MAGISTRATE'S COURT

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2974, 11 January 1917, Page 7

MAGISTRATE'S COURT

0 ■ — CONCERNING A POSTAL PACKET CHARGE AGAINST A WOMAN. Annie Elizabeth Reid, a married woman, was charged with having, by means of false pretences, caused a ' postal officer to deliver to her a posta ■ packet containing £5. The accused had, it was alleged, represented ner--1 self to be the addressee of a registered 1 letter forwarded by a Customs officer : at Lyttclton to his wifo m Wellington, ! and had secured delivery of the misI sivo. Sho had-also, it wan stated, i signed the name of the addressee on a , receipt for the letter. j The postal official who delivered the 1 letter in question said that she ueliev- ' ed the accused to he the person who ! had received it, though sho could not positively swear to this. Specimens of tlio accused's handwritI in* were placed beforo the Court by ! tho police, and expert evidence was • called to show that the signature on I the receipt abovo reform! to was in : tlie accused's hand. The case was adjourned till to-day. : CHARGE OF TWEAKING AND ENTERING. In the Magistrate's Court yesterday , a charge was preferred ngamst John • Wm Marshall, John Henry Greig, and Alexander Waters, of liavang on Dα- ' cember 2G broken and entered the- : storeroom of the New Zealandcr Hotel and stolen liquor to tho value of ho 75., the property of Frank Herbert Phillips, the licensee. Inspector Hondrey prosecuted and 1 Marshall and Greig were represented by Mr. H. F. o,'Lenry. 'Evidence given by Phillips was to tho voffoct that ho discovered that the storeroom had been broken into, and just after the discovery found Marshall and Greig in tho yard. He stepped between them and tho gate, and '. asked them to account for their presence. Marshall said, somewhat hilariously, that he had "come to clean up tho -cellar." Waters enme on tho ficeno a moment later, and one of tho other men. asked him what fight ho had to be there. There was some wrangling, which soon ceased. Witness detained the three accused, and gave them in charge. He said it was only fair to add that the men might liavo beofi on their way to tho lavatory, and might havo found the yard gate open. The throe showed signs of liquor. Cross-examined, witness said it appeared from their conduct that Waters and Marshall wero strangers to each other, lie further volunteered tho ; statement that ho had previously known tho three accused, and had uever had any reason to suspect them of wrongdoing. A signed statement made to tho polico by Greig, after his arrest, al- . leged that Jib and Marshall had gone from tho bar towards tho lavatory, and that Marshall had fallen against the ■ gate, thus opening' it. \ Mr. O'Loary submitted that there was no evidence from which any inference of guilt on tho part of the accused could bo drawn. None of the stolen property had been found in their possession, and. tho accused had come into tho yard only after the dis- | covery liad been mnde that tho storeroom had been broken into. I. His Worship, Mr! L. 0. Reid.S.M., dismissed the case without prejudice. ; 'Pile evidence, ho said, was not suffi- ; cjently strong to justify sending tho case before a jury. ;', ALLEGED ASSAULT. ; Tlireo young men, Jeremiah M'Mahon, Henry Ernest George Solway, and James Steven O'Neil, appeared in tho Magistrate's Court yesterday charged with assaulting one Howard Webby so as to causo him actual , bodily harm. . O'Neil was also charged with assaulting Constablo Cox and one Adrianus Dirge. ; The ease was heard by Mr. L. G. i Reid, S.M. Inspector Hendrey con- ; ducted tho prosecution, nnd Mr. H. F. O'Leary appeared for tho accused. The police statement ■of tho caso ' was that on the evening of December ] 24 'tho three accused wero in or near I Taranaki Street. Dirge, accompanied -by another man, was walking quietly past when he was accosted by O'Neil, who, without any provocation, proceeded to strike him. As Dirgo began to defend himself, cither Solway or ' M'Mahon stepped towards him, so, deeming discretion tho better part of valour, he fled, and returned shortly I afterwards with Constable Cox. In tho meantime, a returned soldier named Webby went past the accused. , He was set upon by one of them, be- ; lieved to have been O'Noil, who struck . him so violent a blow as to break his ; jaw. Oh. the arrival of Constable Cox, i which was shortly followed by the arri- ; val of another member, of the Force, r tho men wore arrested. I After hearing tho evidence for the I prosecution, His Worship dismissed j tho information against M'Mahon. and j committed tho other two accused for L trial in tho Supremo Court on the charge of assaulting Webby. The '. two charges against O'Neil of common j assault were adjourned sine die. Bail was allowed each accused in the sum ; of £50, with ono surety of £50. ' OTHER OASES. j Mr. L. G. Reid, S.M., presided over 3 a sitting of the Magistrate's Court yes--3 terday. f David Matthew Bromley, charged ) with tho theft of a five-gallon drum of t oil, and three tins of Terebine Driers, r tho property of some person unknown, • was remanded for a week to permit of inquiries regarding tho ownership of [■ the articles to bo made. Robert Gordon Hand was further [ manded till January 17 on a charge , of stealing an Underwood typewriter, i. valued at £18, tho property of John 1 A. S. Lord. . I Charges against Edward Giligan, of 1 andecent assault and common assault, were adjourned till to-day, after tho ovidenco of ono witness had been taken. r Patrick Lookett was fined '10s. for r assaulting Charles Gustafson, a Swede. - Tho latterwas drunk when tho assault a was committed, and ho remembered no- - thing of it. _ '[Tie conviction was made 0 upon tho evidence of a constable. 0 Owing to the fact that the principal witness for'the polico had met with an j accident, and was nnable to appear, a _ chnrgro against Henry M'llroy of steal- '. Jug 2s. lOd. from the person'of Robert ~ Dawson was adjourned to the 17th ■- inst. Tho accused, who is a soldior, s was allowed bail. ~ _ .lohn Ohlssoii, charged with assaults ing Axel Aborg, was remanded on bail 0 to the 18lh inst.