COURTS.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 198, 28 May 1872, Page 3

COURTS.

POLICE COURT.— Yesterday. Before W. FRASER, Esq., R.M. DRUNKENNESS. Daniel Boyle, James McCabe, James H. Lowry, and Charles Braidwooil were subjected to the customary penalties for being drunk. INDECENT ASSAULT. Henry Loveday was changed with unlawfully ana indecently assaulting Selina Smith, a girl under the age of 12 years. Mr Tyler appeared for the prisoner. Mr Bullen said the prisoner was only apprehended the previous day, and as there was corroborative testimony which he should have to call, aud was not quite prepared with it* he would ask for a remand until Wednesday. *-• Mr Tyler applied for bail. Mr Bullen said he should object to the application on the ground that it would give due opportunity of suborning witnesses. The R.M., having referred to the Act, said lie would take bail, the accused in £2OO, and two sureties of £IOO each. Mr Tyler named Mr A. Bryce Bain and MrL. W.Loveday as sureties,and they were accepted. The accused was accordingly remanded until Wednesday, and in the meantime admitted to bail. STEALING FROM THE PERSON. William Kelly charged with stealing from the person of William Eassie, of Grnhamstown, on the 26th May last, the sum of £l6 12s. ***&[ Mr Macdonald appeared for the prisoner. William Eassie deposed : I am an engineer residing at the Karaka, and employed in the Eglintonjbattery. I know the prisoner whom .L saw yesterday about 2 o’clock p.m. Was in his company from that time .until 20 minutes to 10 p.m., when he and I came together to my house. I had money on me at 2 o’clock amounting to £21 —two £5 notes, nine. £1 notes, and two sovs. Prisoner had the opportunity of knowing that I bad this money about me. I had it in.my trousers pockefirolled up ina piece op newspaper. When I arrived at home, I had £2O 12s. in my pocket; I had spent 8s in the prisoners company. When I got home I laid down in my clothes and went to sleep. Prisoner was sitting at the table in the same room at the time. I went to sleep. The prisoner roused me up several times by getting bold of me and calling to me that it vvaS 12 o’clock/ * I had to go to work at 12 o’clock. About half-past 11 o’clock a man pained Henry Hay called me, and I got up and changed my clothes for working clothes. As I was changing I discovered that I had only two £1 notes and two sovs. left out of my money. I said I had been robbed. Hay and the prisoner were present. Hay said he had seen the prisoner take half-a-sovereign aud some silver from the table as he (Hay) came in. Prisoner said he did not have it, and knew nothing about it, and that,l might search his pockets if I liked. He took off his coat and vest. Henry Hay took two £5 notes from prisoners belt and handed them over to me. I asked the prisoner for the rest of the montyf jHe gave me three £1 notes, half-a-sovereign, and £2. I said there were three £1 notes more. He said that was all he had taken. He said he would pay me 10s a-week until the £3 was paid which I said lie had taken. He asked me for the sake of his wife and family to say no more about it. I have no numbers of the notes. I never gave the prisoner authority to take the money. I gave information to the police of the robbery. By Mr Macdonald : Between 10 o’clock and 2 that clay I had been drinking at several public houses. Did not call at every one that was open. The Ancient Briton is the last one I remember going to. Had one drink at each I went to. I had sold a bouse lately, and this money

was part of the proceeds. I only spent 7s or Bs. I was quite sober when- F-got home that night. I slept heavilv, as I had no sleep the might before. The prisoner was not sober and lie was not drunk.

Henry .Hay, carpenter, Karaka, stated that he went to call Eassie at 12 o’clock on Sunday night to go to work ; the prisoner opened the door. When I went in I saw Eassie lying down; there was a half-sovereign aud some silver on the table. Kelly lifted the money from the table and theu went and shook Eassio and awoke him. Eassie got up and took off the clothes he had on him and put on his working clothes. He then said ho had been robbed.—Witness went on to corroborate the statement of last witness as to finding the money in prisoner’s belt, and handing it over to Eassie. Constable Coughlin deposed to the apprehension of the prisoner at half-past 1 o’clock on Monday morning, at his own house, at “ Irishtowu,” Karaka Creek, in consequence of information received from Eassie. Prisoner, after being duly cautioned, said, “ I took the money from Eassie, at the Ancient Briton Hotel for safety.” The money now produced, £l3 12s, I received from the last witness. Mr Macdonald said the prisoner reserved his defence. Prisoner was then fully committed for trial at the next sittings of the Auckland Supreme Court. In reply to Mr Macdonald, the R.M. said he would take bail for prisoner’s appvarauce if the latter could procure the requisite sureties—two ot £SO each aud prisoner himself in £IOO. The R.M. ouserved that from the evidence some eight public houses must have been open on a Sunday for tlie sale of liquors One of them had tieeu mentioned by name—the Ancient Briton—the conduct of ; which house he hitil observed during his absence had been brought before the notice of the police by the Magistrate, and he (the R.M.) must again call attention to it.