MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 December 1916, Page 3

MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

VAGRANTS SENTENCED. A brief sitting of the Magistrate's Dourt was held yesterday morning, when ;wo vagrants were deait with by the iresiding justices, Messrs. F. C. j. Bell■inger and 11. R. Cattley. Nellie Solomon, a stout, middle-aged ivomen, pleaded guilty to a charge of jeing an incorrigible rogue. Sergeant Bowden, in explaining the circumstances, described the case as a uost unfortunate one. The accused left Wellington some weeks ago, after servng a sentence, and went to Mokau. She iell and broke iher arm, and was admittd to the New Plymouth Hospital, md sho insisted on leaving the institution several weeks before she was fit. Accused was soon afterwards arrested on a charge of drunkenness, and was remanded for medical treatment. Before her discharge she received £7 from an accident Insurance company. Since then she 'had squandered the money, and in this she had been assisted by loafers in New Plymouth. Drink was her chief trouble, and ehe was unable to help herself. The sergeant added that since 1913, when she arrived in New Zealand from Australia, accused had been convicted 011 fifteen occasions, mostly in connection with charges arising from j drunkenness. j The accused asked for leniency, and l said that, with her arm and the drink,! she liad suffered enough. I A sentence of six months' imprisonment was imposed. Percy Holland came up for sentence on a charge of being illegally on premises on November 0. He was alsr charged with being an idle and disor derlv person. He pleaded not guilty. Evidence was given by the police that since accused was last before the Courl a month ago, he had worked at tilrailway goods sheds, and had earne about £7. During the past week he ha been hanging about the streets, as?< ■oiating with undesirables. His condiu had been anything but exemplary, fi liad been warned to leave the town. The accused said the police liati given him a fair eliance. had bee working hard during the past month i the goods sheds, and, as the amount c work was governed by the quantity o cargo, there had been nothing to do fo some days. He promised to leave town if allowed liis liberty. Accused was sentenced to six month imprisonment on the first charge, an three months on the second, the sen tences to run -concurrently.

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