POLICE COURT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 102, 29 April 1908, Page 5

POLICE COURT.

(Before Mr. C. C, Kettle, S.M.)" - | '/"";.;' THREE MOIfTHS. ." ..j The young married man,. George Mail-' rice Curson, who yielded to the oppbr- j tunity to make money ■by obtaining I goods from business people ostensibly.; on approbation, for the purpose of selecting a suitable gift for presentation to - a fellow employee, and afterwards setting about to convert them into cash per the pledging method, came lip :on remand for sentence. Curson was also charged with collecting money and fail-, ing to account for ft, and the report of the probation officer -was unsatisfactory. - ._. His Worship accordingly decided to sentence Curson to three months' imprisonment on each charge against him, the terms to be concurrent. AN ILLEGAL ADVANCE;'.' When Curson obtained from Mr. Geo. Edv. Reid a quantity .of jewellery,. he proceeded with a part of it to the second hand establishment of Donald McPherson, who advanced him a - consideration in cash in exchange for the pledge. As McPherson does -not happen to hold a pawnbroker's license, this transaction constituted an offence for him. He pleaded guilty and was fined £2 and costs.' '' • . - • THE FINGER-OE FATE. Lincoln Twiner lives at home with his mother, and Joseph Austin, an engineer on the Wanaka, boards at the same I house when he is ashore, and usually leaves so much of his luggage there as is not required for his sea-kit. But ! last time he went to sea he also left in one of his pockets' £10 worth of gold watch and chain, and when he 'returned the jewellery was a minus' quantity so far as concerned.its lawful owner. Bethinking him oi-ways and means to re-cover.-his lost property, Austin repaired' to the dealer from-whom he purchased the watch, and inquired of bun its number. "Certainly I can supply that little matter of information," remarked the dealer, producing the identical watch itself "to" the astonished-gaze of dts owner.' That settled the business for young Twiner, who this morning pleaded guilty to Chief-detective Marsa'ck's count against him, and is how awaiting the probation officer's report. (Before Messrs. A. Clements and J. Zi- ' ■ man, J's.P.) • . . DEAF BUT LUCKY.. Thomas' Howell's passage of the railway line near Mt Eden Gaol crossing the other day apparently came ..near being the last performance of Howell in this insignificant planet. He drives a cart, but he is somewhat deaf, and his attention, moreover, as he approached the crossing,, was directed to. the gambols of some children, whose careless disregard of Howell's approaching cart ex-, ercised his concern considerably, and stirred his caution in proportion respecting their. possible . .manoeuvres. . But meanwhile, the Avondale train was on the rails, and the driver "blew a. blast. Then; perceiving, that Howell's attention was irresponsive to the locomotive's warning, he blew another .and a shriller blast, but all in vain; the horse and' cart jogged on its hitherto uninterrupted way, and Howell watched carefully, those, irresponsible a.nd -frisky, children. Then the Westinghouse brake was applied mightily, the wheels scrinched and-spit-ted fire, in protest, passengers thrust startled ijpces into the surrounding atmosphere, and all aboard that train were agog with a lively anticipation of things about to happen, but Howell drove serenely on. Serious consequences are not to be related respecting the collision, for a Westinghouse brake works marvellous stoppages when promptly "applied, but in the bump that occurred the engine appears tp have suffered actual reverse, its tool box and other members being bruised and battered, while. Howell and his dependencies escaped well-nigh scathless. ' """ ' . He explained his anxiety about those children, and consequent eoneentration of attention of' his faculties to the neglect of'any possible approaching engine, and was accordingly fined 10/- and costs.; A JUSTIFICATION. , A slack-looking,' round-shouldered individual named Francis Webb, explained, when -accused of being an idle and disorderly person, that he was only a Te-< cent arrival from the old country, and was now friendless, homeless,'and destitute in a strange land. That was why he had resorted to making his couches among the haunts of the waterside, in what shed might be ■ available, ory failing a roof, in anyhow whatever the Fates* disposed. During-the.day :he existed miserably, and in the evenings he lurked about in the shadows, knowing not where his bed might be until he found it. -. • , ■;■ '-". For a young man to advance such a plea as friendless destitution. to excuse the loafing, spineless existence he was leading was untenable in a country like this, was the comment of the Bench in sentencing Webb to two months' imprisonment./ DISTASTEFUL SEPARATION. Joseph Hollis so disliked the order of separation made against him by the Court yesterday that, before going to the home of his wife for his hits of things he fortified his indignant and outraged susceptibilities, and- then he arrived. What happened in the. separated household subsequent to Hollis' arrival history does not definitely recount, but the meet-1 ing between husband and wife was so full of wordy incident and otherwise bel haviour by the husband, that the intervention of the police was requisitioned, and this morning he appeared under the charge of being disorderly while drunk. He objected to the Court in toto. How could he get drunk anyway on the capital he had in bis possession—one sidling?" querier Hpiiis with some scorn. "Many" a man getsdrunk without a shil-" ling," opined the Bench in convicting and ordering him to come up for sentence when it might be deemed necessary. And the separated one was warned that before he repairs to bis quondam rooftree again for those personal effects he must seek the escort of ah officer as an encouragement for a sooth demeanour on his ojvn part. '..'■'. INEBRIATE. . Joseph Smith and Annie Sergeant were each fined 10/ for their second offence, the lady being also prohibited!. Por being found on licensed premises during the currency of his order, Edward Bosworth was convicted and discharged. . B T-LAWS. ..'". For riding hi_ bicycle on the footpath Ben Feeley was fined 5/ and costs; a similar- fate befalling Sydney Groom for allowing a horse to wander; and John Patterson for driving unduly fast round a corner: .. • ~ Ann Abbott pleaded hard and. eloquently; that, the sweets; she,spld...on

—""'■—" ' \ I S B in.t.,--w"a.-__-il_loce_--and harmless transaction, that if no one ever did worse in the way of Sabhatu. transactions. the law would be little affronted, and that the wicked and wilful performances in trading that "'some.did, whom she could):_ame,.and. in. 'fact made no ado about the.jdkclosing' "of "them, should have been .the subject of Court, prosecution before .ever. her. little .shop was. molested. The lady spoke earnestly. and long evidencing a quaint and touching ignorance of Court .procedure the while," but settling all ■• opposing arguments so entirely that for a not inconsiderable space, Bench, police prosecutor, -and allothers concerned were reduced to a state of silent bewilderment. So soon as Miss' Abbott paused for breath, however, after a prolonged • ripple -of eloquent, appeal that threatened sorely to end! all order for the day, a fine of 10/ and 13/ costwas slipped in by the Court, with an; intimation to- the lady that her lot wa3 a lenient one. Upon being persuaded that the law altereth not, she smilingly, • and cheerfully paid up and took her departure. " , . •