R.M. COURT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3362, 16 November 1889, Page 2

R.M. COURT.

EKJSTAIIUNA—FRIDAY. (Before Colonel Eobtrls, 8.M.) AIIUHIYK LAXOUACK. Walter Hodges v. Richard A, Butcher. This was n case brought by W. Hodges, saddler of Ekctahuna, against Mr R. A Butcher, late proprietor ol tlio Eketalnma and Pahiatua Mail, for using abusive language, the information stating that on the 23rd October the defendant made use of insulting terras to plaintiff, saying " You crawlor, ain't you ashamed to show yourself. Defendant pleaded not guilty to words set forth in the information, Walter Hodges sworn, deposed that on the afternoon of October 23rd, between three and four in the afternoon, he was passing the Ekotahuna Hotel, heard defendant say " there goes that crawling hound." Went towards the billiard-room to' sec Mr D'Arcy, but he not being there returned to enquiro of Mr Parsons if ihe knew whore he (D'Arcy) was. Defendant was standing in the passage with a glass of what appeared to bo beer in his hand, Mr P, Thompson was with him. Defendant partly obstructed him, saying at the same time "Are you not ashamed to be seen crawling about." Asked defendant whether he had ever crawled to him, Defendant replied no, but you write scurrilous paragraphs about me. Mr Butcher; Arc yon the Daily correspondent, Mr Hodges: I decline to answer,

Mr Bulciier asked his Worship to instruct plaintiff to answer the question,

His Worship asked what bearing it had on the matter.

Mr Butcher explained that certain scurrilous particulars had appeared in the Daily.ih consequence of which ho had been dismissed by his employers. Mr Butcher to plaintiff: Did you write this par under the Eketaliuna correspondent column, about" Butcher's Blade," Plaintiff: I decline lo answer,

Mr Butcher: You say you saw mo with boor in my hand, and also ll]c worse for liquor, Mr Hodges; I said I thought so.

Defendant, to Bench; Can I ask witness questions bearing on his past career your Worsliij, which may tend to show his unreliability, Colonel Roberts said he did not think it would be proper or necessary iu the present case.

Mr Butcher, to plaintiff; Did you not say that if you caught me out at night you would do for me ? Mr Hodges: No recollection of it. Mr Butcher: Will you swear that when you came into the hotel I did not say" You are a pretty (eUp, Mr Hodges: No, Mr Butcher: You, or your wile adopted a child, I believe. His Worship: What has that to do with the case ?

Mr Butcher; I wish to show him

to be an improper person to kve control of a child, and unless I can ask him about his past careor I'vo no more questions to put. Mr Hodges called Thomas Parsons hotelkeeper. Mr Hodges: You were standing in the passage on the day in question . Mr Parsons: Yes, the day Mr Butcher spoke to you, Mr Hodges: Did you hoar Mr Butcher make use of insulting expressions ? Mr Parsons: Heard him speak. Did not hear him call you a crawler. Mr Butcher, to Mr Parsons; Can you remember the words I used to Mr Hodges'? Mr Parsons: No. Mr Butcher: Did 1 have a pint of beer in my hand ? Was I sober or not? Mr Parsons: You had a glass in your hand. Think you were sober. Mr Butcher: Did not Hodges come back with his shirt sleeves up and make threats. Mr Parsons: Heard him say "ho could take his own part. Mr Hodges then called Peter Thompson, You were standing in the bar where the words passed hetweon Butcher and I. Witness: 1 don't know exactly what was said, but heard him call you •' a crawler." He could swear to that. Mr Butcher: Was I sober. Witness: More than 1 can toll. Colonel Eoborts: Did you hear any other conversation,

Witness: No. They might have hadjwords after ho left. Butcher and I were in the passage when Hodges camo in. He left before Hodges, and went into tlie sitting room,

Constable Bocho called, stated that he was looking at the N.Z. Times in the hotel sitting room on the day in question. Butcher and Peter Thompson were at the bar. Hodges came in. Heard Butcher say" you crawler are you not ashamed to come in." Did not hear anything else said. Mr Butcher: How long were you I in the Hotel.

