POLICE COURT.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 109, 7 May 1912, Page 8

POLICE COURT.

("Before Mr. E. C. Cut ten, 8.M.). ADVENTURES OF AN OVERCOAI At race time last month a visitor from the country had his overcoat stolen from his room in the Waitomata Hotel and complained to the police. Yesterdaj evening Detectives Holds and Kcane saw a man named John Watt with a coat resembling the stolen one. and watched him sell it for 9/0 to another man. They accosted him, and he denied that he had seen the coat or sold it to the othet man. He was arrested, and this morn ing he pleaded guilty to stealing the coat (valued at £3), but said that he did not get it in the "Waitemat.a Hotel. He is a seaman on the s.s. Taiune, and said that he got the coat in the ropelocker of the ship yesterday when he was cleaning it out. He had no idea whose coat it was, and lie had no intention of selling it when he went ashore. Nothing further was known against the man, and he was convicted and fined £2, and ordered to repay the 0/d, or in default, fourteen days' imprisonment. ADULTERATED BAKING POWDER. Charged- with selling baking powder which was adulterated, without making known to the purchaser the nature of the adulteration, William Hooker, a merchant, explained that the powder was a cheap powder, locally manufactured, a stock of which he had taken on a sell-or-return basis. On the tins was printed an intimation that the powder contained nothing injurious to health. He sold a few tins, but the article did not take, and was not pushed, with the result that the stock was on the shelves for twelve months before a health inspector took the sample which resulted in the present charge. The powder had since been returned to the manufacturer. His Worship admitted sympathy with the defendant, who had taken the notice on the tin' as a guarantee, but the only clear defence in such an action was evidence of the careful inquiries made as to the composition of the article, or the pr6duction of a written guarantee from the person who supplied the article. Defendant would be convicted and fined land 17 6 costs. A BARMAN'S RESPONSIBILITY. Supplying a prohibited person with liquor was charged against W. 11. Gaw ami Isaiah Fellows, respectively licensee and barman of the Kiting Sun Hotel. The accused, who were represented by Mr. Feed, admitted that drink was given to a man named John Jos. O'Donovan by Fellows. When seen by a constable about the matter. Fellows stated that O'Donovan had previously been pointed out as a prohibited person, and that when he accosted the man he said that his name was Donovan, not O'Donovan, and that he was not prohibited. The licensee was not present at the time. After hearing the evidence, his Worship stated that the case was not one for the conviction of the licensee, against whom the charge would be dismissed. He would consider the matter of whether the barman had taken sufficient steps to discover whether or not the. man was prohibited, and state his decision later. JTJST A VAGRANT. Alfred Miners, an able-bodied man of 43, spent last night dodging from door way to doorway in Queen-street, endeavouring to snatch sundry naps. Eventually at three a.m. a constable decided to" lock the man up, and he appeared this morning charged with vagrancy. Tt was stated that the man had been in town about • week, that he had done no work, slept out wherever he could get a cosy corner, and had no means. His one virtue appeared to be that he did not drink. Accused had nothing to say for himself, but in answer to questions, vouchsafed the information that he had come five days ago from Frankton Junction, where he had done some temporary work at concreting. He was sent to gaol for three months, with hard labour. MAINTENANCE. For disobeying an order to pay for the support of his illegitimate child, William Chaplin was sentenced to a month's hard labour, the warrant to be suspended so long as he pays 10/ a week off the arrears. David J. Everitt was allowed a week in which to pay up arrears on his order for the support of his sister, in default of which he .goes to gaol for seven days. John W. "i oung was ordered to contribute 5/ a week towards trio support of his son at the \\ creroa training farm. MISCELLANEOUS. £"2 and costs was the penalty James A. McDonald, Joseph Cotter and Daniel South had each to pay for breaches or their prohibition orders. Michael Lane, charged with yesterday, at Hamilton, inciting a prisoner to resist arrest, was remanded on bail, to appear at Hamilton. For drunkenness a first offender was fined 5/. and Mary Whittingham was prohibited and discharged. Robert Watt (45 years), on a charge of incest, was remanded till Friday. Archibald Webster, charged with assaulting F. H. Lyndon at Parnell on Saturday, was remanded till Friday. For allowing two horses to wander at Northeote, Eric Jordon, jun., was fined 10/, and 7/ costs.

Mr. Percy Ambury, a member of the Baptist Tabernacle, who leaves for Dunedin this week for a term of study, prior to going to the mission field in Bengal. will be accorded a farewell at the Tabor nacle Social Hall on Wednesday evening.