RESIDENT MAGISTRATE’S COURT.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume III, Issue 333, 15 December 1875, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE’S COURT.

Gisborne, Tuesday, Decembeb 14,1875. Before W. K. Nesbitt, Esq., R.M. George Gavin was charged with eojnmitting a breach of the peace at Waerenga-a-hika. It appeared that the accused had been struck by Donaldson, and had received great provocation. Fined £l. Donaldson on being charged with the same offence, behaved himself in snch a refractory manner that the Magistrate committed him to the lock-up for 24 hours for being drunk in Court. SOBEY V? sobby. Mr. Rogan for plaintiff, Mr. Wilson

for defendant. This was an adjourned case in which Peter Sorry was charged (under the fourth section of the Destitute Persons Relief Ordinance) with having dented his wife Jane Sorry, and left herwithout proper means of support. Jane Sorry on being sworn stated : My maiden name was McAnnally, I was married to Peter Sorry in June 1852, in Hobart Town by the Rev. Mr. Miller. The document produced is a certificate of my marriage. We lived together till 1869. (Here the complainant entered into a long rambling statement, the purportof which could notbe ascertained.) Previous to 1869, I had many differences with defendant, on account of the woman with whom he had been, and is still living. Defendant left Tasmania seven years ago, during which, he sent me no money. I next saw him in Gisborne on the 4th of December. I applied to him for maintenance which he refused to grant. Cross-examined by Mr. Wilson: I was not in the habit of getting drunk in Tasmania. I was charged there with kicking up a row with the woman Sorry was living with. I have never been convicted or in gaol for drunkenness, or any other cause. Since Sorry left me I have been in service. I have never lived with any other man as his wife. I never adopted any other name than Sorry. I did not apply to Sorry before my arrival in Gisborne for maintenance. My daughter sent me the money to come to New Zealand with. This was the case-for the prosecution ; for the defence Julia Turner sworn, states :—I am the daughter of Peter Sorry, complainant is my mother. She has never served any time in gaol. I never knew that she was fined for being drunk, or that she had been knocked about by the man she was living with. I don’t recognise the letter produced. Cross-examined by Mr. Rogan : Sorry came to Auckland under the name of Williams. My father always got any letters for me, and used to say there were none.

Counsel having addressed the Bench, defendant was convicted in a mitigated penalty of Is, and an order was made for 15s a week alimony.