RESIDENT MAGISTRTE'S COURT.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 808, 21 August 1877, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGISTRTE'S COURT.

Hamilton, Saturday, August 18 Before W N Searancke, Esq., R M. CUTTING AND WuUfIDING. Ellen Lydia Waru, of W«ri,ie, Jamahere > was charged, ou reuiami, with having, on the 7ih ani 8-u instant, wouuued her huaband, Wili.a'in Waid, with a pruning knite, aud, furuiicr, with having ou the same occasion i-Lrtauiied his life with. a tomahawk. . Sergeant MuGoveru conducted Che prosecution. Prisoner, who nad ueeu in the loot up since the reinani oi the luvh mat., was undefended. John Hackott, a farming man in the employmeut of Mr P. Lesne, switeu, 1 live near the prisoner. On Che 7th aud Bbh mat. my attention was drawn to the residence of prisoner and her iiubband. 1 heard screams coining from their pmce in the evening. Wtiau I reached their front door, I saw prisoner holding her huabaud. Ward waa bleeding. Mia w ite aaid he was throwiug up blood. I took him away from her, aud helped him into nis bed. When. iu. bed, -he saw, in the presence of ' the prison «r, tuab u— — h thought to cut my mouth open with the knife. . Thare were, several cuts on his fae'ei but they seemed to have oeeu cioue previously, except oiie ou the lip. lbe cut on the lip was the oue blood was flowing ; irom." When I saw both ot them at their house on the 7th inso., they seemed to be in the horrorb. Tney had both been drinking for some tiuya previous. I heard prisoner say she .< would tomahawk and make mincemeat of him. Ward was not in a state to defend himself. Prisoner was jumping aboub in a mad frantic way. Ward was lying quiet, and made no remark to cail forth these threats. I saw a piunjDg knife in the prisoners room on the night of the 7th, but did not notice what state it wag in. To prisoner : You did inform me that Ward foil out of bed. You asked me if I could manage to get something to drink. I got something and gave it him. To the Court : I «as at Ward's house about five minutes on the mor> ing of the Bth," and then came to Hamilton for the doctor, and also for some drink. Prisoner and Ward lived by themselves. There was no one elsa there when I went to the house. I have frequently seen prisoner and her huabaud quurrelliog and fighting. They were more or 1 jes drunk ou thuse occasions. Prisoner's hnsband is gardener at. War tie. Alexander Smith, a settler residing near Hamilton, deposed : 1 went to the prisoner's house on the 4th, Sunday. Ward was drunk in bed.- Prisaner had been drinking, but was right enough to mind the house. I went, by Ward'i request, and stayed with him all day, going home at night and returning on Monday. Ward was still in bed at,d seemed very. sick. On 'luesday, 7th, prisoner' asked Ward to get up and put ou clean clothes. After Ward got up prisoner was sitting at the foot oi the bunk where Ward was lying. He drew up his two feet and kicked prisoner, calling her a " bushranging old b h and a Tasmanian w e." Prisoner lifted up the clothes and spratohed Ward's feet with her, nails At night ,i was roused up by a scufflu, an') found" W ard aud prisoner fighting. 1 Saw that his face was was scratched. I did not hear prisoner use, any threats at thut time. On Wednesday Ward had, no cuta ou ibe fac ••, only scratches. When 1 Wit on Tharuday I noticed that > is lip wlb cue. Wadseiaho had failen\»ut of butl, or must have f dien out, or words to that effeot. H« *iict not then aicute his wife of cutting him. Mo aJttr'*arUs said she must have done it with he (,ru>'Uig< ki.ifti. I th^n reuiainea to uae churge of Ward. I would not have reuiuiued if prisoner had remained also. 1 wus ordered to give Ward spirits in smarl quantities. Prisoner was suffering from the effects of drink. T9 t)w Court; Wwd )Vftß_ seupibj^

when he Mid he fell out of bed,, but not , 86 at the time hej said.hia- wife out im mouth with.be knife., Prisoner interfered with the uvog,. wanting to give W..rd ZefhaAuKiu^t was right.' I then left and wen* to Hackett s. ■ Wi Ham ' Ward, sworn, *ud i -I was gardener to Mr P Leslie, of WarJe. I can't remember ' dates, owing, to beiLg d-iink I rouieinbi-r lying on tho }be I white dWmk, and falling heavily brHbtf Joor, and Wuen twing^p r riso U). my feet nothing •E^^s^^^g thecut inthe tnouth. I remember Smith ooS to the house,- but not whether it • was before or after \1 was oat in the lip. ' "rioVremember my ; wjto using ,any • I remember falling; c^6t bed. P YoTSok the pruning-knlf^ off the of bed, when you pumped on me. rou took the pruning-kmfo ,t«o me. To the Court : The prisoner is my wife. .la<nnQt ( inarr|eawhe,r. Ih»v« Cn in the habit of getting on these drunken sprees along with prisoper. Sner has never on auch occasions previous to this attacked me with a knife • or other weapon. •* ' s'v George Foreman, Constable at Hamil- : Oa the 9^l went wxth fegeant McGovern to Wattle. I saw Ward. Hiß face was soratohed, and he had a bad cut on his lip. He said his "wi'ft did it lastniiihi with a pruning knife. .His ahirt and dlothes were covered with blood. Ward was suffering from effects of drink, and only able to walk with the helD of a stick. Everything was in confusion about the houue, and a lot of blood was about the bedroom and a basin half full. The prisoner was in the house. After hearing the charge she, went into the bedn.om and got the pruning knife. When Ward a»ked for it she look it from behind the looking-glass. Prisoner was , present when Ward said she did it with the pruning knifei ' -She was quite sober at this time. I examined the knife and another on the table with it and found no marks of Wood on then 1 ., At the conclusion of tho case Sergeant MoGovern depicted to the, Court in plain language the character of the prisoner and her husband, and staled that the latter was equally as bad as she was, and that if they were not restrained in some way he fea/ed that something serious would some day happen. The Court dismissed the case upon the more serious cuatge of cutting and wounding, but held that the , minor charge, of using threatening lapgiwge, hail been proved, and ordered prisoner to fiod i»ail to keep thepeape for six months herself in £100' and two 1 sureties of £50 eaoii. : ' : • *