CHRISTCHURCH.

Press, Volume V, Issue 559, 15 August 1864, Page 2

CHRISTCHURCH.

BESiDßirr magistrate's court. August 13, 1864. [Before C. C. Botvbx, Esq., R.M.] Joseph Priestney, a person of most unprepossessing appearance, was brought up charged with stealing a '' tent, a revolver, a jumper, and a shirt, the property of R. Srairl, from the stable at Leith's Hotel, at the . Kowai. The prisoner was possessed of a revolver loaded in every clumber with ball, atid capped ready 1 for action ; also a large horse-pistol, loaded with ball and capped ; and a smaller pistol, also loaded and ; capped. lie had also a box of cartridges and a box , of caps. The prisoner was undefended, and the first witness ; called was Wm. Henry Bickle, who stated as follows : Tarn a Sergeant of Police, at Rangiora. From information T received on the ninth day of August instant, from "Mr. Leitli. of the Leithfield Hotel, that a robherv had '"""•• °" unitted at his stable,! went there, and got a u.vviption of the property stolen. Fiwfjyßfaiimiitim on tjioJOth initaut^T ItCIgKOI ma.ii.. | . (I I Hotel, Papanui, I saw prisoner sitting ixi tne bar. sin a found that lie had a swag lying in tho stable. I told prisoner who I wm, and requested permission to search Ik swag Ilfi lflt lllfl 9flftPoll tllO BWl£. §01110 Of the articles in the swag tallied with the description T had got of the stolen property. As I wished for further evidence before taking him into custody, T followed bira towards Christchurch.. From information I received from the landlord of the hotel, ■I II » » T to the l>=.ck of the hotel, arid found the loaded rovol.er now proQuccrt* ljin£ t/c«n bto iww hoards at the bacfc of the stables. After that the Prisono* M the hotel find proceeded towards (Mir church. The revolver tallied exactly with the description oi" the one alleged" to hare" been stolen I followed prisoner, and a littlo way from the hotel he threw the swag off his back, and sat down on the road side until I came up to He then got under the fence alongside the road, by a haystack. I told him I arrested him on suspicion of stealing the articles from the Leithfield Hotel, and that I would take him into custody. He said I would be a better man than he was if! did. I dismounted. Prisoner then put his hand up his back, and pulled out a horse-pistol similar to the one now produced. He cocked it and presented it at mc, saying he would put a ball through my head if I came near him. I called on a man who was passing, named Barker, to assist mc. Prisoner then made off through the paddocks on the Papanui side of the road. We pursued him nntil he got under a gorse fence, where we lost sight of him. Assistance then came up from the Papanui Hotel to search for him. Prisoner after that was handed over to my custody at the Papanui Hotel, by Mr. William Meddings, who found him in a flax bush. The jumper, undershirt, and tent which I now produce answer the description I received at Leithfield of the stolen goods. After the prisoner -was taken, T had the large horse-pistol and the small pistol, which I produce, handed over to mc as having been found in the flax bush where prisoner was lying. By the Prisone;*: I gave the revolver produced to Barker, and followed you through two paddocks before you disappeared in the gorge fence. The" next witness called was William Meddings. junior, who deposed as follows : From information I received yesterday, the 12th August, I went in search of prisoner. I found him lying in a swamp, across the fields near Papanui. When I saw him I cocked my gun, and called Barker to my assistance -, we then seized prisoner. I made him put up his hands, and searched him. I took him away to the Papanui Hotel, and kept him there until last witness came. I then handed prisoner over to last witness. I This was all the evidence produced. The Inspector lof Police asked for a remand for eight days, in order to produce the owner of the property stolen, and other witnesses. The Resident Magistrate remanded the prisoner accordingly to.the 20th August, at eleven a.m. John Dunn was next brought up, charged with stealing a wheelbarrow, the property of Charles Martin, of Christchurch, and valued at £2. Charles Martin was called, and deposed that on the 12th August, about seven o'clock p.m, a little girl named Woolhouse, who lived next him, came into his house and told him she had seen a man hurl a wheelbarrow away from his premises. He went out, and with the aid of a lantern, tracked the wheelbarrow to the prisoner's door. He then sent the girl for a constable, and he (witness) remained and watched the house, which was shut up, and apparently no one inside. The constable came shortly after, and remained on guard at the house, while he (witness) went for another constable. On coming back to the house with another constable, he still found no one in the house, so ho went away and left the constable , in charge. About eleven o'clock the same evening, he was awoke by two constables coming to his door. He got up, and saw the constables with the prisoner in charge, and the wheelbarrow. He identified the wheelbarrow as his, and the prisoner was taken to the ! lock-up. He made the wheelbarrow himself, and he could swear to it; the value of it was £2. Constable Sutherland was next called. He took charge of tho prisoner's house from the time last , witness sent for him until the time prisoner came ■ home, which was about 11 o'clock p.m. Prisoner said to him, before he spoke, " You have given mc a start, I suppose you have come about the , wheelbarrow. I bought it from a man who was shifting up the Papanui road to-day, and I don't know Ills name. I thought there might be something about it as I was taking it home, as I did not know the man's name ; it is in the house now." Witness then took him to the lock-up. Sergeant-Major Buckley was next called and examined. He went with prisoner from the lock-up to his house. Prisoner unlocked the door, and he fol lowed. In the house he found the wheelbarrow now in court. Witness then took prisoner and the wheelbarrow to Martin's, who identified it as his property. The little girl -was brought in to be examined, but not bein<_ able to understand the nature of an oath, she could not be sworn. This was all the evidence. The Resident Magistrate then explained to prisoner how the law stood with reference to his case : if he chose, after hearing the evidence, voluntarily to confess the offence, he (the Resident Magistrate) had power to deal summarily with the case; if he did not, tVen he must commit him for trial at the Supreme Cf>urt. The evidence having been read over, and the usual csution administered, the prisoner said he denied the charge. He had no witness to produce. Prisoner was then committed for trial at tho SuI reme Court in September next. The Court then adjourned.