RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT, OTAKI.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue 7, 24 September 1880, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT, OTAKI.

» Wednesday, Septeubek 15, 1830. (Before Me Siracox and Dr. Hewson, J.PV) / f VAGBANCT. Edward Easdaile and George Clarke were charged with vagrancy, in having been illegally on the premises of A- J. Uadfield, Waikanae, the previous day. ilr Hadfield prosecuted. He briefly stated that the isolated state of the settlers, and th9 loss suffered through damage done by " tramps," rendered it necessary that conduct likt that the prisoner had been guilty of should be put dowa. He had no personal knowledge of the men, who might be either good or bad. He had left his man in sole charge of his farm the previous day. and late at night he arrived at the hotel in an excited and frightened state, saying two men had taken possession of his whare and eaten his food. He therefore took out a warrant against them. Manuel Lenia, a colour man, deposed that he was of Mr tladfield's; about dusk two men appeared in the vicinity of his hut, which was about 500 yards from the farmhouse; he was outside at the time, and as ho did not like their appearance he hid himself among the toi bushes; he saw the men enter the house ; shortly afterwards they saw him, and came out of the house; he asked them what they were doing there ; they said they wanted to stop there and get some food ; he said he had no room, and was ordered not to allow anything of the sort, and they must go on j they laughed the matter off, and insisted ou going into the hut ; they lighted a candle, and hauled ouc what grub there was; he ordered them to leave, as he had a bud suspicion of them, but they refused 10 go ; he thereupon started fjr Otaki to report the mutter to his master ; there being no horses near, he walked to the township ; Mr hadfield was absent, and the property was in his (witness') charge ; he identified the prisoners as the men who came to his hut. Constable Mitchell said he received* 1 a warrunt to executo about 1 1 o'clock the previous night, and at once proceeded to arrest the men ; on arriving at the hut he found no sign of the men, but saw from the appearance of the pluce that two men hud recently had a meal ; he arrested them near Waikanae next morning. Prisoners said in defence they intended no harm, but thought of the whole matter as a l.irk. The Bench suid it was time to put a stop to that kind of thing. The prisoners were liable to a year's imprisonment under the Vagrancy Act lor being illegally iu possession of another man's house. They would be sentenced to three mouths' imprisonment in Wanganui Gaol.