POLICE COURT,—This Day.

Thames Star, Volume XVII, Issue 5255, 20 November 1885, Page 2

POLICE COURT,—This Day.

(Before H. Kenrick, Esq., R.M) James Walt, licensee of tho City of Glasgow Hotel, Tararn, was charged with breach of the Licensing Act, in haying sold liquor on Sunday, Bth November, to Henry Lambert. Constable Berne deposed to have caught Lambert leaving the hotel with a bottle of beer, and that the licensee Watt confessed to having sold it and asked him to say nothing about it. Henry Lambert corroborated the Con stable's evidence The defendant was also charged with having had no light on the night of the 6th November, which w«i also pored by CooitaWe j^rne, Xbe

Court deferred decision in both cases till to morrow moruing in order that the present licensee produce the license, the defendant having deserted the premises. [Mr Taipara, assessor, here took his seat on the Bench.] HOSBE-STEi.LINa. Werimu Taiparutu was charged with having stolen a black horse acd a black mare on the 24th September, the property of Karaitiana. The prisoner pleaded not guilty, and said that the horses were his. Karaitana, sworn, stated that the two animals were his, that the accused was Ms nephew, and that on the 24th Septeml -r accused was told to catch the horses ■r and them over to Jimmy (Lavery). I*™:ead of doing so he stole them. Prose* cutor had given these horses over to Jimmy in satisfaction of a debt owing to the latter. The mare was given to prosecutor in compensation for clothing given to a child who had died in his house by the father of the child. The horse was given to him by Euihana when he was in trouble about his debts.—The accused cross*examined this witness as to whether he bad paid for bringing the horses over from Piako, to which he said he had not. Te Koki Tirotini was sworn and stated that he knew the prosecutor owned the horses in question, and corroborated the prosecutor's evidence as to how they came into his possession. John Flett, licensee of the Bob Boy Hotel, stated that the accused sold him the black mare ou the 24th September for £1. He was with another maori, name Tuna, to whom he gave part of this money; Tuna said the mare belonged to the accused. John Teddy deposed that be was at Ku pata about the early part of September, and saw the accused in company with the prosecutor and Tuna. They showed him 2 or 3 horses for sale, none of which suited him. They told him they had a horse, a black one, which was now run* ning on the hills, and which would suit him. Later on in September, the accused came to his place of residence along with Tuna with two horses for sale, both of which he claimed as his, and one of which he bought from bim, the black horse now outside the Court, for £1 2s 6d and another horse. The accused,, said this was the same black horse they had spoken about before.—Cross examined by accused, the witness replied that Karaitiana had pointed out the horses to be shown him on the occasion of his visit to K.upata. The Bench, in reviewing the evidence, said the question of the real ownership of the horses was still a disputed one, and had not been proved in favor of the prosecutor, the evidence of Mr Teddy being in favor of the accused. He would not therefore be justified in sending the case for trial to the Supreme Court, and must therefore dismiss the case, at the same time saying that in doing so he was not deciding one way or the other as to the ownership. To settle this, the prosecutor's best plan would bo to bring a civil action against the defendant.