RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT

West Coast Times, Issue 363, 21 November 1866, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT

(Before G. a. FitzGerald, Esq., R.M.) Tuesday, November 20. DBUKK,Effitßss. — James Penny was charged with being drunk and incapable, aud not being particularly sober when before tho Court, Ms Worship ordered him to be locked" up for twenty-four hours. Obstruction 1 , &c. — George Mayo was charged with the obstruction of a thoroughfare. The defence was that the thorougfare in question was the private property of the accused. His Worship adjourned the case till the 22nd instant, in order that the same might be surveyed. — Thos. Enoch was also charged with the obstruction of a thoroughfare. Mr South appeared for the accused, and elicited, on cross-examination, that the notice to remove the obstructions had been served on a Sunday, and that the obstruction had been subsequently removed? and that too before the service of the complaint had , been effected. Hia Worship dismissed the information. Larceny. — Win. Lloyd was charged with larceny in a dwelling, of 36s in money, and two nuggets of gold, of the value of 30s. .Richard Jones, being called, deposed that he was a carpenter residing at the Arahura. He was acquainted with the prisoner. He remembered last Friday ; he saw the prisoner on that day at the West Coast Hotel. On the 16th instant witness went to bed at about 10 p.m. ; when he awoke he found that his trousers had been displaced, and that thirty-six shillings in money, and two nuggets of the value of thirty shillings had been extracted therefrom ; he was certain that the money and the nuggets were in his pockets when he went to bed. The nuggets produced were his property. By prisoner — lie would swear that no one awoke him on the morning of the 17th, at 4 a.m. By the Court — He was not quite sober when he went to bed, but was far from being drunk. James Caison was then called, and, being sworn, deposed that he was the proprietor of the West Coast Hotel. He knew the prisoner ; he recol • lected his having been at his hotel on the evening of the 16th instant, and had asked for a shake-down, alleging that he was hard up and had no money to pay for it. Shortly before prisoner took his departure from the hotel he had changed a one pound note. Mrs Edwards was then called, and, being sworn, deposed that she resided at the Red Lion Hotel. Prisoner was there last Saturday morning, and gave the nugget (produced) to her for the purpose of having a ring made out of it. She had not had the ring made, but had given the nugget to the polici 1 . Sergeant Dyer wai then called, and proved the arredt of the prisoner and the receipt of the nugget from last witness. Tuis closed the prosecution. Prisoner was then asked if he had anything to say in his defence, and replied " that he had no recollection of the matter." His Worship sentenced him to one month's imprisonment with hard labor. Vagrancy. — Mary Jane Smith was charged with vagrancy, but the iuformation was withdrawn. She was then charged with being of unsound mind, and at the request of Inspector Broham, she was remanded till to-morrow (this day). Stealing. — Michael Condon, on the prosecution of the Queen, was placed in the dock, on suspicion of having stolen a gold watch of the value of L 5 10s. Sergeant Dyer, being sworn, deposed that he was a sergeant in the Ilokitika Police. He saw the prisoner on the evening of the 19th inst. in the shop of Mr Hyman, the jeweller ; he was attempting to sell the watch (produced). His (witness) suspicions being aroused, he enquired where the prisoner had purchased tho watch, and he replied "in Melbourne, and that he had a receipt for it, but had lost same." Witness then informed prisoner that he was a member of the police-force, and that he would arrest him on suspicion of having stolen the watch. On the way to the Camp the prisoner said " that he got the watch ftom a barmaid at the Tramway Hotel, Ross." When witness got to the station-house, he went inside to see one of the sergeants, and the prisoner bolted, but was re-captured. The watch produced was found by witness m the person of the prisoner. By prisoner — He was certain that he had told him that he was a member of the police-force when he first asked him about the watch. Inspector Broham applied that the prisoner might be remanded for eight days. Remanded accordingly.