RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT. Saturday, October 25th.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 266, 27 October 1862, Page 5

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT. Saturday, October 25th.

(Before A. C. Strode, E-q., R,M.)

Drunkenness.—William Adams, John Grant, Jas. FiriUiy, and John Bryan, were each fined 20s. and costs, for being drunk ; in default of payment, to be imprisoned forty eight hours. ! V agrakcy.—The notorious Mary Allen, who had just come out of prison, was taken into custody on Friday for being drunk and using obscene language in the street, fche was charged with having no visible lawful means of living, and was committed to hard labour for t:.ree month*. Charge agaik&t a Beer and Wjne Seller.— P. H. Ghevaimes, of the Victorian Hotel, Octagon, was charged with having his licensed house unlawfully open after ten o'clock at night. A police (ffieer stated that the side-door was open at twenty miuufrs after twelve on the night of Wednesday, and in the* bar he found six or seven persons talking noisi'y For the defence several lodgers in the house were called, to show that the fiont door was locked punctually at ten o'clock, and that subsequently the sidedoor was <-nly opened when a lodger wr.s passing in or out. The Magistrate said he had no doubt that the hou°e was in fact open to any one who pleased to enter. _ The side-door dodtre was a very old one, especially in the colonies. Mr Cln-vannes said he desired strictly to obey the law, but he was n?w to the business. He would respectfully ask the Magistrate what he was to do with r gard to his lodgers. Suppose any of them were out—at the theatre or elsewhere after ten o'clock, was escli to he kept i.t the door until it was opened? The Magistrate : Yes, undoubtedly. The law was clear; such licensed homes must be locked at ten o'coek, so as to keop people out — not m«-rely closed. Sub-Inspector Weldon said he believed the p^ rsons in the bar on this occasion were nil, or nearly ail, lodgers in the houte, ana he knew that Mr (Jhevannes was a highly re*>pectable man ; bu there had been complaints before, and on this occat tion these was a good deal of noise. The Magtaratsaid he would not inflict a fine ; but Mr Chevannee must understand time in future he must lock h i house at ten o'clock.