RESIDENT MAGISTRATE’S COURT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5660, 21 May 1879, Page 3

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE’S COURT.

Tuesday, May 20., (Before T. A. Mansford, Esq., R.M.) ’ DRUNKENNESS. One inebriate was fined 55., or in default 24 hours imprisonment. FURIOUS BIDING. Daniel MoOalium was charged with furious riding through tho public streets, and was fined 2s. and costs. ' maintenance. ’ Jesse and William Maxstead were ordered to pay 7s. fid. each towards the support of their parents. LARCENY FROM THE POST'OFFICE HOTEL. William Thomas Martin, alias Moore, was charged with having stolen from H. D. Monk the srim of £26. Mr. Travers appeared for the prisoner, and stated that he admitted having stolen £2 or £3, H. D. Monk, landlord of-the hotel, stated that he had his suspicions that accused was not honest, and marked some coins for the purpose of finding him out. 1 ]7 r (im the; evidence there was no doubt but that the prisoner was guilty of robbing the till to a pretty considerable extent. r He was committed to take his trial. Bail was allowed, himself in £IOO and two sureties of £SO each. .'l' ' -‘ STEALING A : BOTTLE OP BRANDY. > The same prisoner was then charged-with stealing one bottle of brandy, valued at 65., the property bf H. D. Monk. ■ ' Henry Sunbeam, cook, deposed that he saw prisoner give a man named Giles a bottle of brandy. : - ,' 1 The police stated that prisoner Informed them that the man Giles was the cause bf all his trouble; as he (Giles) followed hirri from hotel to hotel for the purpose of; getting 1 from him bottles of brandy. Prisoner admitted having given Giles a bottle of brandy. ' There was not sufficient evidence,'and the case was dismissed. 1 ' RECEIVING, STOLEN PROPERTY. William Giles was charged with haying received a bottle of'brandy knowing the same to be stolen. . • On the application of the police the case was withdrawn. • ! ■ -i' -. ■;! ' ' ARSON. ' I. Sarah Phillips was charged with setting fire to her house at ‘ Kaiivarra ■on - the ” 11th May. The Hon.” Mr. Buckley defended the accused. ■ ■ -- ■ ‘Daniel ‘Morebrook stated that he was Government Inspector of " Works. 1 He was at Kaiwarra at the tirne of- the fire. The Louse burnt down 'Was occupied by Abraham Phillips. On the morning of the 11th instant he was disturbed’ by his wife who said, “ There is a fire somewhere.’! i Witness got up and saw Phillips’ house on fire.” When he first saw the fire the flames were coming out of the kitchen windows. He believed he was the first person on the scene, but saw nobody about. He procured the assistance of some of the neighbors, and tried to extinguish the flames, which were just catching the adjoining house occupied by Mr. Chapman. 1 " : ' By Mr. Buckley: ■ I never saw accused | about the place at all.' 'When I first saw the I fire it must have been burning for a quarter of; an hour. The time would be about half-past ■ one in the morning. ' ( j Jabez Chapman, a sawyer, residing at Kai- 1 warra, stated he remembered the morning on i which Phillips’ house was burnt down£ His j house adjoined the one which was burnt down., He was aroused from his sleep by a gentleman; stopping in the house. When witness got up he -set to <work, with others, to endeavor to keep the flames from catching his own house.; He remembered Mrs. Phillips calling on him. on the 7th May, saying “ Get up ; my house is bn' fire.” i This was at three-o’clock in the; morning, ' The -fire appeared to be at rear of ; the premises. About-three-weeks ago Mrs.I Phillips sent one of her children to witness,; saying “ their house was on fire.” This was atj half-past three in the afternoon. The fire was! soon extinguished. By Mr. Buckley; I could riot form an opinion as to whether'the fire was the result ofan accident or not. It probably was an acci-: dent.” This was the first fire. 1 The second! time I saw it on fire was at 3 o’clock in the 1 morning.' 'I was awakened by -Mrs. Phillips,--who- was in an excited state of mind. Mrs.; Phillips said she had missed a-box of matches, and the rats must have made off with them.: ■She:th'onghf that would account for the fire. Mrs. Chapman, wife of the last witness, gave corroborative evidence. ; George Bailey, bootmaker, stated he had known the accused for six years. He saw her leave the house on the I Oth at H o’clock iri 'the morning. She went in the direction of tho Hutt. :-ByiMr. Buckley : X never said in the presence of two persons that I would burn Phillips’ .house over hisriead. Never said I would shoot him. ’

Hobart McG-ennett deposed that He was driver.for Mr, Phillips. He called at. Phillips: house- on Saturday, -the 10th,. at half-past 10 o’clock in the morning. - ; ■ _ ; James Pell stated that about ah hour and a quarter or an hour and a Half before the fire occurred he, was in the yard at the rear of Chapman’s house, and saw no signs of fire. Detective Warren stated on the Monday morning following the fire he had seen Mrs. Phillips. In reply; to questions, she said; when she left the house on Saturday- there was no fire left, and denied having taken any. furniture away from the house, except a perambulator. She said she never returned to Kaiwarra from Saturday at ten a.m. until i Monday afternoon, In reply to a> question, she said she

was generally in the habit of wearing the jacket she had on. He asked it she ever wore a shawl. She said “no.” He asked her if she had been in the train on the Saturday after leaving Kaiwarra, and she replied, “No, she had not,” She said the furniture was insured for £IOO, and said the house was insured for £l3O. She said she had had a threiteniag letter from the Building Society; that she had been in and seen the secretary of the society, and she thought it would be settled. They were to have paid the money back by instalments, but she had only paid one and that was four or five months ago. He asked if she sold the place, what she would get. She said she did not know, but now the place was burned down she had no doubt they would get the land and £IOO for the furniture. The next day he arrested her. The site of the building is about two hundred yards from the line. He could not say how long she was in the lock-up before she was bailed out.

John Unsworth stated that he was acting station master at the Lower Hutt, He re.membered the accused calling at the station about noon on Saturday, 10th May. She obtained a first-class ticket from Kaiwarra to the ;Hutt. This ticket enabled her to return again. She returned again the same night by a late train. She got out at the Lower Hutt, and ;took, a second class ticket for Wellington. She never left the platform on, arrival, but got into the next train for Wellington. Could not 'swear whether she had a baby or not. , The case was then adjourned until the 2Sth Instant. ; LARCENY, i William Henderson was charged with stealing from Archibald Bell one £2O bank note on ■the 19th instant. i The prisoner was remanded for » week.,