MAGISTRATES' COURTS.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1407, 19 August 1878, Page 2

MAGISTRATES' COURTS.

CHRISTCHURCH. Monday, At/gust 19. [Before G. L. Mellish, EsqJH.M.,I? Lahobny.—George Williams was charged with stealing a coat, valued at £2, the property of Strange and Fountain. Joseph Strange, of the firm of Strange and Fountain, identified the coat produced as exactly similar to one which he had missed from the shop door about half-pasfc three on Saturday afternoon. He had last seen it about ten o'clock in the morning. It had not been sold. Witness saw prisoner on Saturday at Mr Stewart's pawnshop, where he was offering to pledge the coat. Prisoner said at first that the coat was his own, but afterwards that it had been given to him to pledge. Samuel Stewart, pawnbroker, deposed to prisoner having brought the coat to him, wanting 10s on it. Witness kept him waiting till a constable came. Constable Sutherland had arrested prisoner, who said the coat had been given to him to pledge by Q-eorge William Harris. Prisoner wanted witness to go up the right-of-way near the White Hart, but witness would not go. [The Bench here reprimanded witness for not having given the prisoner an opportunity to clear himself from the charge.] Detective Benjamin deposed that prisoner had told him that the coat had been given to him (prisoner) by a man whose name he did not know, but who, he believed, had worked at one time at Rakaia. Sergeant Wilson deposed that prisoner had the alias of William Harris. Prisoner here deniod having ever had an alias. He had no witnesses to call for the defence. He was sentenced to a month's imprisonment with hard labor. William Cody was charged with stealing from a dwelling a mattrasß and two blankets, value £3, the property of John Bligh. Henry Smith, laborer, residing with Mr Bligh, deposed that he occupied a room in a cottage behind Mr Bligh's. His room was upstairs. On Sunday afternoon he went to it, and at the bottom of the stairs found prisoner in the act of tying up a bundle in a blue blunket, produced. On going into his room witness missed the blankets from a second bed in his room, and at once gave information of the theft. Prisoner had then gone away and left the bundle, in which was a mattrass tied up at the foot of the staircase. A broken comb and a hair brush were also missing. Susannah, wife of John Bligh, corroborated the evidence of the last witness, and identified the property produced as her husband's. Detective Benjamin deposed to arresting prisoner, who, when charged, said two or three times, "What, I steal a bed!" and afterwards remarked to the landlord of the London Chop House, " I suppose I shall be in gaol a day or two for this." A long list of previous convictions, two of which were for larceny, was handed to the Bench by Inspector Hickson. Prisoner was sentenced to six months' imprisonment with hard labor. [Left Sitting.]