MAGISTERIAL.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2704, 7 December 1882, Page 3

MAGISTERIAL.

CHRISTCHURCH. Thursday, December 7. [Before J. Olliver, Esq., R.M.]

Larcenies. —Cornelius Collins and Wm. Allington were charged with stealing a watch and chain, valued at £4, the property of James Sullivan. The police not being ready to go on with the case, the prisoners were remanded for twenty-four hours. John Burgess, a[ boy about twelve years old, pleaded “Guilty” to stealing leather, worth 3s, from Geo. Hyde, to whom he was apprenticed. It appeared that the boy’s father had given him money to buy a pair of soles ; ho bought them, but stole two other pairs, and told his father that his master had given them to him. Mr Hyde said there had been a good deal of pilfering going on in his workshop; he did not particularly wish to press the charge against this hoy, whose conduct had been pretty fair before. He was severely cautioned and discharged, Mr Hyde undertaking to cancel his indentures.

The Murphy Family. —Michael Murphy applied to have his three children, Emily (8), Charles (6), and Maude (-1), committed to Burnham School. Mr McConnel appeared for applicant, who stated that his wife had left him, and her habits of life were such as to render her unfit to take charge of the children. He admitted at the same time that he himself was unfit to keep them. Inspector Pender examined the deponent with a view to show that his habits were of the most disreputable character, that he had practically turned his house into a brothel, and kept his children there. The Bench then went on to hear a charge against the applicant, as under.

Wipe Desertion. —Michael Murphy was charged by his wife Isabella with intending to desert her and her children. She stated that her husband had actually left her, and she believed that he intended to leave the colony. He had refused to provide for her, saying he had enough women to take care of without her. He had actually given her clothes to a woman with whom he was living. Mr M'Connel, for Murphy, said his client without going any further was willing to make provision as follows—Mrs Murphy to have the care of the children, and to pay trustees for her, £2 per week, and rent and furnish a cottage for her, proper security being given for the performance of the contract. Mrs Murphy, on the advice of the Bench, undertook to see whether this arrangement could be satisfactorily closed, and the case was adjourned till Monday next, the mother and children to he provided for in the meantime. Murphy expressed his willingness to provide in the interim for the children, but would not do anything for the mother. The Bench then ordered her to he paid £2 out of the poor’s box, upon which Mr M'Connel said his client had instructed him to hand over the JS3. The case regarding the children was dropped. Assault. Charles Brown pleaded guilty to having committed on Tuesday night last, an unprovoked assault on Hodgson Holt, who appeared with his face in surgical strappings. According to the evidence, prisoner and another man attacked prosecutor and severely maltreated him, the prisoner being the worst; the other man escaped unrecognised. The prisoner was further charged with being drunk, with having used obscene language, and'with _ having obstructed Constable Johnston in the performance of his duty. The prisoner said he had been led to it by the drink. He called to speak for him a gentleman named Spencer, who was proceeding to say that the prisoner was an industrious inoffensive man, much respected by all his neighbors, when he was interrupted by Inspector Pender, who, producing a list of former convictions, asked witness whether he knew that prisoner had before done two years and other terms of imprisonment for similar offences. Witness said he knew nothing of that. Another witness then spoke in favor of prisoner, ■whose wife also made a strong appeal for mercy. Prisoner finally was fined £3 15s, or in default to he imprisoned for one month.

Attempted Suicide. —Henry Clark, a cripple, aged about sixteen years, was brought up on remand charged as above. Ho had threatened to shoot himself, also to cut his throat. His father and a neighbor and the Rev. Mr Mortimer deposed that the boy was weakminded and subject to fits of despondency, and of violent temper when he fancied he was being illtreated, which had no foundation in fact. Dr. Symes said the boy appeared weak in mind and in body, but from his short acquaintance with the case witness could not say how far he was responsible or not for his actions. The accused was remanded till Monday next for further medical examination in the meantime. Destroying Property.— John Proudfoot, charged with breaking windows in a church at Shirley, was remanded till Saturday next. Neglected Children.— Alice, George, and Henry Ford, aged three, five, and seven years respectively, were, on the application of their father, committed to Burnham, each for seven years. The evidence showed that their mother was dead, and their father was unable to look after them. Setting Fire to a House. Robert Ewing was charged with the above offence. Mr Holmes appeared for the accused, who seemed highly amused with the proceedings. From a great quantity of evidence for the prosecution it appeared that the accused owned a cottage in which ho lived at St. Albans. It was insured, and was within nine feet of another occupied cottage. On November 29th accused, in a drunken freak, smashed up, with an axe, his furniture, knocked out the windows and sashes, and afterwards brought in some dry gorse, placed it in the kitchen on the hearth and piling on it the debris of the furniture set a light to it, which caused a fire that burnt a part of the mantelpiece, but was extinguished by neighbours without doing further damage. There was no defence. The witnesses for the prosecution said that he was a hardworking, inoffensive man, except while under the influence of drink. Mr Holmes said the man was drunk, and had shown malice to none. The fact was, that while a semi-lunatic, he undertook to cook himself some dinner and used too many combustibles. He was the only loser, and only that the house was insured and mortgaged to a building society, the case must have fallen to the ground. He asked the Bench to dispose of it summarily. This the Bench declined to do, and the prisoner was committed for trial at the next sessions of the Supremo Court to be held at Christchurch.