Witness: About 15 minutes. Mr Butcher: Did you hear Hodges say anything in return. Witness: Yes, he asked if lie owed you anything. This concluded the case. His Worship said that tho Court considered the charge proven, and inflicted a line ot 5s and Os costs. Judgment was given in the follow-ings:-H. Aulin v Jno. Brown. Same v Simon Olson. Same v Jno. O'Malloy. F, C, Tumor v Jas Cummins. In this case an order was made for payment of 15s a month, in default four days in Napier gaol. (Left Sitting.) The London Post Office. Tho Postmaster-General has just issued his thirty-fifth annual report dcscribro> tho work of the Post Offica for the year ended March 31st. With regard to the Inland Service, it is estimated that during the twelve months there has been delivered in tho United Kingdom 2,362,990,000 letters, being an increase of B'7 per cent, and uu average of u'2'77 to each person. The number of regisiored letters was 11,001,085, an increase of I' 7 per cent. Sew post offices have bjon opened in 399 places. From the latest returns it appears that about three million patterns and samples were sent in the course of the year. The number of parcels posted has increased in a satisfactory manner. Every effort has been made to meet any new demand likely to result in remunerative business. The Foreign and Colonial Parcel Post has been extended, and ut fair increase of business has resulted. The number of letters, post-curds, book-packets, newspapers, parcels, etc, received in the Unturned Letter Offices was 11,280,835, showing an increase ef 850,178 on the number for the previous year. No less than 28,330 letters were postal without any address whatever, and 1,390 of them contained cash, cheques, and bills, to the value of £8,700. About 58,000 loose postage stamps were found detached from letters, owing to the careless way in which they had been affixed. As usual, articles in great variety have been discovered in Iho undelivered correspondence and parcels. One parcel contained a human skull, the crown of which had been sawn oh"; another, thirty green tree frogs, nil alive. In n tin mould was discovered, still in good condition, a plum pudding which hid been sent to Australia three years previously, and had found its way back owing to the impossibility of tracing the lad to whom it was addressed. Specimens of the ladies' dress-improver, and packets of made up hair for ladies' licad-gcar may be swn in the museum in which these various articles find a temporary I resting-place. The composition of j some parcels at Christmas time was I peculiar. In one were two petticoats, a pair of stays, a l>g of mutton, and a packet of tobacco, In another a rabbit stuffed with two tobacco pipes, tobacco, a doll and a piece of bacon, the whole being wrapped up in a lady's jacket. In tho parcel stopped in transit as contrary to regulation was found a cat, a squirrel, pigeons, lizards, dormice, snakes, a cuckoo, musk rats, and moles, all alive, not to mention one or two other parcels, containg dead dogs and cats. During the repair of a Post Office van in use on a Cornish railway a .£5 note, in a dilapidated condition was found in one of the panels, and with tlie assistance of authorities of the bank of England, was returned to its grateful owner after a lapso of 12 years from tho date when it was committed to the post. In July, 1888, complaint was made that a registered letter, containing a 50/ Bank note, had not been received at a country village, and, after careful inquiry, no trace could be found of the missing letter or its contents. Nearly seven months alterwarJs a lady residing in tho same village happened to open one of a large number of newspapers which had been delivered at her house during a prolonged absence from home, and which were about to be destroyed unopened, and the letter dropped from between the folds of the newspaper, into which it had slipped while in the post, She at once returned it to the Post Office, and it was thus duly delivered to the addressee, A, very objectionable practice, and one likely to occasion risk and disappointment to the sender, is the growing habit of transmitting money in various articles sent by parcel post, Four were found in a mass of crashed grapes six in a packet of tobacco, and ten shillings mixed up with smashed eggs and butter, A native of India, residing in London, desired, in September, 1888, to send by parcel post to India the ashes of his cremated brother, to ho dropped into tho sacrod Ganges, but was informed that, unless he could limit the weight

of the parcel to/I II ha, the Post Office p could offer liim no facilities. No further ii|i)iliciiiion was received on the subject. In 11 private letter-box near the trout entrance of the farm of Wliitepnrk, Castle Douglus a tomtit has, for three- years built her nest. In the- years 188T mid 1888 she prosistontly pushed out the letters which wore placed in the box, and rebuilt her nest when it was removed. This

year, however, she premitted them to JLi romiiin, end successfully hatched five ™ young ones. The following curious letter, lately received from Indiana, shows, on the part of the writer, great confidence in the powers of the Department:—"Dear Sir,—l want to know it you know anything of G D—l wanted to know and his son henry ond if you know onything of him let me know, for he went in tlio war of 1812 miter pitckinghiui they man that fitched him from that country 1)362 they landed in Illinois but the last account wo had from him ho was still living 1870 Mr E—w ——said there was money for h D —at the old man's death, nndj 81. wauted now if there w,is and if nli BT let me know and if not let me for iW >•• uced the monev and oblige Mr H—D—."