A MOTORING IN COURT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVIII, Issue 81916, 17 January 1907, Page 2

A MOTORING IN COURT.

VuntSllHThltS 01' PACCIII'S. Some holiday dru'nks came up for trial at the New Plymouth S.il. Conn on Wednesday morning. The oll'ellders all prohibifcd. persons, and they bad evidently been led by the festivities of Ciii'islmastidc to fall from grace.

IiLACKISJiIiUY WISH. 'Hie accredited temperance tipple in the. south a few vi'iirs ago mi-. gooseberry win.', ami solid. earnest lai[iT. mre people stood aghast when it was found by analvs.s tin. amount of alcohol tlit'.v had unsuspectingly eonsnni.'d. Jilackbcrry wine ai>p'.a r n to be a far more active liquor, and an alleged over do..c of this home maim fnclurcd arlic.c completely upset one of tin- police prosecutions" in the New J'lymoiitli Magistrate's Court on Wednesday morning. The facts elie t.-d under the examination of the accused mail, David Crozier, were pathetic a; limes, when lie d-scribcd liis own weakness and the severe upset of life inlerual economy as the ivsuli of an attack of 'da gripp-.'' Shaking oil (he dread liend, hut not. its effect's, and possessing himself of a bottl-' of b'uekbc.r,ry wine (his own make). because of the fact jlhal he was prohibited from obtaining liquor in the ordinary way, he came Hi to the Taranaki race's on last IJoxiiifj Day. Continuing his story, he said that during the (lay he had four nips out of the bottle up to .'. p.m., had no other liquor, ami had nothing to cat on account of his lack of appetite consequent on the inllu.n za attack, lie must have had several further drinks, for he supposed In] emptied the hot lie before he threw it awav out of the reach of horses' hoofs, and he remembered Constable O'lin.:loran taking his name. lie was not locked iiji, as three Young fellows with him undertook to see him' safely home. This defence of course was a set b:iek for the police who charged niiu w'th .having procured intoxicating liquor ■during the. currency of the prohibition order.' ' -

Scrgen-it lladdrcf said that the Hoi ice had seen accused with more than one bottle in his pockets, though he had no liquor on lis person when ar rested. These bottles m glil, in (he opinion of the accused, have contained ina-hine oil for use in the snwmit. Certainly they were not full of beer. The sergeant r.-marked on the ingeni ous defence, and (he Magistrate' perliuently asked, 'is this a faked up sii-ry'r" The accused was surprised at the qirstion. when he answered in tee negative. Mr Townsend. vvl ppeared for the accused submitted (hat the charge had Hot been pro.ed. and the .Magistrate, agreeing that the evi deuce was not sufficiently conclusive dismissed the information, adding', however, 'Tin very doubtful about thai blackberry w'iue.' : having been found drunk in Net l'ly

Townsc;id appeared for the aicus-d and slated ti;al evidently the holiday and the races proved too much fo'i him. the accused pleaded that he had been ill with inlluenza, and the heat overpowered him. i-incd el an.! costs 7s, in dels,, t one week's

M \U1;I UITLXDI'IiS. l'aki Taurn, an old oll'ender, was charged with having been fuunil on licensed premises and with procuring liquor during the currency of a pro looitioii order against iiiiiiself. The principal will,ess was the voting ladv who dispensed beverages at the Terminus Hotel bar, but, in answer to the police, she said she had never seen or served the mail, nor had anv one called her attention in the fact thaihe was a prohibited person on lieeus,il premises. Jt was another .Maori, whom sin- recognised in Hie bodv of the court.

Sergeant Jiaddj-ell was evidently displeased with ihe turn the evid mee had taken, and threatened to call a witness lo contradict her ass'i'lions. The S.M: Uut she's your own w.t lless. The Nu-gcuut: I can', help leal The S.AI: Hut, you can I gel on without her. The accused admitted being on t:;e premises and was lined Ills and costs. The second information was dismissed. Another stalwart young prohibited native, ilaiigulurang',, was similarlv charged. Impleading guiliv, he said he was not in the hotel of his own accord. In,fact, he had declined to en tor. and was dragged in by sheer force, although he told his assaiaiil he was a prohibited man. And he look no the consequences. He had no recul; leciion of a constable lelivi-- him some little time Indole that he was not allowed on licensed premises at all, even to gel a irla-s of lemonade. The lleneh thought t u-cuaod quite ca]iable of resisting any alleinpt as a'bged and inlliclcd a line of .CI and costs.

