MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 353, 11 June 1877, Page 2

MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

THIS DAY.

(liufni-o T. W. I'AllKlilt, Esq., 1t.i1.)

STKAY HOUSES. The following lines were impns allowing horses to wander at lj : Charles F. Goldainmer, one linr. (id.; l'eter Doolcy, one horse, .'ls, (J AJ.LHtiKT) J.AHCKNY. Mai'tha Coyne, alius Craig, and Madden, were brought up 011 r fc charged with having, 011 12th May, from one John Brown it pocket-hm, laining four L2C-notes, two L](). iind two L5-nott s, idl 011 the iiiiiilc <if Zealand ; a LL-note (bank unknown) photographs of fan i.les; and two ( 011 James Finch, tanner, Hampden for LIOO and one for LBO —all tin pertv of the said .John Brown. Before tin; ease was proceeded M". O'Mea.gher, who appeared f« iiecuse.d, asketl tliiit the charge iiii» sevei'ed, and allow each of the ens stand on its own responsibility, reason for his asking that this .slum: done was in order that Madden niijjl in a position to give evidence fur Craig. If botli prisoners were plac the dock together both their 111 would bo closed. This would be 11 as he believed Madden would be al.i ;;ive evidence of great importance to Craig. iSuh-Jnspeetor Smith said that charges were so intimately connected it would lie more convenient to liavt two prisoners tried together. His Worship sa.id that if the o|] I with which the prisoners was, as iillJ one in which they were jointly conai he could not see how the charge t be severed. If it was found that evidence against the prisoners was Mk to allow of the charge being separate might be done at the Supreme Ci should (ho ease go that far. j.'r. O'Meagler pointed out tlia would then be too late to have tins ( sewred. His Worship said that if it would I be too la'e, lie thought the present ii] cation was made too soon. 'Die charge against the prisoners t' en read over, and both pleaded " Guilty." Sub-]nspecior Smith, who prosccii called .John Brown, who gave ovidunce reference to going to Craig's board:

Louse, on the day he was robbed, could not stii(o exactly the date 1 , tlw lie thought it was last, Saturday tli weeks. tie also stated what, money had on him at the time, He had k drinks in the lioi;s", and afterwards 11 to sloe]* i.n a sofa, lie was aftunva •ironml by the noiso of a, scullle in room. There were then present J( Liddle, thu prisoner John Madden,! .•mother man whom ho did not I;ih Mrs. Craig was also present. He foi his waistcoat open, and his pocket-bi a,lid mojiey gone, lie then said ho 1 la en robbed, and Craig came into room, .saying, " Von have not been robi in my house." Ho (witness) replied, have, for I have not been out of I house." Ho had not .seen his pocli book or any of its contents since. ! was positive that he had the molioy wli ho wont into Craig's house, and v equally certain that he had no money any kind when he left, the house. Cross-examined by Mr. O'Meaghei Witness said he thought, he had told tl same story to-day as lie had when givii evidence against Craig. Ho had not lis any conversation with anyone about, tl matter since the case against Craig w heard, and lie could not road, Ho colli not say how many drinks ho had In before going to Craig's. Witness said li thought he had some silver on him whe he went to Craig's, notwithstanding tlw he had previously stated that ho had li 1 silver on him at the time. Ho did no

think he had made ii different statemcn when giving evidence against Willian John Craig to that which ho hud jus made with reference! to what took ]i'l;ic( when lie .said ho was robbed. (Mr. O'Meagher then .severely cross-examined • the witness with regard to what took place between witness and Sub-Inspector Smith after Craig's arrest, and succeeded in eliciting answers totally at variance with those r.-iven by him when the case against Craig was It card.) William Finch, settler, Jiving at Hajnp; den, stated that lie had known the last witness (John Brown) for about 17 years. He had been in witness' emploj'inent for about two years. Witness had paid Brown LIOO 14s. Gd. on the 4th April, at liii (witness') house. The money consisted of live L2O-;iotes and some silver. He drew the money out of the Bank of JS T evv Zealand, but could not say what bank the notes were on. He afterwards paid Brown Ll7 at a boarding-house in Oamaru. Tlio money consisted of two L5-notes, and seven Ll-notes. These were notes which

