POLICE COURT

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 303, 20 December 1917, Page 6

POLICE COURT

(Before Mr. Wyverri Wilson, S.M.) j DRUNKENNESS. Edward Thos. Roberts (50), who njade [his fourth recent appearance yesterday, livvas given a chance, and was caught .'drunk again an hour later, was senI tenced to a month's hard labour. INCLINED TO TAKE CHARGE. "He told mc I had no right to be out of the caretaker's room, unci that J kept the place in a very dirty state, and be caught hold of mc and threw mc into tlic room," stated an old man who was caretaker of the Customs Street public lavatory, in describing how lie was treated yesterday evening by John VV. Humphries (49), who was charged with assault. The evidence was to the effect i that Humphries was under the influence 'of drink, and treated the old caretaker ■'roughly. He was fined 20/- and 12/----costs. CARGO BROACHING. Four ship's quartermasters—Christopher Jones (25), Leith Clow (22), Denis O'Brien (22), and .Daniel Herbert Henderson (22) —admitted that yesterday ; morning they stole two cases of whisky, ; valued at f7 10/-, from the cargo of their I ship; Detective-sergeant Hammond stated . that Clow and O'Brien, at about 1 a.m. : yesterday, entered a hold of the ship and I broke open two cases of whisky and took j.a dozen bottles of whisky, which', they jtook to their room and shared with the other two men. When the Customs officers made their usual search yesterday they discovered some of the bottles of whisky in the men's quarters, while others of the bottles had been thrown overboard to avoid detection. The pien had hitherto borne excellent reputations on the ship, and were not addicted, to drinkMr. A. Moody, for the accused, stressed the facts that the men were of good character, and that their services were necessary to the ship. His Worship remarked that it was only out of consideration for the ship that the men were not sent to gaol. Clow and O'Brien would be fined £5 apiece and the other two £2 each, while each man would have to pay 37/6, value of the whisky taken. A FAST LIFE. Horace Charles Harman, a youth of 18 years, admitted that in August be deserted a ship in Wellington, and that n fortnight ago he stole £4 and jewellery to the value of £15 from a boardinghouso in which he was staying in Auckland. Detective-sergeant Hammond stated that Harman ran away from a. ship in which he came from England as pantry boy. He got work in various places round hotels and racing stables, and eventually got to Auckland. When here he stole the money and jewellery from the bedroom of his' landlady, an invalid, and shifted lodgings. Part of the jewellery he pledged with a pawnbroker for 20/-, and he said he threw the rest into the harbour, while he added that he had posted the £5 to another lad in Wellington. No corroboration of the statement about the £5 could be obtained, and the police were sceptical of the accused's story. He bad been leading a fast life. Hie Worship remarked that the theft was a mean one, and he did not believe accused's story of what he did with the proceeds. Accused would be sentenced to fourteen days' hard labour. A RESURRECTED POSTAL NOTE. John' Boag (24), charged that he stole three postal notes, valued at 15/6, the property of the International Harvester Co.,- stated that ho had stolen a postal note - for 10/-, but had not taken two smaller notes for 5/6. His explanation was that he picked the note up just outside the office door in the showroom of the company, where ho was employed ac Etoreman, and as nobody 'claimed* it he kept it for a day or two and cashed it. He cashed it with a tobacconist, and on being asked to endorse it he signed the name "R. Johnson" on the back of it. The matter became known to the firm, as a customer had posted three postal notes for 15/0 in an envelope, and the letter didn't come to the cashier at the office The 10/- note was resurrected by the Post Office Department, and found to have the wrong name on it. Boag -was sometimes employed in the office. He persisted in his explanation, saying he didn't see the smaller postal notes, and thought that as he had picked up the note and nobody asked about it he was entitled to keep it. Hie Worship remarked that the signing of the wrong name discredited Boat's explanation. Aβ he had a good character and was due to go into military camp as a Second Division man in April, he would be convicted and ordered to come up for sentence when called on, and to repay the 15/6.