MAGISTERIAL.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 231, 6 September 1881, Page 3

MAGISTERIAL.

OHBIBTOHUEOH. Tuesday, September 6. [Boforo J. OUivier and R. Westenra, Eeqs., J.P.’s.] Drunkenness.—For a first offence, a man found drunk at the railway station was fined 10>, and oab hire, 2a. Attempted Suicide.—Oli Tobe Tobienaen was charged with the above offence.—The police stated that on August 22nd the prisoner, a stableman, residing at a boarding house in Gloucester street, who had been for some time in feeble health and melancholy, was noticed by the people of the house to put on his best clothes and assume an air of gaiety. Immediately afterwards ho was found in apparently great agony, and was conveyed to the Hospital, where he was treated with success for poisoning by strychnine. H« was now brought up to bo dealt with by the Bench. The prisoner, a foreigner, appeared to be suffering from debility.—The Magistrate asked if he via quite recovered? Superintendent Broham said he had been discharged as cured from the Hospital.—The Bench, then addressing prisoner, pointed out to him the enormity of the offence, and prisoner, not appearing to hear or understand bis Worship, was discharged. Labcent as a Bailee.—W. H. Illingworth was brought up charged with having converted to his own use a set of harness, value £7, the property of Thos. Lester. — Thomas Lester, a oab proprietor, deposed that in June last he sold prisoner the harness in question for £7, to be paid for in five weeks, or returned at that time if the first cost and 10s per week as rent was not forthcoming. No rent was paid, and witness took the harness back. Subsequently witness, on being paid the arrears, let on hire to the prisoner the harness, at 10s per week, without option of purchase. Prisoner paid one week’s rent only on this second hiring. On August 4th, hearing that prisoner was going to clear out, witness asked him > to return the harness. Prisoner directed him to go to Mr Adcock’s for it, giving an order for it at the same time, on the presentation of which it was delivered to witness. He taxed prisoner with having given to some one else a bill of sale over the harness, and the prisoner denied it.—Wm. Blakemore, a hotel servant, deposed that on June 17th last prisoner being indebted to him in the sum of £l9 for a horse and other things, sold to him a hansom cab, harness, and the horse for £2O. Witness paid no money to prisoner, but allowed him to have the use, on hire, of the turn out, at a rental to bo paid of £1 per week, with the proviso that if the rent was paid regularly the property was at the end of twenty weeks to revert to the prisoner, Prisoner paid none of the instalments. At the end of five weeks, from what witness heard, he was induced to take possession again. He caused prisoner to drive the oab, &0., to Matson and Co.’s, where they were sold on the following day to a Mrs Pearce for £25, witness receiving their price.

Another Case.—The same prisoner was then charged with another offence of the same kind.—John Adcock, cab proprietor, deposed to having sold a cab on terms to prisoner and one Ernest Harris. They paid between them, prisoner by cash, and Harris by an 1.0. U., £lO down. They were to pay the balance due, £4O, in three months. If not paid in three months, then they were to pay rent at the rate of £1 from the date of the sale, until they had paid in all £6O, when the cab would become their property, and not before. There was a written agreement, but it had been mislaid. At the end of three months witness had received in all from prisoner £lO 11s 6d, Harris, in the meantime, with witness’s consent, having turned the concern over to him. On August 4th witness, hearing that the whole turn-out had been mortgaged, and the rent being in arrear, told prisoner to deliver back, at witness’s house, the cab ; which was done. The same day Mr Lester obtained, on an order, the harness, which had been left by prisoner with the cab, and on the next day Mr Poiper came with a bailiff, and, producing a bill of sale, took the cab. It has since been returned to witness, Mrs Pearce, with whom prisoner lodged, having paid out the bailiff.—Vm, Blakemore repeated his evidence given in the previous case as to his purchase of the cab, &0., his seizure and sale of them. Obtaining Money on Fame Pretences. —The prisoner was further charged as under : —Fred. Peipor, commission agent and money lender, of Oxford terrace, Christchurch, stated that on July 22nd he lent prisoner £lO, secured by bill of sale over the horse, cab and harness, the subject of the two previous prosecutions.—Prisoner positively stated that they wore his, and that there was no lien on them. The money was to be repaid in weekly instalments of £l. Only one instalment had sinoe been paid by prisoner ; the whole of it has since been paid by Mrs Pearce.—All the witnesses in the previous oases here repeated their previous evidence.—The prisoner, who was undefended, said (after hearing the evidence road over) that he had had no intention of defrauding anyone.—He was then committed for trial at the next Christchurch sessions of the Supreme Court. Bail was allowed, the prisoner himself in £IOO, and two sureties each in £SO.