RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Grey River Argus, Volume VIII, Issue 567, 4 September 1869, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Thursday, Sept. 2. (Before W. H. Revell, Esq., R.M.) Breaches of the Fublio-hoijsb, Ordinance. — Mary Bug<(y was charged with selling liquor in her licensed house, in Johnston street, after the usual hour, and was fined L 5 and costs.— Mrs Morris was charged with selling spirits, without a license in her store at the Stoney Lead, aacl was fined L3O and costs. Indeobnoy.— rThos. Louden was charged with this o.ffence in the presence of two young girls, on the Preston-.ro.ad. The case was heard with closed doors. The prisoner was sentenced to four months' imprisonment, with hard labor. Friday, Sept. 3. Larceny. — Jane Ryan was charged with stealing a decanter, containing a quantity of brandy, of the value of 10s, .the property of Gerald Perotti. Mr Perotti stated that he missed a decanter nearly full of brandy from the counter of his hotel. He next saw it in the posses--sion of the police. — Constable Keating stated that about niue o'clock on Thursday night he received information of the theft, and a description of the suspected person. He proceeded to the defendant's house, in Albert street, and asked if she had seen the decanter. She denied having seen it. He attempted to search her, but she would not allow him. He asked her to stand up, but she refused, and he then found the decanter and its contents hidden under her shawl. — The barmaid at the Commercial Hotel remembered the prisoner being in the bar on Thursday eveuing. Shortly after she left she missed the decanter containing brandy, and gave information, as she saw the prisoner attempting to hide something. — The defendant.now said she took shelter from a shower of rain. She did not know what she was doing at the time, and when she came to herself at home she was in the act of taking the decanter home, when the constable called at her house. She was sentenced to one months' imprisonment. FRAUDULENT INSOLVENCY. Win. Gledhill was charged, on the information of W. L. Macalister, that within three months before his adjudication under the false pretence of carrying on business in the ordinary way of trad c, obtain certain property from Charles Woolcock, storekeeper, with intent to defraud him of the same. Mr Perkins appeared for the prosecution, and Mr Guinness for the defendant. Harry Kenrick : I am clerk to the District Court holden at Greymouth, and trustee in the estate of William Gledhill, who has been adjudicated a bankrupt. I produce the order of adjudication made by me in the absence of the Judge. Mr Guinness objected : The order was not sealed, and could not be tlie order, but simply a minute of it. Examination continued : I produce the deposition of Mr Gledhill, taken in the District Court on June 4, and signed by him. These depositions are coirect. (They were read, and were published at the time of the examination.) Mr Guinnefs objected to this document being received as evidence, because it was not sealed. The Magistrate allowed the evidence ; the Clerk of the Court could stamp the depositions if he thought fit, now or before the case was closed. Examination continued : The bankrupt stated that on the 4th June, that he remembered purchasing fifty dozen eggs on the 19th April from Mr Woolcock, and that he intended to pay for them by the sale of them ; that he had sold twenty dozen to Sweeney's Hotel, but he did not enter that transaction in his books. The books were handed over to me by the bankrupt I believe ; they contain no mention of the sale of these eggs. The entry tliat now appears in the books of the sale of the eggs, was marie by the bankrupt or Mr Guinness's clerk on July 25th, when he applied for his order of discharge. William Lnmsden Macalister : I am bookeeper to Mr C. Woolcock, storekeeper, Greymouth. I remember the defendant filing the declaration of his insolvency. A few days before this, on the 18th or 19th April, he called at Mr Woolcock's store to purchase eggs. He was refused them without cash, when he said if they were sent down he would be back with the money before the man could reach his store. Mr Woolcock did not receive payment ; the amount is still owing ; I called at his place once or twice for the money, but I could not see him. I heard of his insolvency within a week from the purchase of the eggs. The amount of the account was about L 6. Cross-examined : Mr Woolcock was not at home at this time ; the eggs were bought from his wife. He had an account owing at the time amounting to L 9 or LlO. Woolcock and Gledliill had been partners some time previously. Woolcock had trusted Gledhill at one time with money and goods to a considerable amount. I was present during only a portion of the transaction about the eggs, but I heard the conversation I have related. He did not get the eggs in the ordinary course of credit trade ; it was a cash purchase. We occassionally trust people in the same way. I don't call that letting him have the goods on credit. Harry Kenrick recalled : I put in the sealed depositions taken on the 4th of June, on the occasion of the defendant's examination in the District Court, also the depositions taken on the 23rd July. I also produce the defendant's declaration of insolvency, filed on the 22nd April ; also the petition for adjudication filed on the 13th May. Cross-examined : These depositions were sealed by me to-day. Mr Guinness objected to the depositions of other witnesses being put in in the case, when the defendant had no opportunity of cross-examining on them. The Magistrate ruled that the depositions of the defendant and W. L. Macalister only could be admitted as evidence. A. R. Guinness, solicitor to the bank rupt : I produce the order of adjudication of the defendant, bearing the seal of the Court. The notice of adjudication was gazetted by me on the ]Bth May. The Gazette is produced. This closed the case. The defendant said he never got any goods with intent to defraud. Mr Guinness argued that the case should be dismissed, because it had been proved j that the goods had not been obtained in the ordinary course of credit. The Magistrate coincided with Mr Guinness, and dismissed the case. A further charge against the same defendant of concealing his property from his creditors, was adjourned until to-day.