at the time. Accused set to work to repair it, and when he was finished witness gave him his charge, eight shillings. When it was repaired witness pointed out how feebly it was going, and accused said ho would return next day. Accused did so, and after he had gone, the clock would not go, and there was a wheel also missing. Witness had afterwards to get the clock repaired by a watchmaker. In cross-examination the witness said accused promised to come back on the following Wednesday, but did not do so. Why he gave accused the money was that he thought he had repaired the clock. It was while winding it up that witness found fche mainspring was broken. Thomas Watts, son of the last witness, corroborated the evidence given and said that accused lost a small wheel while repairing the clock. He then said he would have to get another up from town, but did not do so. Henry Carter, watchmaker, at Sonthbridge, deposed to repairing a clock for the prosecutor. The spring was broken, and a small wheel was missing. A new spring had not been put in, but the old one merely punched and bound together. J. F. Stratz, watchmaker, High street, stated accused had never been in his employ, nor had ho authorised him to go round in hi* name and repair clocks or watches. Accused used to come to his place and bring watches to be repaired. He laid be lived at Governor’s Day, Believed him to be a farm laborer. Mr Izard submitted that the charge of false pretence must fall through, as accused did not get the money under false pretences, but for work which he had done. There was nothing to show that lie was not a watchmaker. Four cases of a similar nature had fallen through moat lamentably. There were some persons who had a down on his client, and were determined to take it out of him by some means or other. His Worship said he did not agree with Mr Izard's views. The man was » systematic swindler, and this must be put a stop to. Sentenced to three months’ imprisonment with hard labor.

Violent Assault. —Henry Buscbo was charged on remand with assaulting J. Heard, in the Southern Hotel, by throwing a jug at foi'm on the morning of the 6th inst. Mr .Joynt appeared for the accused. Constable McDoyiet deposed to arresting accused at five o’clock on the morning mentioned at Maples’s Southern Hotel. He said ho had committed the assault in the heat of passion, and was sorry for what he had done. r lhe prosecutor was in the bar at the time, and bleeding profusely from a wound in the forehead. Witness ricked up the bottom of the jug produced, the rest of it was broken into small pieces. This was on the morning of the tire at Alienton House. Witness took Hoard to the Hospital to have his wound dressed. By Mr Joynt—This was about half-an-hour after the fire, Mr Floyd Collins, house surgeon, at the Hospital, deposed to the prosecutor being brought there on the morning of 6th instant. He had two facial wounds, one on the forehead, the other on the upper lip. The first wound was jagged and about an inch in length, but not deep, the other was a clean cut about the same leugtn, but deeper. Wounds on the forehead are always serious, but this was not a serious one. The man was only* a day in the Hospital, but bad called since to have the wounds dross d. Tne wounds would be caused by a pig being thrown at him us represented. Detective Beniamin, called, stated that he was in the private bar of the Southern Hotel about five o’clock on the morning in question. Saw Heard in the public bar, and saw something thrown at his head, which knocked him down, but it broke to pieces. Did not =oc who throw it. He at once went into the other bar and saw Heard lying on the floor bleeding very much. Accused was there with others, and seemed to be very excited. He admitted having knocked the man down, but said ho had been insulted. Saw a number of pieces of a water-jug lying on the floor. Heard’s head was bound. up, and he was afterwards removed. In cross-cxamL nafcion, witness said accused was barman at the hotel. The occurrence happened shortly alter the fire, and there were a number ol people in the, place at the time. William Maples, manager at the hotel, stated that after he had reprimanded the accused tor leaving the bar without calling him when he saw the fire was so near, ho heard the prosecutor, who was in the bar, make floige remark, all of which he could not catch, and immediately accused lifted up the Jug and threw it deliberately at the man, saying ho would not stand his impertinence any longer, In cross-examination, the witness said he heard the prosecutor say the accused had been in the house too loug, ami was driving the trade away, ifo also him an ofpfobritm? Abused tdeu

round the counter and throw the jug, which w.is full of water at the time. M itness gave Hoard a drink that morning for carrying water to the back of the fire. Heard asked! [accused '[for a __.‘'drink afterwards, ; which 1m refused to give, and told him he was a loafer. Prosecutor was a very troublesome man when he asked and did not get a d'dnk. Accused had been employed at the hot el for about five months, but was in Mr Schmidt’s employ for a long time. He was a good man, but rather hasty tempered. In re examination the witness said he thought accused picked up the jug as he was going round the corner of the bar. The prosecutor, who stated that ho was a groom at the Caversham, gave evidence of tho assault as already stated. Witness carried water that morning to put out the fire at the fence and back premises. Afterwards he went inside to assist Mr Maples in drawing the corks out of some beer bottles for the Fire Brigade, when Mr Maples blamed Bnsche for leaving the house at such a time without alarming the inmates. Witness put in a word that accused ought to be ashamed of himself. At a later hour witness asked him for a drink, and after some words the man threw the jug at him. On Friday last accused came over to the Caversham Hotel and told witness he wanted to see him in private, and said if he would say that lie (witness) annoyed him he would make him a handsome present. In crossexamination the witness said he could not recollect the exact words he used to the accused before he threw the jug. The blow he received still affected his memory. W. H. Barrv gave evidence of seeing Heard lying on the floor that morning, with his forehead bleeding. Accused was just returning round the corner of the bar, and admitted he had thrown the jug in temper. There were pieces of a jug lying about. In reply to Mr Joynt, his Worship said he would deal with the case summarily. Mary Monarty, called by Mr Joynt, stated that she was a servant at the hotel, and saw the prosecutor in the bar on the morning of the fire. She heard him use very insulting language to Bnsche, and called Idm a G-erman something. In cross-examina-tion the witness said she was hi the passage close to the bar-parlour at the time, and could hear all that was said. Accused was of a very excitoable temper. Mrs Buchanan, who was {staying in the house the previous night, stated that she was going into the bar on the morning in question, when she heard the prosecutor use exceedingly abusive language to the accused. The accused was very irritated, as ho seemed to have been very generally annoyed that morning. Mr E. Maples called, gave tho accused an excellent character in all respects. He was, however, a little quick tempered. Mr W. Schmidt, in whose employ accused had been for nearly three years, gave him a good character, and said he was one of the best servants ho had ever had. Mr Joynt addressed the Bench at length, and trusted that under all the circumstances his Worship would consider justice of the case met by a fine. Fined £5 and and £1 expense incurred. LYTTELTON. Monday, March 11. [Before W, Donald, Ksq., R.M., and T. H. Potts, Esq., J.P.] Lunacy from Drink. —Robert Steel and James Fisher having fully recovered, were discharged. Drunkenness. —W. Marshall, who had also annoyed several females, was sentenced to forty-eight hours’ imprisonment. Assault. —Michael Slattery, an A. 8., was charged by Mr Joseph Henderson, chief officer of the ship Wanganui, with this offence. The Bench sentenced accused to fourteen days dard labour.