POLICE COURT.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 35, 10 February 1913, Page 7

POLICE COURT.

I (Before Mr E. C. Cutten, S.M.) DRUNKENNESS. An old-age pensioner, who admitted to 82 years, was convicted and discharged. A first offender, who had to undergo medical repairs to the extent of 23/6, was ordered to foot the bill. John B. Dunn said he would be done with the drink for some time to come, and was fined 10/. Edward Knox: was knocked also for 10/, while the second side-slip of Chas. Skidmore wrenched his exchequer to the extent of half a sovereign. Two first-offenders, who had spent the week-end in the meditative sequestration of the cells, were sent out again into the domain of active affairs with a mere conviction against them; while another "first" forfeited bail. The chief offending of the drunkenness of Edward Riley and Peter Mudford lay in the fact that they were forbidden to touch, taste or handle. Mudford was fined 20/, while Riley, who had done it before, had to pay 40/. SOFT GOODS AND HARD BLOWS Montague Barnett was charged that on .Saturday night he assaulted a roan at the corner of Queen and Wellesley {Streets. Barnett's statement was that there had for some time been personal bad feeling between him and the other man over trade and .private matters. He was carrying some plates, and, believing that the man had bumped him wilfuHy, he struck out blindly. Commenting that the statement given was no valid excuse for hitting a man on the public street, his Worship fined Barnett 40/ and 18/ coats. SAID HE WAS A J.F.

Arthur Short, whose tinances had fallen to fonrpence, was charged that he was an idle and disorderly person, without any lawful visible means of support. Evidence was given that for the past fortnight the iiccused had been loafing round the water-front, generally much under the influence of liquor. Ho. was several times cautioned by constaJbles to .stop drinking and get to work. \v hen one policeman spoke to him he stood on his dignity. He was a J. P. in the South Island, he said, and a brother of a wellknown Auckland boniface. and intimated that if the constable didn't know his duty better than accost decent citizens in the public street he would get him dismissed.

Jn Court Short said that he had been] a cook on the Kereru, and had landed a | fortnight a<ro from the lilsands with £13. which unlucky sum he started to live on while the boat wUs laid up. pending the passing of the cyclone season at the Islands. He admitted that a considerable part of his nourishment was taken in the liquid form. The Magistrate remarked that there was sufficient evidence to convict Short, but perhaps Bhon might concent to the issue of a prohibition order. The accused, with alacrity, seized the suggested way out. and agreed to De prohibited, whereon the order was issued, and the accmed dismissed. WANTED A PROMINENT APPOINTMENT. Robert J. Sinclair, a man of 50, who was charged that he was an idle and disorderly person, told a story of misfortime. Speaking in a peculiarly deliberate manner, he said that though he had rrot been working, he had 'been doing his best to obtain a prominent appointment, and in explanation of hismanner of speech, he added tnat he had met with an accident which resulted in his losing his speech fur ten weeks, during which time he was in the hospital. His speech. he said, was gradually returning to him, but the want of proper lingual facility had hairdk-appeU him in his search for an appointment. The Magistrate was not satisfied that the explanation covered all the peculiar points in the accused's demeanour, and remanded him for a week for mediea'l treatment and observation.

A TRAIL OF BED PAINT. Detective Seatt'ts observations respecting a trail of red paint across Mt. Fxlen Road formed the basic of a charge againet Richard Sheppard Rove that he Htole 10/ worth of paint belonging to E. J. Bennett ou January 21. Bennett, who was painting a liouso at the corner of Ruatangata Iload and Mt. Eden Road, on the evening of Monday, January '20, lacked his paint ami materials away in a room under the houee, and "planted"' the key under some lead outside the house. Next morning he found the room locked, and the key apparently as lie had left it, but about a gallon and a half of red paint had gone out of a slock ho had mixed and put in a fivegallon drum. Ateo, there was a trail of red paint leading from the door of Ihe storeroom across fh<* road towards the house occupied by Ko\v<\ Detective Scot.t wan called in later to make inquiries, and ho fallowed the trail right into KoweVi backyard. Another circumstanro was that Rowe was painting a etahle near at hand, which he finished off on the day tltat Bennett's paint was mi.«ed. Though the stable was painter! red all nvnr, the particular part finished that day w.ie of a much lighter shade than the ro.st of the job, and of the same shade as was the paint misped by Bennett. Further, the amount of paint that would be required for that finishing bit wa.s estimated at about a gallon ami =. half. llowe's statement, put for him by Mr. M. Mahoirey, was, Uiat on the morning of January 21 he had carried some red paint fromi his house across the road to t-hc stable, and in consequence of hurrying to get out of the way of a train had spilt it, leaving a trail across the road. When he got across the road, he put his pots down in a certain spot, and wiped the one that had spilt, and afterwards proceeded to the stable. He did not agree with the detective that there wae no mark left on the place where he rested the pot that had spilt, and maintained that there wa« a mark, lie could not explain how a trail of showed from the place where Berme-tt's paint was to the road where he had left a trail, but he denied having taken Bennett's paint. The lighter shade of the colour last put on the stable wae explained by hie not being an expert mixer, as he wasn't a painter to trade-

The Magistrate held that circumstances were against Rowe. and fined him £.5, and costs. MISCELLANEOUS. For driving a motor-car on the footpath of the Great North Road at Avondale. Gordon H odder was lined 20/ and 14/ Charles Levy and Albert Lees, for cycling on a footpath at Avondale. had to pay each a tine of 5/ and 7/ costs. George Hantler, -who had taken his ta..-ri at the hill up Khyber Pass Road at something like 40 miles an hour, was brought up 'by Newmarket's speed by-law, the result 'being a fine of 20/ and" 12/ coste. After a week's sojourn in the cell's. John W. Wells was sent out again into the world under the protective escort of a prohibition order, and dismissed of a charge of vagrancy.