POLICE COURT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 98, 24 April 1908, Page 2

POLICE COURT.

(Before Mr. R. W. Dyer, S.M.)

EXPENSIVE GRAPES.

Elizabeth Anderson, small and elderly but decidedly brisk of address, pleaded not guilty through Mr. Brewer to a charge of stealing on Thursday last a box of grapes from the auction mart of Arthur loom an.

The -woman bought one box of grapes, said Mr. Tooman, emptied them into a bag carried by a small boy accompanying her, and after paying for them, picked up a second box, with which she was walking off when accosted. Afterwards she expressed sorrow for having done such a thing; it was the first time in all her life, and as her daughter had been a customer of his she asked him to let her go, promsising to pay whatever he demanded for the second box of grapes.

When Mrs. Anderson was requested to explain the irreconcilableness of this admission with her plea in Court, she declared that it was a misunderstanding, and that anything she might have said in the mart was the result of flurry. She did not steal the grapes. Her grandeon emptied the grapes into a bag, and when she returned from the office she picked up another box, not knowing but what the boy may have turned the grapes out of the bag into a box again. No, she did not look into the biig to see, nor did she notice anything peculiar about tho bag slung across the boy's shoulder, or anything suggesting that 10/- worth of grapes might be concealed in it, and, anyway, the boy waa behind her and she didn't look.

This story was faithfully reproduced by her daughter's son, a little fellow of a dozen years, whose anxious and tearful face shared its regard between the magistrate and his grandmother. "She didn't know I had the grapes in the bag," lie said, in grave inconsciousness of any incongruity between the assertion and the palpable. "I am quite satisfied that you took the. grapes, and put the boy up to say what he said," commented his Worship, who went on to say that it was a cruel thing to tell a little chap like him not to speak the truth. She evidently admitted the truth at the time she. was first accused of the theft, but had since had time to concoct a story. She would be convicted and fined £5 and costs, in default one month's imprisonment. At her counsel's request she was given till noon to-morrow to find the money. OWE BAY OFF THE ISLAND. Andrew Nsilson was down for his third lapse in the sis months for habitual drunkenness, and for stealing a silverplated teapot. He admitted he coidd not leave the drink alono, but denied any knowledge of the alleged incident in connection with the teapot. He conceded, however, that when he was in his cups he lost his memory entirely. According to the evidence brought forward by Sub-Inspector Gordon, Xeilson annexed the teapot and disposed of it to a. second-hand dealer, subsequently being arresting for inebnacy. A computation of his sundry appear- ; ances for undue libations disclosed the ! fact that Neilson had escaped by one bare day the four necessary convictions in nine months to equip him for the \ Island. So his Worship decided to fine him £1 or seven days' for the lapse, dismiss the habitual charge, and send him to gaol for a month on the theft count, sentences to be concurrent. In addition to which the ban of prohibition was J issued for 12 months. REMANDED. Samuel Robinson, a thick-set individual of considerable avoirdupois, appeared under accusation of having on Tuesday last assaulted Emma Rosina Smallwood, to the extent of throwing her downstairs and causing consequent actual bodily harm to her in the shape of a broken ankle.' Sub-inspector Gordon asked for an eight days' remand, Mr. Singer making no objection. Bail was allowed in a surety of £50. INEBRIATE. Henry Wrigg and Thomas Maher were each convicted for their second offence, the former aleo for breaking his prohibition order. Wrigg was fined 10/- or 48 hours for the lapse, and £2, default a month, for the breach, sentences concurrent. Maher was convicted, prohibited for twelve months, and discharged. Hiram Nixon shamefacedly pleaded guilty to the whole count, including a fourth lapse, order breaking, and.habitual intemperance. He was despatched to the island for twelve months for habitual tippling, and ordered to come up for sentence on the other charges. COSTLY LAKKING. John George Stone supposed he'd bad a drink or two when he kicked over the bill-poster's bucket of paste. It was only done for a lark, he advanced in extenuation, but Mr. Gordon put it down as a piece of unprovoked larrikinism. "A stupid sort of lark, at all events," j opined Mr. Dyer, as he fined Stone £1 j and 117- costs. UP FOB, SENTENCE. In October last Maud Hartnell was convicted of living an irregular life, and was given a chance of reform by an order to come up for sentence when called upon, with a caution that if she were j found on a fishing boat again, to gaol ! she would assuredly go. This morning 1 the lady entered under escort for the deferred sentence, the police contending that the conditions of her liberty had I been sadly, neglected. Inspector Benj nett, of the Fisheries, felt very positive he saw her on a fishing boat down off Waiheke last month, while Sergt. Ramsay and Detective Mcilahon had other and more recent incidents in mind. According to their testimony, Maud was found lying in the hold of a iiahing boat last Sunday afternoon when they sought her. She was alone, attired in the scantiest raiment, and unclean to a. decidedly unpleasant degreej while in the distance the crew o£ the craft tugged excitedly at the dingey oars in a ireazy to escape a contretemps. "The woman was pretty drunk, ,, remarked the sergeant, '"and when I told her to dress herself and come along, she threatened to split my skull with a tomahawk if I didn't grow scarce. So Detective McMahon had a try at persuasion. At last she quietened down a bit and consented to dress herself."

The woman objected that she was not afforded sufficient time for her toilet preparations, but was told she could do up her back hair in the cab. Sergt. Earnsay, however, declared she had 25 minutes to make herself presentable, evidently an outside limit of reasonableness for toilet purposes, in the' sergeant's estimation.

After the hearing of further police evidence respecting her alleged disreputable habits, Mr. Hackett advanced some arguments in support of the contention that she had kept strictly to the letter of her release since last October. She admitted that a fisherman najned Winter supported her, but as the two regarded, one another as man $nd wile in a free

interpretation of the term, there was nothing in that. Winter; earned about £60 a month at bis occupation, and -was therefore well able to seiui Hown the £10 ■worth of stores, etc., per ffionth to jFlat Island, where the accused woman had lived with his married sister, a Mrs. Reid, doing the washing for Winter and his crew, digging in the garden, and carryling firewood for the Reid household. The Island in question is in the vicinity of Port Fitzroy, Great Barrier, and the only occasions Hartnell left its sanctity was once a month when she pulled across to meet the steamer and get the stores dispatched by Winter for the support of Flat Island's inhabitants. The fishing craft itself visited the island now and again, and on these occasions Winter and the woman under arrest met as man and wife, a supply of clean linen was taken aboard, and she sailed away again for another venture, while Maud busied :herself in her lord's absence with the washing, and assisted in the household business of his relatives.

Put in the box, she herself corroborated this story, and explained the meaning of her appearance in Auckland again after her six months' absence. She had of late been suffering terrible with her teeth ,and at last Winter attempted to relieve her of the gnawing agony. Tlie method apparently was unscientific and primitive, for, obtaining a pair of "nippers," he searched about among her dentals for the offcndfng tooth, and, having fixed upon it, gave a fisherman's haul, and out came the tooth, a three-fanged monster, explained Maud, but, alack! out also camp a portion of her jawbone. This parlous mischance but increased her sufl'ering, and so finally they decided that the only thing for it vjas for her to come up to Auckland and see a dentist. She came, arirving by the Aupouri last Thursday, and when found on the fishing boat, was merely there looking for Winter, so that he might be acquainted of her whereabouts.

His Worship, after listening to both sides, concluded that Hartnell, by being found in the condition sworn to on the fishing boat last Sunday, had incurred the three months' imprisonment he had previously promised hr-r if she were found returning to her former disreputable mode of life.