RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 32, 20 January 1864, Page 3

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Monday, 18th January, ISG4. (Before M. Price, Esq., K.M.) Diutnkfnnf.s*. — Five persons were fined for this offence. Stealing. — Thomas Mason, a boatman, was charged by J. Wliittirigton with stealing an oar. The case appeared to be a very paltry on ■, the circumstances bei:\g. that one day last week the prosecutor took hU bo it down tc the Mokom >ko, where he left it, and on jioing to it again, he found that ono of the oars was missing 1 . There was considerable inubt as to the identification of the oar, which had bee^ foun.i in the pos-ession ol tlio prisoner. The B-jiv.'h considereil that lie ought to hare tile bent-fit of the doubt, bui ordered vie property to be given up to the prosecutor. A SACiiii.roroiTs DiaTtnu'.vri of the Peace. — Dugald M'Swain was charged by Mr-i Huxley with assaulting her. From the evidence it appear d that the defendant, or the previous day (Sunday), had conducted himself in a v^ry unaccountable manner, lit had followed complainant into church and attempted to take her bible out of her hands Alter that he went outside, and his disorderly conduct in the street having attracted the attention of a constable, he was taken into custody. The defendant, who pleaded th<j general excuse of di inking, w:is fined £10, or one month's imprisonment. A Stowaway. — Gould Smith, w]-,-> had been remanded on Friday on a charge of fraudulently obtaining.'! passage from Sydney by the Craigievai', was attain brought up. Prisoner had asked for a postponement of h • fas. 1 , as he said the mate of the vessel lid given him permission before the yes el left Sydney to coin 1 ; on board. Tin; mate, who was in attendance, denied positively that be had ever given any such permission, or that he knew of the prisoner beins aboard the vessel until some time after she was at sea. The Bench fined the prisoner £:">, or fourteen days' imprisonment, with liar«l labor. Indecent Exposure. — John Muir was charged by the police with indecent exposure in the public streets. He was fined 40s.