SENTENCES.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 111, 12 May 1909, Page 7

SENTENCES.

ASSAULTS AND ROBBERIES. ,THE HOTEL BACKYABD CASE. The three men, William Thomas, George Williams, and John Trainor, who yesterday afternoon were convicted of assaulting with intent to rob an old man named Carter, in the backyard djhe Cricketers' Anns Hotel, were brought /'before Sir. Justice Chapman for sentence this morning. William Thomas and George Williams had nothing to say why sentence should* not be passed. On behalf of Trainor, Mr. Bolton said he would call witnesses, in his recent employers, as to his character. The, witnesses were not forthcoming. Air. Myers said that the police report of Trainor was that he did- some work.Mr. Bolton said ■ that the conviction^ against Trainor, though numerous, were, not of a serious character. Trainor him-* self considered that some of the offences attributed to him were committed by a, relative of his. This was the first charge against him involving dishonesty. Williams said he had worked honestly, since he had coma to New. Zealand. If his Honour would give him another chance, he was sure he would nevez) trouble the court again. Mr. Myers said there were a number; of convictions of a minor character! against Trainor. Most of them could ba attributed to drink. Thomas had been convicted of assaults and drunkenness, and also of being an idle and disorderly person. He had done, no work, and consorted with bad chavac* ters. Against Williams there were no conn victions since he came to New Zealand, but his New South Wales record was veiy bad. In 1889 he was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment for jobbery with violenqe. In 1896 he received five years for garrotting, and there was\ a later, sentence of one year for assault, in addition to minor convictions. He had gone under aliases in Sydney, but was v.arned by the police, when he came to New Zealand, that they knew of his Australian record. They had warned, him to go straight. Williams : And I have gone straight, ycur Honour. His Honour said all the prisoners had bad records. Trainor had, indeed, no charges against him in the past of ex-, cessive violence or dishonesty, but Williams, though he had not been convicted in New Zealand, had committed most seiious Grimes od the other side. Thomas had been convicted of the same kind of thing as the present offence before, and had clearly been in the habit of associating with disreputable people, which in itself was a bad mark. "If this had been an ordinary case of assault," said his Honour, " I should have treated it differently. I must say, I always give some consideration to chv cumstances of drunkenness, where a man' has been exposing notes or money, tempting persons to rob him. But thi3 man was doing nothing of the sort. H.e was drinking, but he showed no signs of the possession of money, except in a. tiivial amount. It was not like the case of a man who has notes almost dropping out of his pockets. The bad feature in your case is that there was something like a conspiracy. You three men must have put your heads together to rob this old man ; you must have arranged to watch him to some place where he could be safely handled. If that man had suffered any serious injury, you would all have found yourselves consigned to prison for a very lpng term. I think, however, it will be sufficient to pass a sentence on you, ""Williams, and you, Thomas, of two years' imprisonment with hard labour. You, Trainor, will be sentenced to eighteen months' imprisonirent." A VICTIM OP INTEMPERANCE. Alfred Burnicle, alias James Pearce, who yesterday afternoon was found guilty by the jury of breaking and entering into the Ngahauranga railwaystation and stealing some articles o£ clothing, came up for sentence. Mr. Webb, on behalf of the prisoner, characterised his previous convictions as convictions for comparatively trivial offences, arising out of drunkenness. Mr. Myers agreed that, though th* list was long, there was nothing very, serious in the convictions against him.. His Honour said that Bnrnicle had' been giving trouble to the police for several years, and now he had committed a ,more serious crime. "These almost unprotected places," said his Honour, "such as railway stations, if not protected in one way, must be protected in another. I cannot pass over lightly, an offence such as you have committed. I do not propose to pass a heavy sentence, but a moderate one. Next time you come before the court you will be more soverely dealt with. You are sentenced to nine months' imprisonment.'*A MEAN THEFT. Arthur New, alias Cuitis, a middleaged man, was charged with stealing, on the 25th February, at Wellington, a diamond ring belonging to Constance Elizabeth Ray. The prisoner pleaded gmlty. Mr. Oiacroft Wilson, for prisoner, explained the case. New got the ring from a Miss Ray, a barmaid, who, counsel submitted, had ient liim the ring willingly, on the understanding that he could use it as he liked, so long as he returned it to her. It seemed to be a sort of custom with tho x-egular patrons of the bar. New vsas drinking champagne when he got the ring. He thought he could keep it a reasonable time, as men who frequented the bay often took the barmaid's ring, and ware proud to have got it and to wear it. New pawned she ring, but had bad luck, and could not redeem it. He had already been in gaol three months, and his wife was in delicate health. Mr. Myers said the prisoner's record was not a good one. He earned his living by sly grog-selling and what he could make on the racecourse. !n March of the present. y<-ar he had been fined £10 for sly grog-selling. On the other side he had convictions again.-»fc Mm of from two months to three years for larceny and theft from the persoa, and other offences. His Honour said the prisoner had behaved ehamefull/ and dishonestly. His previous convictions showed his character. "I suppose you thought this girl would not follow, the matter up, and that you could get away without puulshmeiu. The proper eour.se is to inflict <a severe^ sentence." Tho sentence was two years' imprisonment.

A meeting i n respect to a call was held at the Town Hall last evening by the local Presbyterian authorities. Rev.' A. Thomson (Petone) presiding. It was reported to the meeting that one of the candidates would not accept a salary less than £225. After some discussion, the meeting was adjourned for a week, in order to see if the necessary increase of £25 could be arranged for. Grim nightmare sat upon my chest. And chased so I couldn't rest ; I thought I'd have to givo it best. I cursed it and abused it, And as the spectre would not hook it I got some Peppermint Cur© and took i% It waltzed that nightmare round and shook it — I wish, I'd always used, it.— Atg&