POLICE COURT.

Auckland Star, Volume XL, Issue 160, 7 July 1909, Page 5

POLICE COURT.

(Before Mr. C. C. Kettle, S.M.) A FORECASTLE FIGHT Joseph Yates was charged with having assaulted Edward Frael, thereby causing •bodily harm. Frael was, a fireman.and Yates a seaman on board the s.s. Hauroto. The disturbance took place on Sunday morning last, when there was some beer in the men's quarters, with which some o.f them were doing their best to make themselves drunk. Yates and Frael fought for no very good reason, as it seemed, and Frael was hurt rather badly. It was not/lelear, however, whether" he had not been to blame himself, and the Magistrate dismissed the information. ALLEGED THEFT. Sidney Lewis Jones, already on remand charged with theft of a quantity of jewellery, was further charged with having stolen a gold watch, the property of J. A. Asher. He was remanded for eight days. Two sailors from H.M.s. Challenger named Oscar Kleeverberger and Francis Stewart were charged with having stolen 37 flour bags from the Northern Roller Mills. The case was withdrawn on the understanding that the men should be dealt with on the ship. ALLEGED INDECENCY. Robert Allen McMillan was charged on remand with having committed a grossly indecent act in Karangahaperoad. He pleaded not guilty, and the case was dismissed. SUMMARY SEPARATION. Phoebe Ralston applied for a summary separation order from her husband, Alexander MeDougall Ralston, on the ground of drunkenness and failure to maintain. The order was granted as prayed, and respondent was ordered to pay maintenance at the rate of 15/ per week. MAINTENANCE. August \V. R. Boenicke, charged with having failed to provide his wife and child, with adequate maintenance, was ordered to contribute at the rate of 15/ per week.

Thomas M. English was charged with having failed to provide maintenance for his illegitimate child. An order was made for the payment of 10/ per week.

Daniel O'Sullivnn was charged with having failed to maintain his wife and child. The evidence showed that there ! had previously been a separation, though not a judicial one. The Magistrate said that he was satisfied that drink was the cause of the trouble. Further bearing of the case was adjourned for a week (Betore Messrs. T. Alexander ana J. Ziman, J's.P.) THE DRUNKARDS. A first offender was convicted and discharged, and another, who did not appear, forfeited his bail, £1. Alexander I McXaughton had a fairly long list of [ convictions, and their Worships suggest-' ed that he was very nearly an habitual j drunkard. "Oh, no, your Worships. It i is only occasionally they get me —only once in every three or four months—and 1 every time I get a glass or two of beer I get nabbed." Prisoner made other rei marks which showed that he treated bis offence a? a light matter, and the : Bench inflicted a fine of £2, in default I seven days. Thomas Martin, who conI fessed to a charge of drunkenness, was convicted and prohibited. Annie Monoghan, for drunkenness, was fined 10/, and John Rae 20/, or, in default, three days' imprisonment. THE UNDESIRABLE. William Mitchell, the undesirable im-' migrant, has turned up again. He was J i missing a few days ago, and it was supposed that he was in the country. Tile magistrate and the police were agreed j that the man ought to be left there il there was any prospect of his doing any work. This morning he was again charged with his original offence, the theft of two pairs of boots, on which he has never been sentenced. He was apprehended the day before because he was found about town loitering about shops. Hβ had been noticed going in and out behind counters, and remarked upon as a suspicious character. When arrested he had several new watches and a nmiiber of other articles in his possession. i The police wished to make enquiries, and ; asked for a remand for a week, which was granted. A VAGRANT. A fortnight ago George Gilfillan, old and feeble, "was locked up by a constable because he did not seem fit to fend for , himself. He was formally charged with j being an idle and disorderly person, I with insufficient means of support. He i has been in gaol for medical treatment I and observation since then. This morning he was again remanded to enable the police to make inquiries as to the man becoming an inmate of the Costley Home. ASHORE WITHOUT LEAVE. Harry Rummel, Richard Arnold Ferj guson, and William Thomas Barnes, three bluejackets from H.M.S. Challen- | ger, had a little too much liquor last j night, and got into collision with the police. Rummel was particularly disl orderly and also obscene, and a constable j proceeded to lock him up. This he did, 1 but only with considerable difficulty, and Ferguson and Barnes, who were with him, obstructed the constable, who arrested him. This morning Rummel was charged with having been disorderly i i while drunk, and with having used ob- | scene language in Victoria-street. FerI guson was charged with drunkenness, ■ and with having assaulted a constable I in the execution of his duty. It tranI spired also that all three had left their ship without leave. On the understanding that they would be punished on the ship for this offence, a tine oi £1 was inflicted on Rummel, and 10/ on each of ■ the other two. ILL-TREATING A HORSE. Alexander Clarke, John Larabess, Joseph Coyle, and Vincent Murbon were charged with having cruelly ill-treated a horse by working it while it was suffering from sore shoulders. The police evidence was that the case was a very bad one. Their Worships held that the only man responsible for the trouble was Lambess, who was fined 40/-, and ordered to pay costs. The informations against the other defendants were dismissed. A TROUBLESOME LODGER. Charles Schmidt is an able-bodied man who lodges with a little delicate woman. Some time ago she requested him tj leave, but Schmidt has not left, and has continued all the while to behave in an insulting and threatening manner. The woman did not care to seek the protection of the Court, because of possible scandal. Yesterday, however, accused, who was in the habit of terrifying her with a revolver, behaved, unusually badly, and *he had him arreefcod. She consented that he should be

liberated -without punishment if lie were bound, in one surety of £25 not to molest her further. Their Worships bound him over accordingly, and administered to him a severe reprimand. THEFT OF AN OVERCOAT. John McLeod pleaded guilty to the theft of an overcoat, value £2, the property of Arthur Featherstone. Featherstone gave McLeod his coat to look after for a time, and when he returned could find neither the man nor the coat. He informed the police, who discovered that the coat had been pawned or sold at a second-hand shop by McLeod. He was remanded for a week. ASSAULTING A CONSTABLE. Thomas Chappell was charged with having assaulted a police constable in the execution of his duty. Chappell is separated from his wife, and he went to his daughter's house, where his wife was living, and would not go away. She wished to be rid of him, and sent "for the assistance of a constable. Chappell objected to any interference, and assaulted the constable, though not violently, and used some abusive language. The defence was that accused had been living with his wife for the past week, and that she had promised to go with him to the King Country, but had changed her mind yesterday afternoon. It was further urged that Chappell had every right to resist interference by a constable, who had no warrant for his a-rrest, and that he acted under great provocation. The Bench held that the man was not justified in resisting the constable, and convicted the accused, and fined him £1, in default seven days' imprisonment.