MAGISTERIAL.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2249, 13 May 1881, Page 3

MAGISTERIAL.

OHBISTOHUBOH. Friday, Mat 13. fßefore Q. L. Lee end R. Westenra, Esqs., J.P.’s.] . . , Drunkenness. —Mary Ann White was final 10j for this offence. Stealing Ferrets. - James B. Derritt was brought up charged with stealing two ferrets, the property of E. Derritt, hotelkeeper, Horarata. The police stated that the alleged offence had been committed at Horarata, and asked for the prisoner to be rei mandcd to Sheffield, to appear there on Saturday. Th« application was allowed, and bail taken in one surety of £SO. Failing to Provide. —Alexander Bell, brought up on warrant for failing to provide for the maintenance of his wife and three children at Timaru, was remanded to that place to appear there on Saturday. Yagbanot.—Rebecca Harris, aged fourteen, was charged with having no lawful visible means of support. Her father, a cook, deposed to the girl having in his absence left her home, and to the finding of her in the company of some other women. He said the girl was not a bad girl, though rather flighty. Sergeant Hughes stated that the women with whom the girl was found were prostitutes. Witness arrested her. She was then sleeping in an empty house next door to a brothel, in Kilmore street east, which was kept by a woman named Ross. Prisoner had been before the Court for stealing from a shop. Her mother had been dead for some time, and now she was a fully developed larrikin of a bad type. She was about the streets night and day in the worst of company. The Bench, addressing her father, commented strongly on the apparent neglect of his responsibility with regard to her. They were not inclined to burden the State with her maintenance, wiiilo be was alive and seemingly able to look after her. The prisoner would be remanded till Saturday morning, when her father would be expected to come prepared with some proposal for taking charge and proper care of her in future.

Highway Sobbbby. Thomas Hester Knibbs, a working jeweller, came up on remand, charged with having robbed Benjamin Hirst of four one-pound uotes. Prosecutor, ' who had lately arrived from the country, where he had been harvesting, deposed that while in company with prisoner and others at the White Hart Hotel on May 7th, he cashed a cheque, for which he received some one-pound notes in change, and placed them in his right hand trousers’ pocket. They bad some drinks there, and prosecutor was drunk. After leaving the hotel, he called a cab and got into it. He then had the money all right. Knibbs followed him into the cab, and although prosecutor told him he was going home, and did not want his company, prisoner remained. After going a short distance prosecutor told prisoner that he was only a loafer, and he would not go any farther with him. He then caused the cabman to pull up near the Albion Hotel, got out and walked northward on the west side of Colombo street. Prisoner remained behind. When prosecutor got as far as the Chinaman’s garden, hearing somebody following him up quickly he looked round, and saw the accused. The time was between 5 and 6 o’clock p.m.; it was then dark. Prosecutor suspected the [intention of accused and ran away. Being drunk he could not go very fast, and accused following soon overtook him. On turning round accused said, with some oaths, “Do yon call me a loafer?”and struck prosecutor in the face twice and knocked him down. While he was on the ground a further assault was committed, the effects of which were very apparent the next day. Prosecutor went on to say that, being partly stupefied, he had a doubt as to what followed, but believed prisoner got on the top of him and took the money out of his pocket. Ho would not swear as to the accuracy of this account. Pro■eccutor jaid that if their Worships knew how a man’s ideas were confused when viewing events in a halt sleeping half waking condition, they would understand how he felt about what had happened. After prosecutor had been rifled, accused ran away towards town. Prosecutor, after a protracted effort, “ pulled himself together.” He struggled to his feet, examined his pockets, and found that the money was gone, and he bad not seen it since. He then went to the Police Depot and laid an information. He had since endeavored without success to find the cabman who drove them. Accused cross-examined prosecutor at great length, going over the evidence given without anything contradictory being brought out. In consequence of something that was said, prosecutor, in answer to Sergeant Morice, said that he, prisoner, and a naan named Scott bad been throwing dice for money at the White Hart. David Scott, a working jeweller, deposed to being in company with Hirst and a man named Adams. They met accused, and witness " introduced ” him to prosecutor. Witness corroborated, generally, the evidence of prosecutor. He stated in addition that after the party left the White Hart they went to the Queen’s Hotel, where further gambling and drinking took place. When the cab was called “Mr” Knibbs, at the request of witness, consented to see prosecutor home. This was about 5 p.m. Prosecutor was very drunk. Had a conversation with prisoner at the depot about the cab ; had asked him what sort of a cab it was, to which prisoner replied that it was a hansom. Had seen accused on Sunday—before he was arrested—when the same subject was discussed. Accused had then told witness that he had alighted in Colombo street, because prosecutor bad charged him with trying to get a ride on the cheap. Prosecutor *had no marks on his face when he got into the cab. Witness was on good terms with prisoner. To prisoner—The proprietor of the White Hart stopped the gambling when he heard of it. Detective Neill stated that he arrested prisoner on the 9th inst. Accused denied having committed the robbery. Witness heard accused at the Police Depot say that on the evening of the seventh he had gone in a cab with prosecutor over Colombo street bridge. On the night of the 7th witness saw at the depot prosecutor whose face was disfigured, and who gave a very accurate description of prisoner as the man who had robbed him. This was the cose for the prosecution. Prisoner bad nothing to say. He was committed for trial at the next sessions of the Supreme Court to be held at Christchurch. Bail was not mentioned.