RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Southland Times, Issue 1560, 5 April 1872, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGIS TRATE'S COURT.

(Before H. M/CuTiiiOCH, Esq., R.M.)

«. Tuesday, Apbili 2nd. Osborne v. Smith. — In this case the Court delivered judgment today for plaintiff -for the amount (£2O) paid into Court. Tu<» Migistrate found thit no trado rule or custom hni been established, on the other hand defendant's plea of withdrawal had not been sustained in evidence. Neither had any speci il agreement been established between the parties, so ihat the Court had no alternative but to fall back upon the usual practice resorted to with a disputed account. fb.e amount paid into Court was consi.lerei fair remuneration for the services rendered, and judgment wa3 given accordingly.

Wednesday, Apeil 3bd. (Before H. Rogers, Eaq., J.P.) A DISORDERLY TIPPLES. Patrick Ho^an, who appeared in Court with a badly battered countenance, was arraigned on three separate charges (Ist) with being drunk and disorderly $ (2nd) with having created a disturbance in a public placa by fighting; and (3rd) with having assaulted and beaten his wife Ann Sogan. The police proved having apprehended prisoner the previous evening in the vicinity of the hotel kept by his wife. Ho w*s then in a state of drunkenness, and bore external evidence of having been disorderly. Another witness proved that at the solicitation of detendant's wife he had remained in the house of the latter for the purpose of protecting her against the violence of prisoner. He (prisoner) miie use of most offensive language to his wife, and on being remonstrated with struck at witness, and a scuffle ensued. In support of the thi^d charge, prisoner's wife was put into the box, but before boin^ swjm, she gave way to a fit of hysterics, and had to be removed. Eventually the charge was proceeded with in the Magistrate's room, where her evidence wa9 given. She deposed to having been kicked and bitten by defendant, and being in a state of pregnancy at the time, the bad usage had seriously endangered her health. On the first charge prisoner was ordered to pay a fine of 40s, or go 24 hours to prison. The second char^l? was dismissed, on the ground that prisoner appeared to have git the worst of the fight ; and on the third charge he was fined £10, or in default, two months' imprisonment. Being unable to pay the fines, he went to gaol. -