RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 317, 26 March 1875, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT

- Maech22ND.. ;1 (Before H. W. Robin ; on, Tisq.,.lt'M., and L. . W. Jiuscti, Esq., J;P.)'. Retina v. Caroline Burns.- This was an' information by .Robert Aitken, of JTasehy,, ■storekeeper; that the accused had, between the 12th and 16ih day.of March instant, stolen certain bank notes and gold to, tlio r value of -£Stlos., the property of the informant... Accused appeared on remand, bail having being taken in the sum,of. £IOO. Sub-Inspector M'Cluskeyconducted the prosecution. Mr. liowlatt appeared for the. accused.

• 11 Christina Aitken, bjing sworn, deposed : Adc'nsed came into the employ of her husbaM; on the 10th; remaining till the 18tli. Money tak'eo in the store is kept in a small leather drawer, sometimes in the till drawer, sometimes in the top of the' chest of drawers in my. bedroom. On the ; l2th ,1 placed between £o and £7 in notesy. silver,. and gold in the bag. Next morning. from information receivecU-fVom myr, ■ husband', /I looked into the bagmand found' on 1 y two £1 notes, .That morning ace Used liad been in the-sitting-room, which opens •into 'the bed-room,/ cleaning ;iti lij —the i door bet ween . the ivoms being opf'n,. ; Be--1 tween the °l2th..and loth put morejmoney infcp ; the bag/ana locketl the drawer. ! <Jn Monday the loth instant went to. take /inoiiey.from the bag. I took out four £1 hotpsj leaving.three. together with.sotne .silver atul gold. ..Replaced the ba£ iii the "drawer, but did,, not lock: .it. ■ Did notCount the silver and gold. . Went into the. store, leaving accused -in the sitting-room." The door between-1 he sitting-room and "bedroom was open when I went-to fetcllthe money. About fen minutes afterwards I l-eturned to the bedrooiii to re—ptdee the money, as I did .not require; it.; On opening the bag lound that twd of the mi nutes were gone. was no one ! in the house • but-the accused and myself between the .time of my taking-the money out of the bag and'my going, to replace it« Suspected accused of taking'it. ' After a little' time' sent her out on a tnessage. During her absence' went to a bedroom.; where accused hadoa skirt hanging. On' examination found a handkerchieK'in : the.; pocket with £2 ss. in silver and gold' tied' up in a" corner—one half sovereign in gold, and-reniainder in silver.. "On the'following morning (Tuesday), about 8.30, my husband, in my presence, \narked three two shilling pieces wiui.a cross, ana four half crowns with the figure 6,, three half SQye-eigns with the letter It and a ..cross, fifteen .-shillings with one line drawn across. Two of New-South' .Wales ..no .es,.:;A ,R-; No.. :16i24i9, A.A. K. ■175,100,, one£ 1/. 13ank of.-lie w > Zcalan ! d, J Ko., .62i:)08.... .Marked; the ' back 'of fclie inotes'- with ink; on -two corners.' ; 'Put thku moneyJnithe bi>g,> and left-it ou of i the d rawers:' U There ;was li'o oth'eV ,mon<fy in the bag^-'Accused'was'at^tlii's^tiiji^ 1 in k thb/ki(cheri. ■ L f eft"the'"bedroom about - a quarter past ten. Iteturned lor the purpose of i>lacing some letters there. . Tlie money wras then all right. The, accused, was iii the sitting-room aboufa"quarter of an hour's timj retuined 1.0 the bedroom for a bill. Saw'the bag had been opened. On examination found that the. two notes of' the Bank ofNew South Wales were gone, and one half sovereign. Mv husband examined in my presence. At this time the accused was in the kifchcn.. Called ...her up into the sitiing"room,/and Mr. Aiiken asked her if she had boen into (he sitting-roorrA She said, no." I asked lier if she had any money. " She "said, yes. I asked to see that money. She went downstairs for the purpose of fetching it, accompanied by myselh My husband went- witli ijs; The accused took , from-the pocket of hier skirt some silver and gold. Did lipt count, it. Told • her that was not the money 1 wanted. Asked to see what oilier money she had. Dt'uied having any more. Told her she must find the mon jy,-, atd I must s.ee. what Rhe w had in her pocket. On iier pnliinir out her chief half a -io'vereii-n f-ll out. Took.the half sovereign, nnd said tliiat..w.is, the.half sovereign'l wanted, but musf. have the ,aots9r.-rfJ'pon takiag hold or h:cr skirt

