RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT, AHAURA.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1157, 13 April 1872, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT, AHAURA.

Thursday, April 11. (Before C. Whitefoord, Esq., R.M.) Margaret Dewson was charged with selling spirituous liquora without being duly - liconaod,. at, "N"a.poleon,_ on 27th >0f February. ■ ; This case came ■ on for hearing at the last sitting of the Court. On thatocca-. sion the police applied for a remand,:as' the evidence produced was not sufficient :to secure a. conviction. -.There were three men in the defendant's housed wh'en Senior-Constable Dorris - entered; it and. seized a part bottlf» of liquor from which tfte defendant had been serving drinks. Qne of these men was summoned for the prosecution at the previous hearing of the charge, but his evidenpe'did not criminate the accused. The police applied for the remand to enable ithem to, summon the other men who were-present.at-the.time • the alleged offence, .was committed. These witnesses now appeared, and on one' of them bejng sworn the defendant admitted the oharge, '\ ; ' : ' it .;• , ' In. answer to a question from 1 the Bench, Sergeant Goodall said he muat press for a heavy penalty in this case, as the defendant .had been previously con victed of a similar offence, and an example was necessary for the protection of the holders of retail spirit licences. , . , The defendant said she had three children to support, and she appealed to the sympathy of the Court to dealleniently with her under the peculiar circumstances in which she was placed, y j; The Magistrate, in giving judgment, said; : much as he might sympathise with the defendant, he must remind her that this was not the first on which she had been guilty of this offence. She would, have to support her children without evading or breaking the law. It was the duty of the Court to protect those who paid heavy,. licences^ and this being the defendant's 'second offence she would be fined L2O, with L 5 5s 2d costs,..or in default be imprisoned for two months. A distress warrant was. ordered to be issued against the. defendant's goods, and the defendant was directed'to be kept in custody until a return to it was made. : ' CIVIL CASES. • Henry Wick v. Henry Lewis. —A claim of Ll4- 6s 6d, for freight" to Totara Flat from Greymouth. The defendant ad"mitted his "liability to the amount of L 7, and add he could not obtain any way-bills or correct statement of accounts from the plaintiff.' He also said- that the t plaintiff rendered him a bill on a former occasion, - and he paid the plaintiff money on account. The plaintiff afterwards tore up this document, and threw the fragments into the fire in the presence of the defendant. The plaintiff explained that, when he destroyed ,the document it was because he could not procure ,a receipt-stamp, and he did 'not wish to give an unstamped receipt. Credit for all moneys paid him by the defendant, were given in the account how sued'upon; The) tßench explained to the defendant that the bill of particulars now attached to the summons was identical withsone formerly rendered him by the plaintiff, a copy of which he (the defendant)/ put in, with the exception of an error of =14 i,i the addition of one of them; He i(the defendant), admitted the correctne s of the accouhirprevioußly rendered him, and therefore a 1 verdict 1 would be for the plaintiff for the amount charged, With COSts.' ; > ' : ■:-■ :l "-: S- r:! ■A number of unimportant cases ivere disposed of, and; the Court was adjourned to 18th April.