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

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIV, Issue 3515, 21 October 1868, Page 5

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

Drvnkbnness.— John McVay, Thomas i±. Croabfe, Mari* Pollard, and Robert Taylor were punished iv the usual manner for this offence. Assault.— Jeremiah Ryan was charged by Mary Ryan with assaulting her on the 18th instant, by striking her repeatedly op the head ; and she further stated that she went in bodily fearof him.— Defendant ' pleaded guilty.— Mr. Beckham said defendant had been frequently brought up for the same: offence, and unless he altered his conduot he would come to some bad end. Ordered to find two securities in £20 each for six months. _ ..

THREAT*NiNa LjiirtroAGß.— -Michael Jveiiy w»s oharged with committing a violent assault on Mary Crowley. He pleaded not guilty.— frosecutnx deposed that she residedoin. Edwardee-street, and that on Sunday last the defendant came to her house, kicked up a row, and threatened to do her; seyere bodily harm. — G'roao-exammed by defendant": I have not got property of yours in the house. I will not tellyou how 1 gee my Jiving, neither will I tell you whether I harbour men in the house. This is the third time you have been brought here for assaulting me . — Ordered to find two sureties in £20 to keep the peace for bi'x months.

J Assault.— Henry Lover, steward of the ship • Excelsior,' was charged with assaulting the master i of that vessel, Captain Inglis.— Defendant pleaded not guilty, laying tbab the captain. strucj£. ; binx first. — Mr. Gillie* appeared on behalf of tWproaeoutor,^ and said the assault ; waa a yery aggravated one, committed without the 'slightest provocation'. — Captain Inglu deposed he was ma'stierof the ship ' Exdelsior.' Defendant was stew«rd on board, and was on the ship's articles. On Monday, about? 'two -o'clock in the afternoon, he asked leave to go on Bhore. Witness told him he might go after 7 o'clock at night, and soon afterwards left the ship.' Returned- about a quarter to six, when he learned that defendant had gone ashore. He returned nboutr half -past six. He was drunk. Witness told him ha ought not .to. have , gone on shore, when .defendant , followed him up on to the poop and used a great deal of abusive language. Witness ordered him off below, but he refused to go. Ultimately he was taken below, and when the captain went into the cabin he , came across to the table, and struck him first on the arm and afterwards on the face. He was then removed by the first and second officers, and put in his room ; but he rushed out in a few minutes after, and struck at the captain again. — Cross-examined: I did pull you down on the deck by the hair of the head. I did not strike you »t all. — Robert Loutitt deposed he was ohief mate of the ship ' Excelsior.' Saw the defendant rtrike the captain. Did not see the captain strike him. The defendant was not sober at the time.— Defendant said he was very sorry the assault had taken place. — Mr. Beckham said defendant should have expressed his sorrow at first, instead of which he had stated that the captain had struck him. He held a very responsible position — next to that of the mate — and he had committed three distinct offences, disobedience of orders, drunkenness, and assaulting the captain. — He was found guilty, and sentenced to twelve weeks' imprisonment with hard labour.

The Riot among the Maoris — Mokeke, a native woman, wm brought up on warrant charged with committing an assault upon Rea Refcimana. — The prosecutriz deposed : Knew the prisoner. On the 15th Ootober iaw her in We»t Queen-street. Witness asked her if she had seen any natives, and ■heanswered with a curse, and caught hold of her by the hair of the head, pulling her to the ground, and biting her on the arm. Witness never said anything to her, only " Mokeke, have you seen a Maori man? 1 ' — Defendant entered into a long rambling statement about the family connections of herself and prosecutrix. Produced a quantity of hair which she alleged was pulled out of her head by prosecutrix. Admitted that she was drunk at the time. — When asked if she had any witnesses'' she replied that she had a number. — Catherine knew the two women. Saw them last Thursday in a house in West Queenstreet. They were fighting. Rea struck Mokeke first. The quarrel arose out of the husband of one going with the other, 'lhey were dragging each other about by the hair of the head. (Laughter.) Many of the natives interfered. When she was separated complainant said to Mokeke, "If the other people hadn't been there I would have killed you."— Eiued 10s. and costs.

The Late Robbery in Abercrombie-street. — The young girl Bridget Sellars was brought-up on remand. — Mr. Naughton said he had discovered prisoner's uncle, and he had consented to take her over.— Mr. Beckham said he would order her to be given up to her uncle, but if she misbehaved herself again an information would be laid against her, and she would be sent to keep company with her two associates. — Discharged. Ikdkcbnt Assault on a Child, — Before the rising of tbo Court, Mr. Commissioner Naughton said he bad a charge of a somewhat awkward nature to bring before the notice of the Bench— a charge against a person for committing a criminal assault upon a child under ten years of age. The child herself was very hard of hearing, and also very defective in her speech, and for these reasons he was afraid that the prosecution would not obtain much assistance from her. — Mr. Beckham asked if the offence had actually been committed, aDd if the child had been subjected to medical examination. — Mr. Naughton said that there had fortunately been nothing but the bare attempt, constable Cosgrove having come upon the prisoner and the child before he had succeeded in effecting his object. The prisoner was a youth not much more than fifteen years old. The police had him outside, and all the evidence was ready, but the information was not yet laid. Perhaps it would be the best plan to simply charge the prisoner then, and remand him until next day. — The information was then laid, after which the (prisoner, Edward Tart, a burly-looking youth apparently about sixteen years of age, was charged with criminally assaulting one Margaret Sanderson, in the Domain, on the 19th inst., she being under the age of ten years.— the prisoner was ordered to stand remanded until to-day. The Court then adjourned.