MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 261, 22 February 1877, Page 2

MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

THIS DAY. [Before T. W. Parker, Esq., KM.] CATTLE STRAYING. Robert Keenan, for allowing a cow to wander, was fined 10s. DItUXK AND DISORDERLY. Joseph Smith was charged with the above offence. Discharged with a caution. A negro answering to the name of Matthew J3> njainin was also charged with the same offence, and was treated in the same manner. PROTECTION ORDER. Caroline Brown, the wife of Daniel H. Brown, applied for a protection order under the Married Women's Property Protection Act against her husband, on the grounds of cruelty, and also affirmed that he was an habitual drunkard. Defendant denied the charge. Mr. O'Meagher then opened the case for the complainant, with a description of the cruel treatment which she has been subjected to for some considerable time. He then called Caroline Brown, who deposed: I am the wife of Daniel Hennett Brown, carpenter, Oamarn. I have been fourteen years married. I have five ch.lhen living. I remember the 10th of January last, the day of the railway fete. I was asked to go to both fete and ball by Mr. Harris. Mr. Harris has been boarding with us over four years, but we have been living in his premises about twelve months. My husband came home on the evening of the 10th, and he asked the children to pull his boots otf, and they could not. He was more under the influence of liquor that night than I ever remember seeing him before. He then asked me if I was going to the ball; and after some altercation took place between us, he caught hold of me by the hair, and punched me on the head repeatedly. 1 felt the effects of the blows for more than a week afterwards. He went away from home shortly afterwards, but came back about a fortnight ago, and has not been sober since. On Sunday evening, the 11th inst., one of the children was restless and would not go to sleep unless there was a light in the room, which I had there, but the defendant came and put it out after my lighting it each time. The reason I believe he did so was that he had a bottle of whiskv in the room, and he did not want the children to him drink it. I found the bottle afterwards, when he was asleep. When I remonstrated with him he struck me very heavily on the side, and I felt very faint afterwards. I had felt a pain in my side before. Defendant knew of it. When he was drunk he accused me of preferring others to him, but he never made any such accusation when sober. There never was any grounds for it that l am aware of. I remember the momi"." "f the 20th. 1 was washing in ;■'•" :d.. d when < : «.--c-::da:it came there and •is!-: I mc Imw I had dared to t. 11 the •m.lster not to «_riva him any move beer (v.'.ic/> I had don--). I told Liin to go :\-.v:iv and Kt iiv.'itl'iiic. I then left the <a-i\ and went up stairs, lie followed me .ml abmed m-\ and struck me with a idind roller on !lie back of the head. It "s ten years sine..; he li is been in the habit of infoxicate<l. ch fi-ndant at this stage of the ense coi:-. >.b d to the order bohig made wishi.ii- a-)V fnrthev cvid.-nce b-.-in.g given. The Magistrate allowed costs to the amount of £1 7s. 01. He also made an order to the effect that the defendant was to contribute 35s. per week to the support of three of his children, to be paid fortnightly to the Clerk of the Court.