Around and About The Courts

NZ Truth, Issue 1215, 14 March 1929, Page 2

Around and About The Courts

"IX/TY client is subject to fits, sir, and he came into my office and had a perfectly good one the other day," said Mr. M. J. Burns m the Christchurch Police Court m explanation of the absence of a defendant m an affiliation case. Maintenance Officer Jones: "I think the complainant •anticipated^ that, and she has left the ..'court ahd'talieu ".ths, exhibit with her/ 1 ■; ;• -; ''■■-' : -~; .- Magistrate: Adjourn ed".f or a \ve'§K..^ •■■'• '"" # '":".#■ ; # .'"^^"".^ PAN a youth who, fortified with Dutch' courage, endeavors to ogle young girls outside a picture theatre be termed a Dutch. sheik? The label sticks well to Percy Campbell, anyway. Percy had done himself up well — both inside and out — before he took up his stand outside the -Prince Edward Theatre m Kai'angahape Road, Auck-^ land, but when. he accosted some girls who were coming out of the theatre, he overdid the cave-man business a little. Although he told the court. that he, knew all the girls he spoke to, his. evening's pleasure cost him 30/-. ;. # • # ' ' # '.' ' V| VJ^HEN< William James Glasgow, a ™ law clerk, of Christchurch, was apprehended for speeding on his motor-cycle, he avoided the multitude of financial etceteras by appearing voluntarily arid escaped with a fine of £1. . Then came a magnanimous display of that fellow-feeling the poet wrote so much about, the City Solicitor (Mr. R. J. Loughnan), who prosecuted, not asking for costs. •■•'■# • LJORSE-RACING may be the Hport of n kings, but it is sometimes the downfall of young citizens. Howard William Thomas, aged 28, late manager for Henry Schneideman's Dunedin branch, at a recent Dunedin race meeting, gambled away hia firm's

money, his own honor and a splendid position. . At the Dunedin Supreme Court the other day, Thomas pleaded guilty to having stolen the sum of £206/1/6 from his employers. Thomas had found himself m debt to the extent of about £50. A friend advanced him a loan per cheque which accused cashed out of the firm's money, the sum being £55. ' The following day the cheque was dishonored, and the prisoner then very foolisltly took more money which he spent at the races m an attempt to retrieve the previous loss. "Like many foolish young fellows he thought he could beat the totalisator,'' said Mr. A. C. Hanlon, his counsel. His Honor, Mr. Justice MacGregor, ordered, accused to come up for sentence within the next two years, during which time full restitution must be made. -

1 TOHN DENBHY (charged at AuckJ * land with stealing milk) : Milk is of no use to me. Mr. McKean, S.M. (perusing Denehy's list) : It does not look like it. Sub-inspector McCarthy: It is the first time I have known Denehy to take to milk. Mr. McKean: You were let off on the payment of 2/6 the other day. I did npt expect to see you here to-day. Denehy: I didn't expect to be here -myself. ■ ; Mr. McKean: One month's imprisonment..

"T WANTED to ask the way up the A line," was the excuse of Frederick Watkins, a Fijian laborer, when

charged at Auckland with being on enclosed premises. He was escorted "up the line," all right. . . . For one month. • * * QENTLEMEN who obtain their liveiihood by doubtful methods are always devising new ways and means of securing money. Recently m Wellington, Percy William Solly, a laborer, called upon a doctor and told a tale of varicose veins brought about by hard work on his father's farm. He asked the trusting medico to examine his legs and m payment of the fees tendered a cheque for £25, bearing a signature purporting to be that of D. H. Speedy, of Tainui. Presenting himself as a son of the signatory, the tale "went down" and the doctor gashed the cheque. Solly rec3ived £16 m cash and the doctor's own cheque for £8/9/6 as a result of his little fraud. He was sent on to the Supreme Court for sentence by Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M. .. ' • #■' * # . CHE only made fivepence profit on •^ every gallon of milk sold, counsel told Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., m the Wellington Court the other day when Kathleen Bardebes pleaded guilty to selling milk not up to standard. Her turnover was six gallons, so the day's trading only brought a profit of 2/6. ' Mr. Hunt: When 10 per cent, of water has been added she would make more. Mr. Leicester: That is assuming it was deliberately added.. The city milk inspector had tested the contents of Mrs. Bardebes's milk container twice within a 'period of a few days. The milk showed 13 and 17 per cent, of water at each test. There had been no water present m previous tests taken. , When Mr. Leicester pleaded for a small' penalty, Mr. Hunt remarked that people bought milk for their babies, and the public generally were entitled to protection. • He fined defendant £5 on one charge and £2/10/- on the other.

"T MUST have been drunk at the time, your worship." The old pxcuae m cases of theft is beginning to show signs of wear, und nil it did for Thomas Silk was to give him a month's imprisonment when he tried to get. away with it before Mr. McKean, S.M., at Auckland. Siik was charged with stealing a dress .valued at £4/4/-, and it was stated that it had been taken from a clothes line and later dyed and altered, but accused said that he knew nothing about it. He 'thought he must have been drunk at the time, for when he awoke he found the dress beside him. "Then ] suppose you Avent to sleep again and woke up to find it dyed?" suggested the magistrate. "One month." * * ,# VJ7HEN a bookmaker, who was said . to be m a small way, told Mr. McKean, S.M., m the Auckland Police Court that part of the money found m his possession represented liabilities that he would probably be called upon to meet, he was told that his liability to the court came first. "Will you give me time to pay?" he asked. Mr. McKean: I have not imposed any fine yet. You must be expecting a substantial penalty. The smile which appeared on defendant's face at the remark quickly disappeared when he was told that the maximum penalty was £500. He was let off with a £14 fine, and was allowed a week to pay. ♦ * • DOSE HUNTER, a waitress, claimed the right to live m a house occupied by Joseph Brady, a ship's fireman, and he claimed the right to throw her out. Result, an uproar m Marmion Street, Auckland, at 11.30 p.m., followed by the arrival of the police, then the appearance of the man and woman m court, and ultimately a fine of £3 each. By what Sub -inspector McCarthy

had to say of. the affair, the two were giving the residents of Marmion Street something of a treat until their . round-and-round-the-mulberry-bush act was nipped m the bud. For Mr. McCarthy told the court that the man and woman were running around the streets very lightly clad m night attire. There was often trouble at Brady's house, he said, and the police had visited it five or six times. Mr. Levien, S.M.: Do you suggest that one is worse than the other? ' "No, one is as bad as the other* I meet them more often than I wish to, and I don't think there is any difference between them," replied Mr. McCarthy. In default of payment of the fine they were sentenced to fourteen days.