POLICE COURT, HAMILTON.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1905, 20 September 1884, Page 3

POLICE COURT, HAMILTON.

Fhiiuy.— [Befuie Messis W. N. tte.uancke W. A. (ii.ih.«n, mid Ih. Beale, J.P.] Alleged Larceny of a Bug. Geohu: Jinn was ch.uged with that he did, on 01 about the Btb m->t., feloniously .steilaiug, \. lined .it 2^, the ]>i r»]>ei ty of Mi Joseph Cochia.no, fiom tin; Pie-byteiun Chinch piemKes, Hamilton Ea*t. Serjeant Mc!4o\em conducted tho pio>ecution, and tho accused, who w.is defended by Mr O'Neill, pleaded not guilty. The evidence adduced l)v the piospcution was to tin' following effect: — On Sunday evening, the 7th, Mi John Cochi me, son of the piosecutor, diove to chinch, and as theie was a little lam falling he placed the knee nig, used in the buggy, under the church. After service ho was unable to hurl it, and concluded that some Luukiiis h.ul pl.iyed him a tuck. As the ing did not turn up, the matter un<« 'placed in the hands of the police, and Constable Muuuy, fiom lnfoiin.ituiii he lecened, obtained a. wan ant to seaich the house occupied by accused in Hamilton West. Pie went to the house, and after some hesitation accused admitted having' the rug, and wiid he had picked it up on the footpath neai (4.uidin\ hotel on Monday morning. He aKo mfoimed the constable that he had told seveial people that he had found the mg, but when pressed could only name Mi-,s Coyle, who had succeeded him in the office of cook at G.mdin's Hotel. Befoie anestmg accused the constable had made unrjuuics with a. view to finding whethei Judd had told liis employer or any of the neighbour about the rug, but failed in his etioits. A witness named John McLaien, living m a cottage belonging to Mr Guudiu, near the Piesbvicrifin manse, .said that between 7 and 8 o'clock on Monday inoining he saw the accused come fiom the hotel, cross the paddock adjoining the chinch piopeity, pick up something which looked hLo ,x nig fiom near the dividing fence, and return with it to the hotel. In answer to Mr O'Neill, the police said they knew of nothing against accused's chaiacter. For the defence, Mr O'Neill .submitted >.-that there was nothing befoie the comt to Bus am the cbaige of laiceny. He admitted that accused had done wrong in not cominunicatins? with the police, but on the other hand he had not attempted to conceal the fact of his having found the rug. If the bench thought it necessary he was prepared ' to call witnesses to show that accused had no felonious intent. The Bench thought it would be well to adduce the evideuce, and Mr O'Neill called Elizabeth Coyle, who deposed that on the 2nd inst. she went to the Waikato Hotel as cook, and left on the Bth On the morning of the latter day accused came into the kitchen and laid a rug on the floor, remarking that he had found it on the footpath. The rug remained for anybody to see during the day, and was taken home by Judd in the evening. She could not recog nise the rug again. Maria Grix, a charwoman, deposed that she was employed washing for the accused's wife, on the 9th, when Judd showed her the rug, and said he had picked it up on the footpath. She washed it, and it hung on the line for anybody to see for two days. The Bench said there was not sufficient evidence to warrant a conviction, but accused, in neglecting to inform the police of his discovery, had only himself to thank for being placed in such an unpleasant position. They hoped this would be a warning. The accused was then discharged. The usual religious S( imces will be found advertised in our columns Notice of the intention of the Waikato County Council to levy a special rate in the Tamahere Riding appears in another column. Malariai,'Fever.— Malarial fevers, constipation, torpidity of the liver and kidneys, general debility, ' nervousness and neuralgic ailments yield- readily to this great disease conqueror, Hop Bitters, It repairs the ravages of disease ''by converting the food into rich blood, and it 'elves new life and vigour to the aged and infirm. *§efc, '