MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 7977, 1 February 1897, Page 3

MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1

(Before Messrs J. Burden and J. S,

Large, J's.P.

IHDKCSHT LAHQaiOa,

Thomas Duckett was charged with ! having on the 25th Janunry used indecent language within the hearing of persons in Hhakespeara road.—The evidence for the proatoutioa was that the defendant had tu'en creating a disturbance in his house, and had been bo violent that his daughter wont for police assistance. Constable Miller went to the house and remonetrated with him, but afterwards, when he thought the constable had gone away, he used the language complained of in the hearing of OonsUblo Miller and others.—l'he defenaant stated that his daughter, a girl of sixteen, had been stopping away from home at night, and he was rebuking her for doing so on the night in question. Sis wife being very deaf, he had to apeak loud when he addressed her, and beiag angry with the girl, he might have used words that he ought not to have used. 'Iho constable coming to the house was the oauae of the subsequent trouble.—The Bonoh, after strongly reprimanding the defendant, dismissed the oaso. -A INDECEKT BXPOSUna. A boy named Barry Brown was charged with having exposed his naked body on the banks of the Tutaehuri river, in the view of persona on the road. The defendant admitted having been bathing in the river, but aaid there were no people on the road or about at the time. —W. B. Blythe deposed that when driving elong the road laet Wednesday he bhw a numbor of boys and youths quite naked on the banks. They were ;n full view of ladies and others, some of whom were on the bank and some in boats goiug up and down the river. The witneas said he had given information to the i polios beoauee he considered it his duty to do what he could to stop the offensive practioe of boys and grown youths nakedly bathing in view of people on the road and liver.—Sergeant O'Donovan said the only punishment that could be inflicted was imprisonment; there was no option of a fine. Kβ did not wish that the boy should be Bent to gaol, his only object being to warn boys and others that the yraotice of bathing in suoh a mauner and under euoh circumstances would not be allowed.—Their Worships eeverely cautioned the defendant, and discharged him. SZ-liAW CA3B. Frederick Barratt was charged with taking moat through Hastings Htreet in a cavt which was not bo constructed as to proteot it from the rays of the sun, from rain, or from dust. JCho defendant admitted the offence—Jfr Logan, on behalf of the Corporation, asked that the case should be die- j missed on payment oJ the costs 7s, as it was a now by-law, and Barratt had not been warned.—lha case was accordingly dismisQisd on tho conditiona named.