UNKNOWN l-THKNDS. Lruera Kippa was charged with having assisted in having liquor sup plied Maoris for cousumplioa oil' Iccused premises Mr Cvy appeared for the accused. .SiM-geiiiit lladdrell gave evidence that witii Constables U'llalloran and Cu'len he saw the accused with a hot tie sticking out of either pocket, each bottle halt full of beer. lie said lent was all he had got, but Constable (I ilailoran found a llask of whiskv (produced) in his breast pocket. The beer he threw into the creek. The .Maori said a man up the street put the liquor in lus pockets. Afterwards he said he had found il. This was ill about a quarter to uleven o'clock on Ciiristmas Eve. I

as one of Hie belter Maori, li..p>. 'l'o the flench: The aecuseil m, no! a prnhil.ited man. The evidence of Constables Cull™ and O'llalloran was t-orrolmn;tiv.- of Sergeant llnddreTs. Mr Crav subiuiUe.l liiai |l,e inform;, (inn was wrongly worded, j Then, was no oll'enee in a private per s.oi supplying liip.ior to a unlive in a priva.ie house, alfhoieli li,. mi'dil consume it there, and "olf lic-ns.sl prciu-

Tim S.M. said Hiiit that was merely a matter of form. Would counsel prove I hat the liipior was supplied on I,l'ivnte premises? Mr (Ircy would not. The accused himself did not know where he yol it. 'I ne Sergeant: Oh, he was not as drunk- as all thai.

The accused was put in the box said he reinenibereil Loin- in New Plymouth on Christmas Eve. and remei'n herd being sloppAl and sea relied. He was not sober, as he had been 'deeping up Christmas." and he could not remember all 'Hint had occurred. He had no i.lea where he g..t the !i,| nor. and could not remember what lie told the constable lie had such a lot of friends who might have put it iu his nockct. The S.M.i They would be more'ikely 'to take a. drop from yen. Aecuseil continued that lie only brought ten

shillings with him, and he hud seven ; shilling left next morning. The .Magistrate said the In!.- of (lie gift uf liiiuor would mil. hold water. .Magistrates know human nature too well to impute any such benevolent motives. The accused was convict,>d and discharged without lino. A CIIAUUIO DFA'IKI). Ocorgo Stundish. an old man, was ] chared wilii having been found drunk and wi'.li having procured liquor during the currciiev of a |>r<iliinilion order, and witli having heen found on hocused premiss. On Ihe lirsl. charge lie pleaded giully, but denied havbg lieeu in the Criterion Hole!. Constable CulVn gave evidence I hat i,e had seen accused hanging about i.he Criterion Hotel right of wav. and afterwards in I lie public bar. ' Spoke |„ accused, in Iho presence of the licence and a barmaid that be was a prohibited pelson. Accused lohl him to he vcrv careful what lie was do\-ig. lie was afterwards locked no for ilrunkeuues,, Aecused said he was not i„ a hotei al that. lime, die was al .Marie Niti-cllc's concert

The constable said the accused had remarked then flia't he was wing to the concert. '||„, accused said that hi) was not in the O.ilcrion Hotel. 'I hen lie corrected himself, and said i:c had no recolleenion of being there, lie admMed naviiig been i„ il„, j m perial lloiei that evening. On the lirst charge of drunkemic-s. convicted and diseharged; second charge, lined £1 and costs.

STATU I'KNSIOXKIi'S MIS('OXIKTT An old ago pensioner, win. claimed a renewal, was reported i.y the police to have gone on a drunken bout every thrift or four iikiiillih lie ad milled one bout at Christinas, but appeared to doubt the accuracy of Hie police reporl. Constable Ou'l.e.i gave evidence that lie saw the accused drunk for three consecutive days, and warned him of Hie danger of 10.-dm.' his pension if he continued heavy drinking. lie had also seen him drunk some months ago. hut the re inaiuder of the report was based on information received. The old man said he sometimes went for a year without a drink.

that the pension was not given ; ; ii.i •.<> spend, in drink, and thai he was ex pcied to lead a sober life. There seemed nothing e':e for it but to cancel the pension.

The accused, 'said hi had nothing to say, and (he Magistrate in rel'iis. ing to renew tile pension, said .hat to grant t'he -r.lnewal would simply be an intimal on to the old age pension en's in the district teat they could go on drinking as lleiv liked.

A -iieuro applicant for renewa' wereported in have been drunk even Saturday some four months ago bu! since that time he had been b' haviic. himself, and was peifecllv sohc through the Christmas holidays. Tie applicant did nol attor.c.l. lie will have to appear to ivrriy