he had drawn out of the Bank of New Zealand, and which he had not mixed with any other notes. Cross - examined by Mr. O'Meagher : There was no one present when witness gave the money to Brown. He was (|nite sure lie had only paid Brown L] 00 14s. Gd. on the first day. John Little was called, and gave a lengthy accoant of whas took place when he went to Craig's house with Johii Brown, anil which has already been reported. During his evidence witness said tl'at he had been asked by a man to leave the room where Brown was, as he wished to tell him (witness) something, but did not tell him anything. T:ie man asked him if he could "spar."' He was looking through the glass door, and saw something going on whic'i was not proper. Brown was lying on his back on tlxe sofa, and Madden was near him, but he could not say what Madden was doing. Mrs. Craig was also present, about three or four feet from Brown and Madden. He (witness) then pushed the man who wat talking to him on one side, and went into the room and said to Brown, "Come away from this ; it's getting too hot for you." Mr. Craig then said that he (witness) had i insulted her, and Craig knocked him | down, making him bleed. He went outside to stop the bleeding, and when he returned Brown was sitting on one of the sofas with his waistcoat open. Cross-examined by Mr. O'Meagher, witness said he had only two drinks today. He had been talking with Brown during the adjournment, but had not been talking to him about the case. Hj could not say how many drinks he had at the Northern Hotel before going to Craig's house on the 12th May. He thought he had had three brandies and one whisky. These drinks made very little difference to him, as he could stand any amount. He remembered everything he said and everything he did that day. He did not see Madden taking anything from Brown. He saw him bearing on Brown, but he could not see what he was doing with his hands

Alice Pnrnell, alias Mary Arm Greaves, a convicted prisoner, deposed : I know the prisoners Mrs. Craig and John Madden. I have been in Mrs. Craig's employ as general servant. I was so employed from the 7th or Bth May up to the 20fch. I have seen a nun named John Brown. I have seen him at Craig's. I have also seen a man named John Liddle at Craig's. I saw Brown there on Saturday, the 12fch May. He came in about four o'clock in the afternoon. Liddle was with him. They went into the sittingroom. Mr. and Mrs. Craig were there. Midden, Frank White, and a young man thjy said was Mi Ideu's brother, were also Souu time afterwards Liddle and White came out into the kitchen and shouted. M idden's brother went- away, arid Craig also went out. I went into the sitting-room to make up the lire. Brown was sitting on the sofa with hio head hanging down, as if he was sleeping. Mrs. was sitting on one side of him and Madden on the other. Mrs. Craig had her hand in his pocket, and Madden was holding his arm. As I was going out of the room from the lire Mrs. Craig had a bundle of notes in her hand. She had a shawl on at the timo, and put her hand clown by her side ; she asked ms what I was looking at, and told me to go on with my work. I weufc into the kitchen and told Liddle that lie ought to look after his friend, as they were robbing him. L'ddle went out of the kitchen into the sitting-room to get Brown out. Mrs. Craig then called Craig. I cannot say whether he came from the bedroom or the back-yard. Craig struck Liddle two or three times, and put him out of the front door. Lidd-.c came back again into the kitchen. White also came into the kitchen and sent for some drink. I went for the drink. When I went to the room I which they call the bar, Craig, Mrs. Craig, and Madlen where in the room together. Craig had a bundle of notes in in his hand, as if he was counting them. Madden said something about giving him and White the big notes to take to Dunedin to change. Mrs. Craig said it was'nt good enough. Mrs. Craig said they would get L 7 each, and when it w as changed they would get their share. I asked her to serve me with the drinks, which she did: and I went into the kitchen. A s.iort time after Mrs. Craig " tokl me to serve tea for two—White and the man Brown. A little while afterwards I heard Brown say to Mr. and Craig that he had lost his nionsy. He asked where the young man was. -'it's. Craig said, £; Xonsense ; come into room and have a drink." She then brought him into the passage from the 'Uning-room to the door of tiie kitchen. said, Alice, this is a man that's going to shout for you." I said I could ' 1() t get on with my work with him in the k'tohen. Mrs. Craig then took him to hack door, and into the back yard, 'ion she had got him out, she bolted ae dour. A few minutes afterwards he wgan kicking at the door, and I told Mrs. that the man was making a noise. \-ie told me to go and see if I could get "niau-.iv, or else tell him it was past hours, It 17 n °t open the door to anyone. , her I would not go near him, and ®ae went herself, but did not open the L OOI - noise ceased, and I supposed lle ni; in had gone away. [Left sitting.]