MAGISTRATES’ COURTS.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1605, 12 April 1879, Page 2

MAGISTRATES’ COURTS.

CHRIS rCBURCH. Saturday, April V). I Before F. Huh!.E-q , J P., and CJeorge Hart, E s q , J P.J Yageancy.—Joseph Evans Whilbey was charged under the Vagi ant Act with having no lawful vis bio means of support. Railway constable Kelly deposed that the prisoner, a colored man, had lately been in tire habit of loitering about Onawa and Hillsborough and sleeping .cut. JElective Walker said the accused' was a hi.rmh -s inoffensive man who had seen better d ivs. He had been tr\ing to got a living hut unsuccessfully with a basket. Mr Inspector Hickson corroborated the statement of the last witness, and said the accused was more fib to be an inmate of the Ashburton Home than a gaol. He had never known him to commit any offence against the law. Ho was remanded until the the 16th inst. Larceny.-James Duncan Carruthers, a youth, was charged with stealing two coats value £5, the property of Alfred Everett, The clothing was taken from a shop dcor where it was exposed for sale. Detective Walker raid he was a new arrival, only having been in the colony a couple of months. The prisoner pleaded guilty, and said he was very “hard up,” and he took the coats to relieve his necessity. In consideration of his circumstances, and that it wss a first offence, the Bench took a lenient view of the ease, and sentenced the prisoner to oho tnonth’s imprisonment with hard labour. Larceny from a Dwelling.—Stephen Walsh, alias Green, alias McCarthy, alias Wm. Allen, was charged with the larceny of a cheque for £3O and about £5 in cash belonging to Wm. Allen. Wm. Evans, being sworn, said —He kept the Prince Alfred dining rooms in Manchester street south. He came on the evening of the 21st March. The prosecutor, Wm. Allen, stopped in the house the same night. The prisoner went upstairs to bed between nine and ten o’clock. The prosecutor had a shake down in the dining-room, the house being full. Witness that night retired to rest at half-past eleven o’clock, after fastening up the house, so that no one could get in from the outside. The following morning, about 5 o’clock, the prosecutor made a complaint to him (witness), and in consequence ho went up stairs, and found the only bed unoccupied was the prisoner’s, and the latter was nowhere to be found. Witness found the back and front doors unfastened, but closed. Had not seen him since, and had known him by the name of Stephen Walsh. William Allen, laborer, living in Victoria street, deposed that on the night of the 21st of March he slept at Evans’s Boarding House. He slept in the dining room, and laid down about eleven o’clock. The cheque for £3O produced was in his purse, and half a sovereign, some loose silver, and a little ticket, and five one pound notes were in it as well. The purse was in his trouser pocket, and he placed the trousers under his head. He was awoke the next morning just after daylight by a noise in the room, and he sa# a man going out of the back doWi Ho went after him and saw the prisoner in the closet, and wished him good morning, the latter returning the salutation, Returning to the dining-room the witness examined his trousers, and missed his purse and contents. He then roused the landlord and said the prisoner had robbed him. The prisoner was then gone from the closet, but the witness found in it the school ticket which ho had already stated to have formed a part of the contents of his purse. Witness then reported his loss to the police. Another man slept in the dining-room that night, but lie was asleep when witness missed bis money. Had had no previous acquaintance with the prisoner, whom he next saw at the police station, and picked him out from eight other men, William Rubley, a boarding-house keeper living at Sheffield, deposed that the prisoner slept at his house on the night of March 80th. Ho had breakfast in the morning, which he paid for overnight. At dinner time he asked him to cash the cheque produced which he refused, as he had not sufficient funds. The amount was for £3O. Ho begged hard for witness to take the cheque, which at last he consented to do. He distinctly said his name was William Allen, and that name was endorsed by him at the hotel. He said ha had been working at the Bealey, and he had received the cheque as payment, with four or five pounds besides. The witness subsequently got the cheque cashed, and gave the money £29 to the prisoner. Mr Bull a butcher at Sheffield changed the cheque. The prisoner left the witness’s house on April Ist. G eorge Gordon, accountant in the Bank of Now Zealand, said the cheque produced was paid into the bank in favor of Frederick Bull on the Ist April. The prisoner, John Smith, whose name was on the cheque, had an account at the bank. It was placed to Mr Bull’s credit, and afterwards delivered to him again, as the bank had received instructions from the police and the drawer to stop the cheque. Detective Benjamin proved arresting the prisoner in Christchurch on the morning of the 6th inst. by virtue of the warrant produced. He explained the charge to the prisoner, who denied any knowledge of it, and said his name was Dan Walsh, not Steve Walsh, and that he did not know any place of the name of Sheffield. When searched at the watch-house, he had £l4 9s 10d on him. Detective Walker deposed to have known the prisoner for twelve months by the names of Stephen McCarthy and Stephen Green, On the 10th March last, he was convicted in the Police Court under the latter name on a charge of larceny. This was the wnole of the evidence, and the prisoner was committed for trial at the next session of the Supreme Court.

LYTTELTON. Saturday, April 12,

[Before G. L. Lee, and T. H. Potts, Esqs.] Drunk. — W. Barber, J. Williams, N. Anderson, and James Burns were fined, the three first 5s each, the last 10s, for this offence.

Profanity. —Thomas Lafferty, for using obscene and profane language, was remanded until the 17th inst.

Civil Case. —Brown and Smith y Holmwood, claim £3 18s 9d ; judgment by default, costs 9s.