RESIDENT MAGISTRATES' COURT, HAMILTON. Wednesday.- (Before Mr H. W. Northcroft, R.M.)

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1856, 29 May 1884, Page 3

RESIDENT MAGISTRATES' COURT, HAMILTON. Wednesday.- (Before Mr H. W. Northcroft, R.M.)

gk LAKCENY. iIpiLLiAM Watsox, a youth of 18, was peharged with stealing an overcoat valued |. at £2, the property of E. J. French, on I Or about the 6th of April, from the Comf tnercial Hotel. Prisoner pleaded not | guilty. >' Sergt. McGovern called - E. JT. French, traveller for Mr A. H. who deposed tint he remem■bered being iv Waikato about the 6th [TApril, He lost a tweed overcoat. May !i have lost it between Ohaupo and Hamilj ton ; might have hung it up at the hotel. Missed it next morning, and advertised | for it in The Waikato Times, and also ' made enquiries, but did not rupoit the matter to the police until the 22nd inst - Saw the coat with the police at Cam- " bridge on Monday last. Did not remem- | ber having seeii accused befoie. '« E. L. Hope knew accused who • was in Hally's employment some time ago. Noticed that he had|an overcoat ' about the beginning of May. Could not 1 swear to it, but it was similar to that produced. Prisoner said he had bought it at Scott and Cox's for £L 15s. Remembered the last witnehs losing a coat, but thought it was a waterproof. The loss of the" coat was gencially talked of in the hot«l. Was iv the hay-loft prior to the engagement; of Watson. There was no coat there. Win. Jerome, who described himself as " a Blondm," deposed : Knew the accused, who came to witness and aski'd him for something to do. Gave him employment and sent him to Nuaiuawahi-i. This was on the Oth inst On the following Sunday night, on going to chinch, prisoner asked witness if he wanted the loan of a coat. Witness said ye«, and prisoner handed it over to him. The coat was left with witness until Tuesday, when he went to N<jai uaw alna. Pi isoner offered to sell the coat tor :>os, and wit- . ness said he would bee how lie got on. r Intended to buy t' 10 ooafc - Knew nothing further about it tiil the policeman and saw him at Kiliikiln. Constable Brennau deposed that he arrested the acciiied on the 23id in the billiard-room ot the National Hotel, Cambtidge. He said lie found the coat in the hay loft at ILilly's, and that lie had lent it to Blondin, who was at Kilukihi Witness got the coat, which Mi French identified. This was the case for the prosecution. For the defence prisoner called Alex. Munro, who deposed that prisoner had told him he found the coat in the loft. In answer to the bunch, prisoner stoutly denied stealing the coat, which lie said he found under some hay in the loft. Thinking somebody had left it thcie ho put it in his room so that the owner could call for it. He did not think ifnecessary to inform Mr Hally of his discoveiy. Mr Northcroft said the charge was fully proved, but taking nitoj account prisoner's youth, he would let him oil with a light penalty. He would be imprisoned for one month in Mount Kden gaol, with hard labour.

ALLEGED CRUELTY TO A HOKSK. Wm. Faulkner was charged with, on the 16th of May inst., ill-using a lame mare attached to the To Aioha coach, of which he was the dnvcr. Defendant not guilty. 9 Sergt. MeGovein callrd T. U. Sandes, agent foi the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, who said his attention waadiawn to the mare. He told defendant to take her out, but he did not do this. He again saw the maie when the coach nioveJ on to the Posi Office. She was \eiy lame. He informed Constable Wild, who warned the defendant. Cross examined : The mare was lame. Defendant denied the chaigc. The k mare was the best he had. Constable Wild ga\e conobointive evidence. The mare was veiy lame. Had no doubt she was the best maie when she got warm. Did not think slie would suffer much when she was warm, but would afterwaids, when in the stable. The mare was not in a lit state to woik. She seemed chest-fouudcied. and did not think she would ever get piopei ly over it. Had had to do with hoises tor about 18 years. Defendant called J. Boon, who saw the mare. She w.is a bit still going away. Considered her fit fin harness, only. Cross-examined by SeigeantMcGovcrn : Did not see the mare when standing. Saw her on the other side of the liver. To the Court : Don't thinU she suffeied. Consider chest- foil udeied horses suffer for a time, but after a few yoara they cease to suffer. \V. Douglas, coach diivcr, deposed ■that the mare was fit to woik. The had been foundeicd, but she was not lame. Had about 10 years' expeiience. Knew many a foundeicd lioise. Did not suffer when they got on the load a bit. It was better for them to be at work. P. Cochrane, groom, deposed that tlu j marc was a bit stiff, but not lame. Attended to her for about four months, find she was just the same now as when she first came down. She had a gieat habit of pawing up the stable Did not think it cruel to drive her. She got stiff from standing in the stable. By Sergeant McGovern : The mare had not since been dihen in the Te Aroha coach. She had been taken to Cambridge. Did not know whether she had been worked since. His Worship said he would give his decision on the following ir.oining 1 . BREACH OK THE DOC. KEGLsTR-iTIOX ACT. J. T. Boon, chaiged with keeping a \ dog without a collar, was fined Is, and 7s costs.

Civil Cases. Missen v. Hanks.— Judgment for £1 2$ Bd, costs 13s. A Craw foul, v. R. George.— Mr O'Neill for plaintiff. Judgment for £7 Is, and £2 15s costs. A. Bach v. Hartncll. — Judgment for £1 10a Gl, and 18s costs. Trustees in Black's estate, v. Reynolds. — Judgment ior £4 16s 9d, and £1 2s Gd costs.

HOW THK S\VIbS BABIKh LIVK.— A writer in a Home paper says : — I fancy that an English baby, if he could express liis thoughts, would decidedly object to be placed in the small narrow box in which babies are canied in Switzerland, and would rebel against the bands of ribbons which are tightly wound round it and him. The -Swiss baby has, of course, no such refractory feelings. Probably he knows that there is a good reason for being wedged in so tightly and bound so firmly and submits without a murmur. The origin of the custom is this : in the spring of the year the inhabitants of the villages and hamlets shut up their cottages, and driving their cattle before them, ascend the mountains and live in their chalets during the summer months. They do not stay in one chalet all the time, but when the pasturage becomes poor ascend to another, and still another, changing their abodp perhaps eight or nine times in the course of the season. The scanty furniture of the different chalets remains in them from year to year, so they have but to bring the implements they require fop the making of their butter and cheese. These the I Either carries, the elder children helping i him ; the little children run by his side, Kind the mother lifts the cradle with the Tjaby in it on her head, fastens the milk- < t pail, and the family umbrella on her .'shoulder*, and, taking her knitting in . liter hand, works away industriously at a j pair of coarse worsted gaiters for Seppi, }o¥ a neckerchief for Kathi, as she Fascends the mountain. "VV hat would tho Wpdov 'mother do if she had to hoist an !Jstj,gUfJ) cradle on her head, and ascend mhe steep mountain with it ? iifthis'CommUsionfr of Crown Lands notifies fefiJit'oertain Un 4» in tho district arc open for Br«hfe»'