RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 82, 24 July 1878, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

. : \ ' 'FOXTOJsr. - '■':'■■ - ' -^ . Tuesday, 23rd JtjlYj 1878. ? , v , (Before B.S. Thynne, »ndJ..T. 3fcex?art, , r :.» '„ E S 9 9 > J' 8 *?-) V ..■;^!. i : .•'.■""'"".' '"■-. Charles Hufcton OoUett, purser of the. X s.s. Tuij was charged with wilfully and" maliciously loosening the supports of ., ; the sheer-legs on: the Foxtpn vrnarf , to. the -hindrance of public business and/ railway work. " , ; , :; - --.-.'', Prisoner pleaded not guilty of intent to do injury. ; ; , 4 ■ ; . '.- John Jillett deposed :^I am a butcher. I remember Friday, evening Jast. I went on Jboard: the. n'uiahout, 10 o'clock to see if any meat was wanted. Mr Bauidi ng, the chief, officer, drew my, attention to the sjieer-legs at the end ook'f k ' the jetty. Prisoner had his hand upon, the wire guy; the wire was shaking., The [mate caught the wire as it was slackening, arid' ». prevented ;the •shefeiNi ;■ . legssfrom going over. Bauidi ng asked, the prisoner what lie was Idoing there, and prdered, him on b'oaijd, ; telling hiton,} that! he would see into it. Prisoner* whO'Was stupidly drnrik", went on board.I assisted Mr. Baulding' to.tighten the? guy.4. f^Had the sheer-legs fallen- they wouid'have ; gpne across both. steamers,, > and loss of life would have. etfsued;;as IC believe Captain Fraser.was m his cabin< at theftime-irii ■■, i - '; ;, ■■■.■.. ,::,.:,>^ ; To Prisoner : VI met. you; drank on ♦ the wharf ; I saw.no one else. „,.; , />., ,?'■ To Inspector. G-oodall ,:.■, Ij KJPuld .hayef ; . seen anyone else on the wharf. Only^ prisoner could have loosened" the wire^ When Mr Baulaing ■c'augUt r: tne Hwrei. it was running through the block ; both. )the wires were loose. -'■■■■■ ■ Pete^Gribson,fSworni deposed?:;, I aim ! Wharfinger of the Foxton Wharf, andhave charge of •• all'buildihgs and f gear.;, n The| sheer-legs were all rjght between j; five and six o'clock on Friday evenings v Between ten and eleven 1 went down- _.'.. to seethe Tui^ff. Mr Baulding ( di # ew", v my attention to the sileer-le'gs, they had; L been let go. I sav^ . prisoner on the- , wharf. With the : assistance' of^.'^fffe" ; !. J tain: Fraser I. fastened one of the guyslv Had the sheer-legs gone over, the 'con-..-? sequences would have been very serious^ ' Captain Fraser wpnld ' certainly 7 have- • been killed, arid the end of the. sheer-, legs would m all probability have 'gone ' through the deck of the Tui. ' '■-'' damage was- done a few nights befd^jgl' by the letting loose of 'a, truck:' ThS^' sheer-legs would occupyjlittl'e or no time; m their descent; T wpuld-fal^ im*-. ; mediately, upon being let lbosV. '. The ' prisoner, .yis near the" guys wKeii I saw . himi TKe'right one was gone '; the'left was! fast, but slack. . . To Prisoner: The last, -time . l saw : youj w,as, rwh^n J v "sigrie^ ybUr- . way-bill r ( , m niy office..' You were Ukenmto eiis-. ' tody on board t&e steamer., .'. ', ' ; , ';'. \ • Gpnstdbie Purcelf.de'pqsed^ On-FH-^ day! evening I arrested'the prisoner and explained the charge.' 'He made no audible, reply. Jlmpw Bauldinigv the „ .chief 'mate ,pf the i ;Tui: ; : P hefed ; him y accuse prisoner of having cast loosethe " supportsrof the^ sheerjlegsl, ,He (priso- , ncr) didn't .deny it. ' HHre r muttered'some- . ' Aj;hAng^ lpvii, Baulding .told him to keepj ':; quietv '&ispher;has been m .custpdjf; lever1 ever since. -' Xbout tyro o'clock yester- : dayj i'was m the office which a.djoirisii ' the cells ; prisoner knocked, arid ;asked '' permission. 'tp write a, letter, which X graritklj ' 'He' 'wrote jthe, paper :: prP- '. duced»in my presence.' £Paper read m . Court,, and .ran as follows — ".Publio , apology. —To ' the Board of Publio ' Woirks^Foxtori.— Gentlemen^— l hereby ' most humbly bog to apologise for any. • infringement of the Acts of thd above ;' Board of Works, which I may have ; been guilty of committing aadm error ,. of the consequence, and >vithbut' having had any idea ,oE wilful damage^.or hVprb to person or property. • It is thehuntble '} request of your sorvant that such, ; apology-may: be accepted, and" .that! you. : L may be induced to- stay further proceedings, thereby ■ saving* a good name'and character that has hitherto beea jirreproaohjible, and . at the same timelea vingr an' aged person that support, received through me for the last fouryears. G-rani. this,;Sirs, feeling as I da. -that 1. -have been sufficiently piiu^hedi

by the four days' incarceration which I have . already undergone for the first time m my, life.— l subscribe myself yours" to command, Chaeles H. ColTo,.Pris.Qner: Youwere inbed when I arresled you. The engineer told me to take you m charge. Mr Thynne -commented m severe terms upon v the, prisoner's wanton conduct, stating tiiaij-offencesof this nature must be s'eVereiy^ dealt with, and sen-' tenced prispnier to pay a fine of £25 ; or, m defa'illf, "*on& Month's imprisonment, iv Wanganui Gaol.