found two £1 notes, and upon examination found them to be the two notes stolen from .the bag. Identified the notes and half sovereign now produced, aiid which were taken from the pcfekfet of the accused, as those which had been marked by Hiy husband and put'iuto the • bag. Sent fcr the" mother of the accused, and told her- what had occurred." About an hour after discharged the. accused from my serTice. Sometime after my husband reported the matter to the police. -By Mr. Kowlatt : The accused was not forbidden to enter my bedroom. Had seldom^a.nythittg'.''icf do? there"; Her duty to clean it. No other servants in the house. Keep a man in the bakehouse. Bakehousa._ i 3 detached. Have- to go through get to bedroom. Cannot 8-:'e from store to bedroom. It is about twelve feet froni store door to bedroom door, across the sitting-room. Have not.beeii in" the habit of counting money - every day. ' Have long been in the habit of keeping it in some bag. Cannot state the exact amount put in on the 12th. The lock to .the bag is merely a catch. Kept the bag-in the top drawer. No one but my husband and myself has any right of access to the drawers. Did not ask the accused about the £4 after I missed it. Had Suspicions of her. No one else the house, and the accused was in the habit of briuging things into the house and shewing me ivliich I did not consider she had the means of paying for. Gave the accused no money while in my. service. The £2 ss. found by me in the accused's skirt I did not particularly notice. I have the memo, (produced) "when I put the money in the bag. Never missed any money before Saturday 13lh. Robert Aitken, storekeeper, Naseby, husband of previous witness, corroborated the above evidence.

, Mr. -Rowlatt, "on behalf of the accused, pleaded guilty to the sum of £2 10s., but submitted that the youth of the accused should be taken into consideration by the Bench when awarding punishment—she being under fifteen years of age. There had also been great temptation placed in her way, and great carelessness exhibited by lier employers. He-submitted it was .one of those cases, .where mercy -might .well be .al lowed to temper justice, and he ■Wi^s,of opinion that a light sentence would have far more effect towards: her reformaion ithanLwould a severe one. It was, morever, her first offence. He trusted that the Bench woulddeal leniently, and give her a chance. '"The" Bench 1 said that the' sentence' under the circumstances, be a-very : mild'ohe: It was' in'their power,; under the Act, to send her to prison for six months ; but the youtli of tlic prisoner, and it being her fii-st_offenee,. and- the desire "thaFslie should not be ,sent to one <_o{ • the'-largC criminal gaols'io mix With the prisoners'tHere, and to perhaps become one of the-confirmed criminal class inducesii.theni .to;'.lo'oftTirfercifully and leniently, upoii »the; case.:p-The: sentence ' would" be that of one month's imprisonment ih thd Nasebj gaol—the £2 10s. to be handed over to Mr. Aitken.

- Mahch-25.,, (Before H. W. .Kooinson, Esq., R.M.)

:?;rßnscH;T: E>yan.—Claim of £44 9s. 6d. ;Judg.ment" for the - amount claimed, costs 275.y and"'-10si ; expenses^—to be paid by -instal on or before March 30, and the balance ' wiih'in one month from "~ r . V ! . *r- ,-

r J. '.Jepsen s 'a. - M'Kat.—Summons not served.' New y; summohsHo'issue free of charge. ' -

~J. M.- Maisey,"Ey eUurn Hotel, applied for the trans feroF John Malloch'sslaughlicense. Granted.;:. .. : j