MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 311, 23 April 1877, Page 2

MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

,- THIS DAY. W> (Before T. W. Parker, Esq., -R.M.) Hp DRUInK. AND DISORDERLY. Robert Wilson Graham pleaded to being drunk in Thames-street 21st inst. The matter was until another case against the accusal been gone into. *-~ v LARCENY. H Robert Wilson Graham (the same p t ß soner) was then charged with having, ( H Saturday last, stolen two pairs of blanketM the property of John Wilson, of the A\rj moa Boarding-honse. Prisoner pleaded Not Guilty. Sergeant O'Neill conducted the prost cution. Isabella W 7 ilson, the wife of John "Wil son, of the Awamoa Boarding-house stated that, on Saturday last, she w a absent from the house, and on returniti; home she missed two pairs of blankets, She reported the matter to the police ij consequence of something she had beei told by the children. • Site next saw th s blankets at the police station on Sunday, The blankets produced were those she had lost, and were the property of her hns. band. She valued them at about L2. She saw the prisoner at her house on the day of the robbery. By prisoner : She could swear to the blankets. She did not remember prisoner leaving his swag at the house about a month ago. Prisoner said nothing about a swag on Saturday btfore he left the house. There were no marks about the blankets by which she could recognise them. Mary Wilson, 14 years of age, daughter of tae prosecutor, deposed that she knew the prisoner, and saw him at her father's house on Saturday. She saw him take two pairs of blankets from the house. He rolled them up in a swag and took them away. One of them waj blue and the other red. When prisoner first took the blankets, witness took them fio.nhim and put them away. He afterwards took ihem again, and went away ivitii them. Tiie blankets produced were like those prisoner took from the house. She had no doubt about, them being the same. She told hei" mother when she cams home that t';e blankets had been stolen. In reply to prisoner, witness said that when prisoner took the blankets her father was lying down, and did not say anything to prisoner about the blankets, there were no swags in the cupboard, and prisoner did not und his swag. Prisoner lid not say anything to her father about the blankets. Prisoner did not say,

" These are my blauiceoa." She did not see her sister put them outside the door ; prisoner did so himself. Her father and sister were present when prisoner was looking for his swair. She remembered prisoni-r telling her father that the blankets were his (prisoner's). Siie did not know what her father said when prisoner told him those were his blankets. She did not hear her father say that if they were his ue could take them. John Martin, a lad living at the Awamoa Boarding-house, stated that he was at the house on Saturday last, and saw the prisoner there. He saw the prisoner take away two pairs' of blankets. The blankets produced were the same as those taken away by prisoner. The rest of this witness' evidence was merely a repetition of that given by the last witness. In reply to accused, witness said ho did not remember his saying that thc..ed blankets did not belong to him (prisoner). Mr. Wilson was not present when prisoner was looking for the blankets. l)id nofc hear prisoner tell Mr. Wilson, that h© would give him a tent for the red blankets.

Raehael Grace, a boarding-house keeper, deposed t'.iat' she saw prisoner at her house on Saturday night. He wanted witness to buy a pair of blankets which he had, but witness told him she did not want them. Prisoner then went away, but came back about an hour afterwards, and said she could have the blankets for 155., as he was going away, and did not want to have to carry them. Witness gave him 135., and prisoner left the blankets and went away. Constable Grant stated that about nine o'clock on Saturday evening lie received information that two pairs of blankets had been stolen from Wilson's house. He subsequently apprehended the accused at Maitland's hotel, and on being told that lie was charged with stealing the blankets, he denied having done so, and said that Mr. Wilson had given them to him. Constable White gave evidence to the effecb that the accused had previously been convicted of iarc-jny at Tokom uriro, and had received a month's imprisonment. Sergeant O'JSeill said that this was the case for the prosecution. It was impossible to have Mr. Wilson present, as he was laid up, and would not be able to attend for some time. Prisoner said that he depended solely upon the presence of Mr. "Wilson to clear himself. His Worship : I will adjourn the case until to-morrow morning. I may Bay, with regard to the swag, that I have not the same faith in its existence that you have, ido not believe it ever existed. FIGHTING IN THE STREET. Joseph Jenkins pleaded guilty to fighting in Tyne-street, on the 16th inst. His Worship said that he had already inflicted a penalty of 20s. upon another person who had taken part in the fight, and as he could not t-il v. hich of the two was the aggressor, he must serve accused in the same manner, and line him 20s. ASSAULT. David Boon, a lad of about 14 yeai's of age, was charged with having struck another lad of 12 years of age, named Timothy Hannigan, in the face with $, Btone.

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