MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8486, 13 July 1907, Page 7

MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

MASTERTON— FRIDAY. (Before Mr W. P. James, S.M.) Harold Reynolds and William Jones were charged on remand with having discharged firearms in the borough on July 4th without lawful authority. Mr C. A. Pownall appeared for the defendant's, and said that the Borough Council intended to grant a provisional permit to the shooting preparatory to a by-law being '"^rramed. The Magistrate considered ..that it would be advisable for the owners to wait until the Dy-law was passed before carrying on the shooting gallery. The defendants Aver<~ fined Is each without costs. F. M. Ross pleaded guilty io : charge of allowing a horse to straj on the railway line at Maui - ice.viile contrary to the railway by-laws. A flnegOf 10s with costs £2 3s was am posed. Thomas J. Pinkney was fined Bt with 7s costs for leaving a horst attached to a vehicle unattended or July 6th. Arthur R. Maltby, who was represented by Mr C. A. Pownall, was charged with transacting business on Sunday, July 7th. Sergeant Miller deposed to meeting on the date in question a person having in his possession two bottles of "lager beer." The person said he had purchased them at defendant's shop. When witness went to defendant's the latter admitted the offence. Mr Pownall said the whole affair was trivial. Defendant, who kept a restaurant, which was open on Sundays, was not in the habit of conducting a Sunday trade. The defendant was fined 5s with 7s costs. A charge of theft of a watch valued at ss, the property of George Brighting, on July 12th, was preferred against Richard Reeves, who pleaded not guilty, and was defended by Mr C. A. Pownall. Georgs Brighting said that accused received a watch from him, and when asked to return it would not do so. Witness then told the police, who went to accused's house and found the watch produced. By Mr Pownall: Witness denied being in the Central Hotel, and being drunk at the time. He also denied that accused had lent him 2s 6d for drink. He had wt touched drink for years, and had never been charged with any offence before a Court. Sergeant Miller deposed that accused, who was somewhat ' the worse for liquor, had said in answer to the charge that informant owed him "half a dollar." This was denied by Brighting in the presence of the accused. In answer to Mr Pownall, witness said that Brighting was perfectly sober. Mr Pownall called the accused, who stated that he and two mates met informant and a friend in front of the Cntral Hotel. The latter were in- *~ vited to have a drink in the hotel, , and they did so. Witness then left. Later he met informant, who offered to sell him (accused) a watch for 2s 6d, and the offer was accepted. Earlier in the morning informant had asked him for money for a drink, and witness gave him sixpence. Henry Edward Shine deposed to having been with accused when informant was in the Central Hotel. Witness thought that informant had had a drink. Later on informant met accused, and witness in the street, and offered to sell witness a watch for os. Witness referred him to accused who gave Brighting some money for the watch. He could not say what amount, but accused said he had given him "half a dollar" for the watch. Witness would swear positively that accused paid some money for the watch. Frederick Coopar, licensee of the Central Hotel, and William Haviland, barman at the hotel, said they had not seen the informant in the hotel fiat morning. The former witness Siid he did not have a drink with informant. The Magistrate said he was satisfied that a most impudent theft bad baen committed. The matter had been aggravated by accused and witness, Shine, going into the box and committing perjury. He would not deal with the question of perjury as that would be made the subject of a further charge. He sentenced Reeves to one month's i-nprisonment. In the afternoon Reeves and Shine were brought before Mr G. Heron, J.P., charged with having committed perjury in the Magistrate's Court in the morning. A remand was granted for a week, bail being allowed in the case of Shine in one surety of self at £SO and two others at £SO each. Mr C. A. Pownall appeared for the accused.