RESIDENT MAGISTRATES'COURTS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1099, 5 February 1872, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGISTRATES'COURTS.

» , .■ — ■ i COBDEN. Saturday, February 3. (Before C. Whitefoord, Esq., E.M.) Long v. Long.— ln this case his Worship granted a protection order, without maintenance. The children under ten years of age were ordered to be handed over to the care of their mother. Criminal Assault.— George Page ? a miner, was charged with criminally assaulting a little girl aged six years, named Margaret Dewson. Mr Guinness appeared for the prisoner, and pleaded Not Guilty. Margaret Dowson deposed th.it she was a widow, and resided at Napoleon Hill. The little girl was her daughter. On the 30th January, she was busy packing up some things, when she missed her daughter and went to lobk fdr her. Shei went down the Ahaura road in the direc-v tion of Orwell Creek. She met a man who told her that the little girl was along with George Page, on horseback. He "cooeyed," and she then saw the prisoner and her little girl coining towards her, on horseback. The child was riding front of him. • Witnesspulled her from the Saddle, and commenced to beat her. The child cried and said, " Don't beat me, mother ! and I will fell you what he did ;" and she then ran qway. Witness overtook her and carried her home, when she sent for the police. On examining her, she found her chemise stained with blood and that she was mffering from inflammation. In cross-ejamination by Mr Guinness, the witness stated that she had never seen any narks on the child's underclothing before. She dragged the child from the saddle; which was an ordinary saddle, not a jack saddle. Could not say whether the'© were any iron rings on the saddle. There were no % bruises or scratches -on the <hild. Drs Morice and. Smith stated thqr had examined the child, but -could Jim* no marks of violence on her. -Margaret iDewson, a a bright, intelligent little girl,3tated that ?he lived at Napoleon Hill, aid remembered Lizthie Jones going away. She was coming home with Samny Smith, a little boy, and met the prisoner on the Orwell Creek road, and he If ted her on to the horse and took her in in opposite r direction to which she was going. She remembered her mother beatng her, and she told her what prisoner did to her. After a deal of hesitation tie child described the particulars of the assault i which she' alleged was committed, but I which amounted to one of a lesser charge

than that with which he was charged. Prisoner told her he would give her a shilling. Sergeant Goodall applied for a remand for . the production of further evidence till Thursday at the Ahaura, 'which was g -anted, prisoner being admitted to ba"' in two sureties of LIOO each. : . .<i The Court then adjouned.