RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2543, 1 March 1877, Page 3

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

THIS DAY. (Before W. Eraser, Esq., E.M.)

INSULTING LANGUAGE

Matthew Kitt was charged: with .unlawfully,- fW the purpose of annoyance and prbvpcationi using insulting ahdiVi-oyoking language towards one John Graham, such, language-tending,to provoke a breach pf thepeace.^;' V^.- 7 ; Mr Miller;appeared for the defendant, wliorpleadej^npt guilty. ; _ John Gfraham, sworn, deposed—l am a miner residing at the.Thames. On Tues-; pay Ctlie. 6th of-February at the. Bank cornerrj saw,..the; defendant. He came up in an excited manner and called me a —i—■'■:hangman,"and aaid Detective Bren• nan=had toldibim that I hanged Curtin. He said that I had just come from Mr Bullen's office after- getting £50 for hanging Curtin.He was very excited. . By Mi■Miller—lt was about 11 b clock in' vthe 'morning. - There were thirty or forty people about .lihe: corner. We were not chaffing each other. He. called me a ——'hangman. .This was onthe. day the man was supposed to be hung. I laid the information .three weeks after the event. I thought the matter would drop, but it -has. increased .to a. great extent. The report- has.,harmed me very much. I cannot employment, and am told by those I ask that they don't want; a hangman^ v: ; : , _ . Matthew Kitt, sworn, deposed -lam the? defendant. I heard what the last witness s&id.- It is not correct. I asked him if he had "not bee- up in Auckland after executing .Curtinrv I said that Brennan tpld me/buthe did not. Patrick; Whelan was called, and asked who was to pay his expenses. - After some delay Mr Miller promised to pay his expenses. He was then sworn. He deposedr^l was at the corner on the day in questiqn;> rKitt did not call him a -r~-.■■' hangman. - - Mr>/Miller .rose to speak, but His Worship ordered him to sit down;" He said that the defendant had been advised very wrongfully. If defendant had: a spark of manly feeling he would have done his utmost to allay ; the injury instead' of increasing it by denying. Then her had pulled in an officer of the Government and made him tdn the risk of being dismissed from the; service. He knew the iepprts had injured Graham in more vray's? than he had said they had. Defendant said he only did it for a joke. -Thej men at the Corner had been chaffing; himself about it for a week or two he had said anything to Graham. : :-:-;^:: '■■■';: ■"■■ •■■••'■■ ' y His Worship said that defendant would be bound over to keep the peace for six months, himself in one surety of £50, and one other surety of £50,. and pay the costs. . . ; .' . " Court "adjourned. ;"• . -