Untitled

Grey River Argus, Issue 64, 9 June 1866, Page 2

Friday, June 8. M ■,-■■■ (Before W. H. Revell, Esq;, M '* Larceny — Jame Oldham was cy^. remand with stealing a coat, the » 0 . James CaldwelL, from tbj£ BallajS^' South Beach. Mr .Lispector^ Janfr^ that on Wednesday last he recehrecl^iiffprma''' tkm that a coat iiad been stolen from the BaUarat Hotel,. South Beach, and on -the same day he arrested the prisoner at thiSaltwo.ter Creek on another charge. As he passed the hotel on his way to the police station the prisoner w^s recognised by Mr Thompson, landlord of the hotel, as the man wli6' had stolen the coat on the previous evening.? ; He produced.a CQat which, he. received from M^ Thompson, and, whj,cb. was identified Tb^^ James Caldwell as his property. The prisotier v was drunk when arrested. James Caldwell," a digger, stated that on Monday afternboir 1 he left his coat to dry: at the Ball^tat Hotel, ' and it was hung uj» behind tne door near the stove, where he last saw it on Tuesday nigtit. The prisoner. was in the hotel diaring that afternoon -arid evening" drinking. :X)n Wed-i nesday morning the coat was . niissedj : m$ he' w«nt to the 'tent of '^e prisoner/ situated about fifteen yards inrear' of - the liotel, and said to him, "I believe you^a,Ye ajcoajj 0^

iriine here." The pris '<O^B once handed out the coati taking it i.^ jHiderneath his seat. . The coat was not inThe same condiK v*:,;sn as when it was taken, out of the sleeves rjaying been ripped up and nisewed. It was worth L 3 10. ' Michael' Sherlock gave similar evidence, but added, that the coat was; found the prisoner left His tent and pro T peeded to the Saltwater Creek, The prisoner said he had no intention of stealing the coat. He was drunk when he f ook it,tuind he returned it next morning. Cald well then paid Jie wqiild charge him L 3 10s for "the coat, which Ke agreed to pay, and gave the coat to Mr Thompson to keep, until he got the money. The Magistrate said he considered the charge proved When he took the coat lie nug-ijt'. have been under the influence of fjriiik, but that was mqre an jiggravation than an excuse for crime. intention of couiuiittingthe larcgny was' seen in the fact •};hat instead of at once bringing back the coat in the njiprning, the prisoner made alterations pn the sleeves of it. The sentence was" one months' imprisonment with hard labor in ilqkitikagaol.