RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT

Grey River Argus, Volume III, Issue 203, 2 May 1867, Page 4

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT

GREYMOUTH. Tuesday, A]Jril 30. (Before W. H. Revell, Escfc, R.M.) ' Drunk akd Disorderly. — The two men, George Ball and James Martin, brought up on this charge this morning, seemed to have imbibed a large draught [ of the Waters of Lethe, instead of the liquor usually vended in public-houses, „.,,> as they botli professed utter ignorance of 'y? everything that had taken place previous to finding themselves in "quod" in the - morning. They had each to pay 10s. , nc suffer forty-eigiit&ours' imprisonment, to impress a better general notion of facts on their memory. Whful Dbstbucxiox of Property. — James Martin was charged for a second offence, that of wilfully destroying the door of the Star Hotel, by kicking against the panels. Mr Harris stated that the prisoner \vas i drunk and creating a disturbance in his house, ami when turned out, commenced kiyking the door violently, but his mates having promised to pay the damages, he desired not to press the charge. The prisoner could only plead the same obliviousnesjs of all past events as in the previous case, and was fined ss. and the costs of repairing the damage. Stabbing with Intent; — On the application of Inspector James, tho case of - Scanlan v. Dowsing \vas iJ again remanded" to the Bth or May, the wound of the prosecutor having commenced bleeding afresh the previous night, and Dr Morice (under whose care he is now placed) having stated that he would not be in ant state to appear for a fortnight. The same bail V as before was accepted, although the pri- \ saner has not yet been able to procure Vureties. \ Resisting the Police. — Peter Homos, Vancled from Monday, was charged by i "Nective Hams with having violently rei Xhim when he went to put -him nut L ■ house, which he had imentered at one o'clock in the morning, "frightening witness's wife out of the lionseyan'd challenging tin, officer to fight to see who was best man. As he was very riotous and abusive when ejected. from the premises, it became necessary to take him to the Camp, but although the distance was short, prisoner fought so violently tho whole of the way that it took no less than half-an-hour to get him there, and it became necessary ta obtain the assistance of a casual passer-by. In the course of the struggle witness had his ""-' watchrguard smashed, received a cut on the ai'tn, kicks on the legs, and got his thumb sprained. Mr Tyler, who appeared for the defence, did his best to shake the ( , testimony of the witness, and an amusing \ spurring match occurred, in which, how\V ever, the detective's coolness proved fully !%a match for the lawyer's acuteness. Thos. '{ll'tjllarton had seen Hams holding a man V struggling against the fence when he had \l)3en called upon to lend a hand In reply \ 'V a 9 ues^ 011 from Mr Tyler, he naively W \\id he had found them both " blowing." j^..jflie B'3iich severely reprimanded the pri|V goner for his violence, but in consideration already been fined for s§s>-sWl J^ii-IJsS. had probably >ii %-"^liouse in a mistaken search for H, , j' fined him in the mitigated A f Assault.— James Connor was a jPeter Guy with having struck ./f'y over tno forehead with a 9 \h inflicted a deep gash. ProH 1 'fas employed at the Star Hotel, a jponer was in the habit of coming :^' ( l nent ly- I' 1 consequence of a ijuarrel hu bade him leave the house, when prisoner blew out the light, picked up a bottle from tho yard, and hit him with it over the head. He then seized an iron bar from the fire-place, and struck him with it on the shoulder. He had threatened the prosecutor that he would stab him to the heart "if he got out of this job." The prisoner, when asked if lie liad any questions to put, made several rambl- . ing charges and insinuations, apparently seeking to cast reflections on prosecutor's wife, but as the3e were quite irrelevant, they were stopped by the Court. He was condemned to fourteen days'imprisoriment with hard labor. :ih M Stealing Blankets.— The same priW- jsoner was charged by Samual Kennedy, a j ; waiter at Johnston's Melbourne Hotel, where Connor is employed as second cook, ! with stealing a pair of grey blaukets which had been lent him to sleep with. He had taken them to the Star Hotel, and had been there seen by the prosecutor in the last case to tear a corner off tlieni in which there was a distinguishing mark. The waiter identified the blankets, winch he valued at 255., and said he had given them out to Connor to sleep in in the Theatre on Sunday last, as he had done for the last four weeks. The prisoner admitted the theft, but strove hard to prove that he had taken them for the benefit of Guy's wife and family. This, assertion was al- i together denied, and the prisoner, putting on the air of a martyr to friendship, submitted with a touching resignation to his sentence of one month's imprisonment with hard labor, to commence at the termination of the previous sentence, Attempt to Commit an Unnatural Offence.— A painfurdegree of interest was excited in the vicinity of the Court, in consequence of a rumor that tho wit- I nesses iv tin's case who had failed to appear at the previous healing" on Saturday had been summoned for to-day, and that John Banuon, the prisoner, would be again brought up. for hearing. This proved to be cc^^aud the Court was : accordingly dei^^powdqd as soon as, the door was "*Qp|Bed, all anxious to ■ gratify, what the Magistrate very properly characterised as a morbid curiosity, which was effectually baulked by eve.ry person, except those officially engaged, being i ordered to withdraw previous to the commencement of the -proceedings. This . precaution proved in the progress of the case to have been no more than was absolutely necessary in the -interests of morality and decency, aa the details given in evidenoe were so disgusting aiid, repulsive as to be totally unfit for recapitulation. Robert. Gibbs and Stephen Cattle, both witnesses working on the Grey and living at the r Crown Hotel, gave such an account of ./' the transaction of the 26th ult. as to / Jeave very little possibility of doubt that ' the offence charged had be|h committed by the accused. Mr Tyler; who appeared for the defence, said he could not oppose the committal, and should therefore reserve the defjbnce he had to offer until the trial, when lie hoped to bring forward; evidoiweas would completely changjlf K^] ; e^coinDl^^^fthocitse^ The prisprjl 1

