POLICE COURT.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 88, 14 April 1913, Page 5

POLICE COURT.

I .(Before Messrs. L. W. Andrews, Geo. ! ' and C.; Baglejy J.P.'s.)'. "—' DRUNKENNESS. A first offender, who celebrated -his release from gaol on Saturday by having a '• couple of drinks," had been overcome l hy the unaccustomed pleasure, and he had to pay 5/ for the celebration. Three other "firsts" did not have an equal excuse, but they were fined 5/ apiece, while still another, whose plea was that he had overdone the rum cure for a cold, also had to pay the dollar penalty. Two -rats who failed to appear were fined 10/ each, and two others were remanded for a week's medical treatment. A well-known Islander, who travels under the name of Daniels, for being drunk for the fifth time within the last six months, and for acting indecently, was sentenced to a month's hard labour. ON THE WRONG BOAT. John Darroch, a seaman, was found late on Saturday' night comfortably settled down to sleep on board the ferry steamer Britannia, and was arrested as a vagrant. He explained in Court that he had been ashore drinking on Saturday afternoon, with the result that when hie thoughts and footsteps turned homeward they had to find the way without the assistance of his fuddled ibrain. The aforesaid footstepstook a .wrong turn somewhere on the journey, with the result that they carried the unfortunate seaman to the wrong boat. For the mistake, the Bench fined Darroch 10/ and costs. TAXI STAND ETIQUETTE. A charge against E. Rooke, of using insulting' language to Gordon Hodder,: and a charge against Hodder for'striking Rooke on the mouth, was stated by Inspector McGrath to be the result of ■■ a fight irTLower Queen Street between two,•taxi drivers. . Rookeprotested that the breach of the 'peace resulted from Hodder deliberately twice breaking a rule of .the. taxi.stand by- driving into a vacant space, in the line instead of going to the back of the line. Hodder contended that on the second occasion he did not-infringe the wile of the stand." The' Bench" said that, anyhow, both men-broke the peace, and they would be .fined 20/ and costs each. : AFTER-SUPPER LANGUAGE. Bruce Murray, charged -with using obcene language in Nelson Street on Sat'ur-' day night, when he wasn't sober, strenuously denied that he had used any such language. Two constables said that Murray did use the language. They psaid that they saw a crowd of young fellows along the street, arguing, and using bad language.. As they could not get wifching striking, reach of the crowd without being seen, the constables laid in wait, and when the street inquest adjourned they pounced on two men, AVliitesides and Murray, who were still debating some point, the one demanding that the'other should desist ' from argument, -while, the other was insisting on his right to argue. The constable stated that both' young fellows were emphasising their points with forbidden adjectives.-.. Slurray said that he did not use the language, and- 'had not been with the crowd -up the street. He and Whitesides had just had.supper, aftera night at Fuller's, and were passing the other "mob," when tbey were asked, "for a match, and supplied it. In return for the match, the others gave them the information that.two "Johns".were hiding down the street. He and Whiteside therefore knew-7the constables were there, and did not .use the language. The Bench considered .that Murray did use the language, and fined him £5 and costs. Against' Whitesides there-was a further charge-that he had broken -his prohibition order, and he.was remanded till to-morrow to be'dealt.-with by a magistrate. WITHOUT A TICKET. H. Denyer was charged that/, he travelled in..the railway train -fr<Bu New Lynn, and attempted to evade payment of his fare. . The .guard said that he went through the compartment in which Denyer was •travelling, and asked for .all 'tickets. Just after he got into, the next compaftmeut an inspector, who had followed on his heels, came and told him thttt a passenger in" tho previous "compartment had not paid his 'fare. The inspector said that Denyer hod offered the fare to liim iwhen he came in .to check every .ticket.' It was such *a short run between New Lynn and Avondale that it was. very, ■hard for the guards, who 'could scarcely ; get through the train between the stations, to see that all travellers "had tickets. Denyer should have really got his ticket from a porter at"the/«tatioh before -getting on-the train. -There-had-been a good deal of'trouble of this "sort ■between these two stations. -Denyer. defence was that he did-not •hear the guard ask for tickets*' and. immediately, the inspector, came along "he/of-; fered. his fare—3d." He was fined 10/, and 27/6 coats. ORCHARD PESTS. ■ . Three young men—Alfred Hewson.; Richard Lawrence, and Horace Chapman —admitted that they had stolen fruit from the orchard of Sidney Brookfield at St. Helier's Bay. They had' been spending a -week-end at the seaside, and had gone into the orchard with a sugar bag, and when approached on the matter said they thought it was an abandoned orchard. Mr. Brookfield said that he .didn't desire any conviction recorded against the young fellows, but he had prosecuted to give the matter publicity. His orchard was regularly raided by weekenders and picnickers, and though the trees, bore fruit prolifically, it very nearly all went for the benefit of the 1 raiding public. Last; year his wife had come across'several people in the orchard with bags. The orchard .was fenced and private, and had none of the signs of being an abandoned orchard. The charge was dismissed, each of "the lads having. to pay a third of the cost's. MISCELXANEOUS. Herbert Diamond, for .driving round the Queen and .Customs. Streets corner on the -wrong side, vras fined . 10/, and 7/ costs. William John Norwood, charged wi'»h having left, his wife at Sydney without providing her with adequate means of maintenance, was remanded to appear at Sydney.