POLICE COURT.—Wednesday. [Before T. Beckham, Esq., R.M.]

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIV, Issue 3354, 16 April 1868, Page 3

POLICE COURT.— Wednesday. [Before T. Beckham, Esq., R.M.]

Dkunkenness.— Patrick Donovan, Patrick Dayer, and Eliza McGinn were charged with being drunk. The two former were fined ss. and costs, or to undergo 4S hours' imprisonment with hard labonr ; and the latter w*s fined 10a. and cost", or to undergo 48 hours' imprisonment.

Larceny.— John Morgan pleaded guilty tonavrog stolen a looking-glass, value £1, the property of W. Buchanan, from a house in Vincent-street, on the 4th of April last.— The prisoner stated that he had stolen the looking-glass for the purpose of getting out of Auckland.— Hia Worship sentenced the prisoner to four months' imprisonment with hard labour. Wife Desertion.— Hugh McVay was charged by Hunnah McVay with having, on the 15th December, 1867, deserted lus wife and six children. Defendant pleaded guilty to leaving his wife, but he ptated the children were not his.— His Worship : JWhen you married your wife you also took upon yourself to support her children, did you not ?— Mr. Commissioner Naughton said the prosecutrix was not in Court, and he believed some arrangement had been arrived at between the two parties. — His Worship said that the defendant would have to pay the costs of the Court The clerk informed the Court that th« costs amounted to £1 Is. 6d.— The defendant stated he was prepared to pay that amount. — His Worship severely admonished the defendant for his neelectful conduct to his family.

Li-RCENY. — Thomas Brown pleaded guilty to stealing an English ham, value 155., from the shop of J. C. Morrin, Queen-street, and wag sentenced to undergo four months' imprisonment, with hard labour.

Thb Jewellery Robbery. — Henry Goldsmith, James Bathurst, Jamea Crane, and John Brown were charged by "Robert Humphry Stevenson with having stolen from his dwelling-house, on or about Wednesday, the Bth instant, a quantity of jewellery to the value of £53 3s.— Prisoners pleaded not guilty. Robert Humphry Stevenson deposed : I *m a land agent residing at Arch Hill, Great North Eoad. I remember the Bth of April. About 9 o'clock on the morning of that day, myself and family left the house to go into town. Before doing so I firmly secured the house. On the evening of the following day I returned to my house about 8.30, from information I had received. When 1 arrived I unlocked the front door and entered. I found that the inner doors which I had locked were open. All the windows were left fastened with the exception of the kitchen window, which lam not certain about. When I entered, the kitchen window was not fastened, and could have been raised up quite easily. The other windows which were fastened were the same as when I left them, with the exception of the window in] the servants' bedroom, which was unfastened. When I entered I «»w that the bouse had been ransacked, and a

large quantity of jewellery stolen. On examination I found that the house had been entered by the kitchen window, and when in the kitchen the burglars would have access to the whole house. All the articles produced are a portion of the property which was stolen from my house. — Leww H. Newmegen, a pawnbroker in High-street, deposed : I know the prisoner' Crane. On the evening of the Bth of April he oame into my shop to pledge the two rings now produced. I lent him 6s. upon them, and gave him a ticket and retained the rings. I subsequently gave the rings up to Detective Ternahanon Friday last.— Mr. Commissioner Naughton said that he did not want the witness whom he would next call to be looked upon as being a police informer, for he was no such thing. However much he might be to blame for having the property in his possession, still he believed he would state truly how he came by them.— Richard Dawkins deposed : I know the four prisoners. I recollect the morning of the 9th of April. I saw the prisoners Crane aad Bathurst near the Greyhound Hotel between 6 and 7in the morning. The prisoner Bathurst asked me to have a " wet," and we all went into the Greyhound. When going into the Greyhound, Bathurst pulled the ring produced out of his pocket and asked if I could sell it for him. I asked him what I was to get for it, and he said " Anything." I then took the ring and put it in my pocket. After having our glasses we went to the house where the prisoner Goldsmith lives, in Barrackstreet. Goldsmith was in, and we returned to the Greyhound, accompanied by Goldsmith. Bathurst then sent Crane up the Barrack Hill, and he shortly afterwards returned with the jewellery now produced. Bathurst gave me the watch now produced, and asked me to sell it for him, which I did. After falling into the hands of the police I recovered the articles which 1 had sold, and handed them back to the police. The whole of the property produced I received from the prisoner Goldsmith. The case of jewels now produced was found on me by the police when I was taken up for drunkenness. The proceeds of the jewellery that I sold were divide! amongst the prisoners. Bathurst told me that the other portion of the jewellery was concealed beneath a house, and that the house would have to be pulled down before anyone could get it. I asked the prisoner Brown it he waß going to sell the remaining portion of his share of the property, and he said, "No; I am not going to have that squandered as the other part has been." All the prisoners were present when this conversation between myself and Brown topk place. It was in the Coach and Horses Hotel.— Dflteotive Murphy deposed : On the 9fch of April I arrested the last witness, Dawkins, for being drunk. On searching him I found the jewel case which I now produce, containing several articles of jewellery. I accompanied Dawkins to the house of a man to whom he stated he had sold some jewellery. The jewellery now produced was given into Dawkins s hand by the person to whom he had sold it. Dawkins then handed the jewellery over to me. On Thursday last I went out to« the prosecutor's house, accompanied by the prisoner Bathurst. He stated that prosecutor's house was robbed in the first instance by himself and Goldsmith, and in the second instance by Goldsmith and Brown. Bathurst showed me the window where the house h,»d been entered. In consequence of that information I arrested the prisoner Brown at the Greyhound Hotel. I also arrested the prisoner Goldsmith. I went to the prosecutor's house, accompanied by Detective Ternahan, having Brown's boots with me. I saw a heel mark on the windowsill and under the window. I compared the boots with the mark, and they exactly corresponded.— Detective Ternahan produced two gold rings which he had received from the witness Newmegen.— This closed the case for the prosecution. — The prisoners were then fully committed to take their trial at the next criminal session of the Supreme Court.— 'i his concluded the business.