POLICE COURT.—Yesterday.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 70, 29 December 1871, Page 3

POLICE COURT.— Yesterday.

Before W. FIUSKIt, Esq., Tt.Jf,

Drunkenness. —Daniel Cronin pleaded guilty to the charge of being drunk, and was lined 10s or 24 hours’ hard labour.— James Fagan also pleaded guilty to alike offence, and begged to be leniently dealt with as he had no money to pay a fine with and wanted to return immediately to his work on the Kauwaeranga gum diggings.—This being a first offence, and under the circumstances the R.M. discharged the accused with a caution not to appear again. Stealing from the Person. —Patrick Shine and John Stevens were brought up on remand charged with stealing from the person of Richard Biggs the sum of £7 10s, at the Crown Hotel, Grahamstown, on the 24th inst. —Richard Briggs, miner, Madman’s Gully, deposed: On the 24th of the present month I was at the Crown Hotel, Grahamstown, about 7 o’clock in the morning. A friend named Michael Splaney was with me. We had been drinking at the bar. Whilst standing there the two prisoners came in and sat down on a form. I tendered the barman a £5 note in payment for some drinks. The barman said he had no change and passed back the note. The prisoners could see what took place. Splaney said, in reference to the prisoners, “ I don’t like the looks of those gentlemen I said “ If you don’t like them you’d best put them out.” Splaney ordered them out, and they got up and went out. They went up the street. I went out afterwards and saw them both standing near the door. The prisoner Shine complained that it was rather hard to be turned out, especially as he was a stranger, lie added that he had lately come down from the Waikato. After some further conversation witness volunteered to stand a drink, and the offer was accepted. Remained there about half an hour, and then went away to the “ Ancient Britaiu ” where I again “ shouted ” for Shine who was at the door. We then went to the “Metropolitan” and had another drink a-picce for which I paid. Did not see anything of the prisoner Stevens after leaving the Crown Hotel. On leaving the Metropolitan I told Shine I was going to hare a shampoo : He said, “ I’ll go with you,” and we went to Jones’ the barber’s.fj'i'herc were several customers in the shop, and I went into the kitchen and had.a cup of tea. Shine followed me into the kitchen. The other prisoner then made his appearance, coming in by the back door. lie did not stop but just came in and went out again. I then returned to the shop and sat down in the afin chair and fell asleep. On waking up I found myself in the reading room on a sofa (a plan of the premises was produced and witness pointed out the situation of the room, &e.) On searching my pockets for my money, I found it was all gone. The prisoners were gone also. Before going into Jones’s had £7 10j and some silver besides. A £5 note and two £1 notes were in my right hand trowser’s pocket, and a half-sovereign was in the left hand pocket. 1 informed Jones of the loss of this money, and, in consequence of what he said, I went in search of the prisoners, but could not find them. I then gave information of the robbery to the police, and prisoners were apprehended the same afternoon, about 4 o’clock, as the steamer ‘ Golden Crown ’ was about to leave for Auckland.—The prisoners cross-examined the witness without, however, at all sueceding in shaking his testimony.—Jacob Allaway, proprietor of Allaway’s Boarding House, identified the prisoner Shine as having been a lodger there on the night of the 22nd. He gave the name of “ Brown.” Stevens was there on the afternoon of the following day in company with Shine. They slept there that night, and paid in advance, according to the custom of the establishment. About 5 o’clock the next morning witness was aroused by a noise upstairs, and was informed by a lodger named Schofield that he had been robbed. He said some one had come from the loom where prisoners were, and had picked his pockets of some money. Witness opened the door of the prisoner’s bedroom, and went in. They were both asleep. Witness insisted on searching them. Witness found on Shine about lbs, and nothing on Stevens. Shine said that was all the money he had. Schofield was going to fetch a constable at this time. Shine said he’d rather pay than have any bother, and tendered 8s fid, the amount Schofield said he had lost. Witness took the money, and then told the prisoners to go away, and never come back to the house again. Patrick Andrew Jones, hair- | dresser, &c., corroborated the testimony of the prosecutor Briggs as to what took place on the morning of the 24th, at witness's shop, and identified the prisoners as having been there under the circumstances detailed by prosecutor, and stated that when that person was asleep Shine removed him to the sofa, and sat beside him for some time, and afterwards went away, accompanied by Stevens. Briggs

was somewhat under the influence of liquor when he came to the simp.— Mrs Rose, of the Thames Hotel, deposed to the prisoners being there on the morning of the 24th, about 11 o’clock, and calling for a shilling’s worth of drink, in payment of which Stevens tendered a £1 note, and received IDs change. Henry Charles Schultz, dealer, deposed to being at tho above hotel at the time spoken of by last witness. Stevens invited witness to have a drink. There was another man there called “ Little Tommy.” Stevens handed to witness a £1 note in the passag«, and told him to pay, which he did, and handed back the change received from last witness. —Hugh Rae, barman at the Wharf Hotel Grahamstown, deposed to the prisoner Stevens being at the hotel on the 24th, about 3 o'clock, p.m., in company with a inan named Clarke. Stevens tendered a £5-note in payment for two drinks, and received £4 19s change. He afterwards spent another shilling.—Detective James Murphy deposed to the apprehension of tho prisoners oh the Grahamstown Wharf, on the afternoon of the 24th, just as the steamer ‘ Golden Crown’ was leaving for Auckland. Tho prisoner Stevens had five £l-notes on him, and Gs 3d in silver and copper. The other had 3s Gd on him.— Prisoners, who denied the charge altogether, were fully committed for trial at the ensuing sittings of the Supreme Court, Auckland.—The prisoner Stevens complained of a paragraph which appeared in a paper, in which he had been termed a “ notorious” character, and said he should seek a remedy against the writer. As to his having been in gaol before, that was true ; but he was about to write a paragraph for publication, in reference to his case, and also as to the discipline of tho gaol. There was no evidence brought forward to show that lie or Shine had committed any robbery at all; but of course the minds of the Court and the public were prejudiced by the statements that had been made prior to the case coming into Court.