RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Kumara Times, Issue 1045, 5 February 1880, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Tuesday, F»bua|t 3. [Before J: Mackay, Esq., R.M.] ALLEGED PERJURY. Joseph Berjegsas Hun, of Kumara). was charged that, on the 20th day of January, 1880, at Kumara, he did falsely, wickedly, willfully; and 'cor* ruptly, commit wilful and oqr'rupt per* jury in the testimony which he gave upon oath as a witness in tils' Resideut Magistrate's Court, at the trial of a certain cause between the Mayor, Councillors, and burgesses of the Borough of Kumara aW the said Joseph Beregsas Hun, being an indictable offetice. Mr Perkins appeared on behalf of the prosecution and Mr Guinness defended the accused. [The following is the conclusion of the, evidence taken in this case : -] ''" John O'Hagan being sworn, deposed i I am a painter, residing in Kumara. I remember the 20th January last, the day on which the case was beard be : tweeri the. Borough Council- r atid 'the' prisoner, t heard several questions' put by Mr Wylde to Hon. He asked him what he had done with a watch he had on the last court day, he (the prisoner) replied that he had no other watch, I think the words he ti'sed were, " I have no other watch." I am a member of the Borough Council. I did not authorize these proceedings to' lae taken. I am not aware that they were authorized by the Councillors. William Emuierson, on being sworn, deposed: I am Sergeant of Police,stationed at Kumara. By virtue of a warrant I arrested the pri-' soner at Greymouth on the present charge. Wh'Sn I arrested him, I cautioned him in the usual way. I searched him, and found upou him the' watch and two chains n6N£ produced. -When I toWk the watch from" him, pru soner said "That's the watch." : i' said I know that it is a watch. He then said, I mean the watch I produced in Court." After the prison'&r produced the watch, he said that the works were out of it when he had it in 'Court, and that he was repairing theiri himself. The Watch case I produced I received from Mr Weisner after I returned from Greymouth. By the Bench : I don't know whether the watch which I took from the prisoner was* going; prisoner, said to me, " wind it up, and you will find ib won't go." William Wiesner, sworn, deposed : 1 am a watchmaker, residing in Kumara. I remember the 20th of January last. I recollect Hun coming into my shop on the morning of that day'and saying he wanted the watch case again. I lent it to him. The one produced is* the one I lent him. He told me that he wanted it to lang on his chain. I don't know if ho' took it out of the shop. I tfen't know if he brought it back or I found the watch case the same day on the counter/ I was in Court on that day, and I found it on the coutiitr when I went bot&e. I don't knaf) what Hun did witn the watch-case,; because I left him in the shop and went out, and when I returned Hun was gone. I don't know whether the watch-case was there when I returned. I saw a watch produced during the hearing of the case. I heard Huu say that it was only a case. I was a good way off when the* watch case was produced,: in Court. From what; Hun said to.jne I was under the impression that heihad another watch, because I. heayd|fitfn swearing at his watch for riot going, and tbflt )g how I he had another watch. I

have aeen Han wearing a chain, arid the one produced is similar to the one I have seen him Wearing ; I mean the jphain annexed to the watch. The value of the watch is £3, and the value jof the enain with the locket and trinkets is aborit £5. By Mr Guinness: I have more than one,watch case iu my, sftS'p. The one produced is the one I have been in the habit of lending to the prisoner. The watch produced is not in good going t&der. The prisoner came into my place on the morning of January 20th at about half-past 10 o'clock, He did pot ssty. where his other watch was. I have lent Hnn the watch-case either two, or tferbe times within the last two 'or, three months. I don't remember the defendant making any remarks about his own watch on the morning of the 2"Qth "Jaiiuary last'. Mr Wylde came info my shop after the 20th of January. I showed him a watch-case. The one 1 showed him was not the one i lent to Hun. Mr Wylde looked at it. I saw Mr Wylde again in company with Sergeant Emmersoh. I think Sergeant Emmerson asked me for the watch-case. I gave it to him. The one I gave him Ifras not the same as I showed to Mr Wylde. I found the watch in my shop bn the counter* after I returned from the Coiut on the 20th of January. The watch-case now produced is the same which I k*hfc .to,.snn and gave to Sergeant Emmerson. Alexander Singer, sworn, deposed c I am a jeweller, residing in Main street, Kumara. I know tnO accused, Mr Hun'. I remember him purchasing from my shop, between the 15th and 20th January last, a chain. The one produced is similar to the one I sold to the defendant at that .time j he was to give 5s for it. The chain is not gold, but a composition. The chain produced, annexed to the watch, is gold. The value of t'ae chain, locket, and pendant is about £6. If the <shaiii were new, it would be worth about £6 10s anoune'tf. By Mr Guinness : I remember Mr Hun giving.me a watch to get aMr Harris to 'repair. The one produced is like the oue live years ago;' The-watch produced is not in first-rate order. By ; the Bench : The value of the watch produced is about £3. John Hannah, sworns. deposed i lam a watchmaker, mfdrflg in Kumara. I know -the defendant Hiin • he was at one time owner of a silver watch. The watch.produced 5§ the one. . I. repaired it for hira ; the number is 267. By Mr Guinness : Mr Hun brought the watch to me in 1877. I dont remember Mr Singer bringing it to me at any tioie. The watch is not in good order ; it is full of dirt. This closed the case for the prosecu- J tion. His Worship here remarked that the Case was not strong enough to go to a jury, and discharged the prisoner. CIVIL CASES. P. M'Grath v, P. Fleming; claim, £5 13s 3d, for goods sold and delivered. Judgment for the amount claimed, less £3 paid since the issue of summons; costs, 9s. S. S. Pollock v. James Gray : claim, £ll 15s, for goods supplied.—Judgment for plaintiff for amount claimed ; and costs 15s, with professional costs £1 Is. Peter Jensen v. Jacob Hansen: claim, £2B, ca&h lent.—Judgment Avas given by default for amount claimed, with costs £l' Is. ' t This concluded the business of the Magistrates Court, There were a few applications in the Warden's Court, which were of no public importance. The Court then adjourned.