MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 449, 6 March 1909, Page 14

MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

.; ~.;■ POLICE CASES. (Before Mr. W. G. Riddel], S.M.) A PECULIAR ASSAULT. COMMITTED ON AN OLD MAN. . An elderly, man named John Osborne appeared on-'remahd' and pleaded guilty to a charge of having on February 27 unlawfully assaulted one.Georgo Trask. ■.Sub-Inspector Phair stated that on the morning of February 27 Trask, an old man 71 years of age, was sitting at the corner of Taranaki Street and Courtenay Place, selling papers, when accused came along and, without provocation, caught hold of Trask oy the throat and, threatened to kill him. After the 'assault/ the marks of accused's fingers, and a couple of scratches thai had brought blood, could bo seen on tho old man!s neck... As'a'.result of the assault, the old man had to receive medical attention. Accused had suffered from an attack of typhoid fever'some time ago, and the illness mado-him behave in a strange manner at times., ■ ''■•'•. His Worship entered-a conviction and fine of 405., and- costs 65., ordering half the fine to be paid to the person assaulted, to cover- medical expenses, in -default seven : days' imprisonment. ' • - 'J ' 'IMPROPER LANGUAGE. - A young man named Frederick Warr, charged with having used obscene language, pleaded not guilty. After hearing the evir • dence,' his Worship entered a conviction and fine of £3. and costs ;335.; in default fourteen/ days'- .imprisonment. Mr. Kirkcaldie appeared for accused. .' BADLYtMATCHED-COMBATANTS. • . .A young, .woman, named, Jane Frost pleaded guilty to having, at Kilbirnie, on February 22, unlawfully assaulted one Isaac Hunt. Informant, an informed the Court that .defendant picked up a stone and. hit him on the face with.it, knocking him down and spoiling his, coat. •Defendant, a young well-dressed woman, stated that informant provoked her by the language he used.' .His Worship entered a conviction and order to pay 15s. to cover tho amount of the damage done. CHEAP TRAVELLERS FINED. v. Two young men, G. Sutton and M. Mead, pleaded guilty to having on February 6 travelied on tho Government railway between Silverstreani and tho Upper Hurt without paying their fares and with intent to evade payment thereof. Sub-Inspector Phair stated that the two defendants travelled in a sheep truck between .the two stations named in the information, getting off at the Hutt without paying any fare. ; Tho railway officials demanded tho fare, but neither of the defendants had a ticket, nor did they oifer the money for one. Each defendant was convicted and ordered to pay tho fare,. ss. 6d.. and costs 11s. ■ .;'. A youth named Len Owen entered,a plea Mpf guilty to a'charge. of .-having travelled on Ithe railway, between-, the .Lower Hutt and Te iAro. -paying.ihis , fare. ■ Defendant r feas' convicted and , ordered to pay tho fare, .15..4 d., .and:costs. 9a. 1 , ; , . WANDERING STOCK. For allowing stock to wander on tho .public Streets fines were imposed as under:—Thos. Hill, 405., and cost 75.; Edward Bloonifiold, Jaraos J. Moore, and William Rice, 205., and costs 75.-; Alex. Bethel, Cecil Graham, Jas. Russell, Geo. Smith, Joseph Walker, 10s., and costs 75.; James A. Bradley, Geo. Dorno, William- Fogden, Geo. Hunt, Ben Johnson, and Richard Lowe, 55., and- costs 75.; Mary Feeloy was ordered to pay costs 7s. SHOPKEEPERS' CALICO SIGN- ■:•■ • BOARDS. Voitch and Allan, drapers, Kirkcaldie and Stains, drapers, and Robert Hannah and Co., Ltd., bootmakers, were separately charged with breaches of the city by-laws, in that they were the occupiers of premises on which calico , sign-boards wore allowed to be attached to the verandahs. The three defendants pleaded guilty. Mr. Kirkcaldie, who appeared for Hannah and Co. and Eirkcaldio and Stains, stated that the present prosecutions were the first of tho kind under the by-law of 1908, and urged that it was not unnatural that defendants should have though t that they were permitted to erect the calico signs on their verandahs, which they considered was part of the building. Defendants Kirkcaldio and Stains' did not know that tho by-law prohibited tho erection of tho signs' until they received -a notice from the City Council. They were quito prepared to take tho signs down. Counsel suggested that a conviction without a fine- would servo the .purposo of the council—which, ho took it, was to give the matter publicity as a gonoral warning. Mt. Poacock, who appeared for Veitch and Allan, remarked that it had been the practico of drapers to put up calico sign notices when sales wero on, and pa tho present was tho first case brought before the Court under the now by-law, ho .would ask the Court to take a lenient,view of tho broach. The signs in question had been prepared before defendants knewthey woro acting contrary to the byrlaw , ... ' , ' _ , A conviction and fino of ss. was entered in oach case. In tho cases of Hannah and Co. and Veitch and Allan tho costs yere fixed at £1 Bs., and in the caso of Kirkcaldio and Stains at 7s. OTHER CASES. Charles Jackson, a seaman, and one of the survivors of the Penguin wreck, pleaded not guilty to three separate charges of indecency in Dison Street.

Sub-Inspector Phair stated that accused had only boon arrested that morning, and tho police- would ask for n remand to Monday, liail was allowed in tho sum of £50, and two sureties of £25 oacli.

Threo first offenders for dninkonness were convicted and fined Gs., in default 24 hours' iniprisonmont.