on the loth May. Mr Tyler applied for bail, which the Magistrate agreed to accept at LIOO personal recognisances, and two sureties .of LSO each, but the prisoner declined to go out on bail while this stigma remain on his character unrefuted. He was accordingly locked up. Gibbs was bound over to prosecute, and Cattle to appear as witness. The charge against them for not appearing to give evidence when the case was first called on, and thus compounding a a felony, was dismissed, after an impressive caution from the Bench, they explaining that they were obliged to go up the river with a load that was waiting for them, as they would liave lost their work, and proving satisfactorily there had bean no collusion with tho prisoner. AsSAiri/r at Maori GulliY.— Andrew Leicester appeared against his mate, Buchanan, both miners latterly working in Maori Gully, and who had worked together for several months. A dispute had arisen between them on the 24th of April, about certain property in which a partnership right was claimed, amongst other things a tent, which Liecesterwanted to t ike away to a new rush, and was proceeding to remove when Buchanan felled him with a pick handle, and he believed kicked him in the jaw while lying stunned on the ground. Robert Brown, another minor, had heard the dispute, and wh3n he went over to the tent found the complainant stretched on the ground and the prisoner standing over him with a pick handle (produced in Court) in. his hand, swearing that was the way he'd serve auy man who touched his property. Mr O'Loughliu set up the defence that the tent really belonged to his client, who had bought it and had not been repaid out. of the partnership funds, and that although he might have iised inulue violence he was still justified in protecting his property against forcible removal. Mr Tyler contended that the tent was clearly the property of both jointly, which rendered the assault criminal and unprovoked. The Court reserved its judgment until after the following case had. been heard, as that would throw some light on the matter. It subsequently condemned the assailant to pay LlO and costs, or two months' imprisonment, L 5 of the sum to go to complainant. Destruction op .Property. — This plaint was instituted by Buchanan against Leicester, for the destruction of the tent re • ferreel to in the previous case, Avhich was said to have been torn to pieces in the soifrle, and to be worth LI. Mr Tyler succeeded in showing that one party had as much right as the other to it, and the case was dismissed with costs. Assault. — Peter Foster, charged by James Donovan with having assaulted him, not appearing, a warrant was issutd for his apprehension. The Court was adjourned till 10 o'clock yesterday (Wednesday), but there were no -cases for, adjudication.