RESIDENT MAGISTRATE’S COURT, GISBORNE.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume IX, Issue 982, 28 September 1881, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE’S COURT, GISBORNE.

Tuesday, September 27th, 1881. [Before M. Price, Esq., R.M.] Patrick Maher junr was charged with the larceny of a watch chain from the dwelliug house of one Michael McDevitt, on the 20th instant. G Constable Farmer conducted the prosecution, m the absence of Sergt. Bullen. Prisoner pleaded guilty. i ( . r p i f. COI /P ! : ainaat sworn, deposed to having left the chain in question in his room, on Sunday the 18th inst. but he did not miss it until the following Wednesday. He gave information to the police, and the next time he saw the chain was in their hands. He recognized the chain produced as his property, and! £7l(J neho Heralued chaii at A. Sawyer sworn deposed : I saw prisoner on Wednesday the 20th Sept. He wae in the billiard room of the Gisborne Hotel. He asked me what I paid for my watch ehain. 1 told him, and asked him what he wanted to

know for. He replied “ nothing particular.” On the 21st he came to me again, and took a chain out of hie pocket; the chain produced is the one he showed me on the previous evening. He said he found it. He owed me 8s at the time, and I asked him if he wanted to part with the chain. I offered him 2s for the chain, which, with the 8s would be square. We played “ marble rip ” if I should give him 3s or 2s. I lost, but having no change, did not pay him at the time. He left the chain with me. About an hour afterwards I went to Nasmith’s to get it valued. He said it was worth about £3 10s. About 12 o’clock in the day Constable Walsh came and enquired respecting I gave him the foregoing particulars of the transaction, and delivered the chain to him. The chain produced is the same.

Constable Walsh deposed that in consequence of information received from Mr. McDevitt, relative to the loss of a gold chain, he made search, and heard that prisoner had sold a watch Chain to witness Sawyer. He went to Sawyer snd obtained the chain now before the Court. He then went to prisoners fsrents and charged him with the theft, risoner said he knew nothing about it, He denied having sold a chain to Sawyer, and told his "’mother he had not stolen it. Witness then arrested prisoner, and laid the information.

The prisoner was charged in the usual manner ; but in consideration of his plea of guilty His Worship dealt with the case summarily, and, although he thought it was useless to read the prisoner a moral lecture, he expressed a hope that his promise of amendment when he returned from incarceration, would be fulfilled. He would have plenty of time for reflection, and turn his resolve to good account. His Worship further admonished prisoner, in a kindly manner, but held it his duty to pass the full sentence of 12 months imprisonment, with hard labor.