POLICE COURT.—This Day.

Thames Star, Volume XVI, Issue 5094, 15 May 1885, Page 2

POLICE COURT.—This Day.

(Before H. Kenrick, Esq., E.M.)

WIFE DESERTION.

F. Tetley was, on the information of his wife, charged with wife desertion. Mr Lush appeared for Mrs Tetley 5 and Mr Miller for the defence. The defence was that there bad been no desertion on the part of the defendant; his wife had, by arrangement, left him, and be bad agreed to pay her £1 a»week, which he had done as long as he could. He was now only in a position to undertake the payment of 10s per wrek. After evidence was taken the Bench made an order for the payment of this amount, and remarked that if it could eventually be shown that Tetley could pay more the amount per week would be increased.

SALVAGE CtAIM.

Edward Jamieson appeared" to support a claim for £20, made by him on J. Clark on account of his having saved the cutter George from wreck. From the evidence of the cotnplaiuanb it appeared that ou the 18th April the owner of the cutter refused to allow this claim to be referred to arbitration. The claim was based upon the statement that on the 17th April he saw the cutter at Deadtnan's Poiot with trco men on board; very rough weather was then experienced, and lie advised (.hose on board to seek a harbor; they went towards Otakeo. Witness went after them in his cutter, aud found tbe men requiring assistance, and calling for it; as a heavy sea was running, he sent a man in a dingy to them; they said it was their intention to have run tbe cutter ashore to suable them to laud. The following morning the vessel had drifted towards the roeka aud the men -nho had left her would not again board her, she was half full of water, leaking badly and would more than probably have sunk had not Jamieson and a man named Maunsell boarded her. baled her out, and rendered her fit to be brought to Grahamstown Wharf. He based his claim for £20 ou account of his services in rescuing the vessel, and fixed the sum as one third of her value. There was no case of mutual help in the men he took off the vessel helping him to load his own boat. It took two men to bring the George to Grahamstown, and they were baling the boat all the way from where they took charge of her. He brought the boat in on Saturday night, but did not "inform Clark of having done so until tbe i following Tuesday.—Another witness named George Walters, stated that he was with Jamieson on the cutter owned by the latter on the 17th April, on their way to Manaia. When off Deadman's i Point, the weather was very rough, and ! they saw the cutter George, which had on i board two men, Buckley and McLeay, who called out to Jamieson's cutter, ask>. ing those on board to take them off the George, as they were afraid of being drowned. After the weather improved, Jamieson requested the two men to return to the George, but they refused, and said it wasn't safe to do so; consequently he took a man with him, and bailed the boat out, as he thought it was a pity that it should be lost. Had the George been left another hour in the perilous position it was it would hare sunk.—A youthful witness named Buckley gave similar evidence, and stated that he was afraid to remain on the George and hailed those on complainants vessel to rescue him and others as they were afraid the craft they were on board of was going ashore. They refused to go again to the George as the boat was half full of water.

?or the defeuce, Doc aid McLeay

deposed that on the day spoken of he left Janaieson's in the George; Maunsell was in charge of the cutter-—he asked Buckley to go on board to give them a help down. On reaching Oiakeo, Buckley called out to Jamieson, wbo came up near them in bis cutter, to take him off'the George, as he (Jamieson) was responsible for his (Buckley's) life. The George appeared to be drifting ashore, r and he left her because he thought the vessel was not safe.

The Bench decided that the evidence showed that the services rendered were entitled to compensation for time and labor, and decreed the sum of £2 103 was ample for it. Judgment was given for the amount, and costs £2 14s.