THE COURTS—TO-DAY.

Evening Star, Issue 7156, 9 March 1887, Page 3

THE COURTS—TO-DAY.

CITY POLICE COURT. (Before Messr H. S. Fish and J. Elmer, J.P.s) Dam K cnness, For this offence Bridget Lambert wss fined 10s, or forty-eight hours’; Bridget Kane, 40s, or fourteen days’; James M'Naughton and Charles Boehen, ss, or 24 hours’, each. Vagrancy. — Bridget Kane, for having no lawful visible means of support, was sent to gaol for three months. Loiterl'D and Importuning.— Eliza Harding was for this offence fined 40s, in default seven days’ imprisonment. Obscene Language.— Louis Lawson was, for using obscene language in a public place, ordered to be imprisoned till the rising of the Court. Alleged Embezzlement by a Postmaster —Daniel Kirk Rhodes, late postmaster at Waikouaiti, aud now of South Dunedin, was charged with that on the sth, 12th, and 23rd of June last—he being at the time employed in the public service of Her Majesty the Queen, and entrusted, by virtue of such employment, with the receipt, custody, management, and control of money, the property of the Queen —he did receive and take into possession, and then fraudulently and feloniously apply to bis own use and benefit the following sums of money, the property of the Queen— namely: On June 5, L 6 6; on June 12, L2 ss; and on June 23, L 5. Detective Barn conducted the prosecution; accused was defended by Mr Solomon, —Charles Albert Piper, chief clerk to the railway traffic manager, deposed that accused was stationmaster at Waikouaiti on June 5 last, and was discharged from the service on January 26 of this year. He had a salary of L 169 per annum, besides commission, Sidney Pope Stevens, clerk in charge of the Money-order Department of the Dunedin Post Office, stated that accused wss on June 5 employed as postmaster at Waikouaiti, and his duties were to receive all monies in connection with the postal, propertytax, insurance, and live stock departments. He bad to keep a cash-book and journal in connection with the moneys and render an account weekly to the Dunedin office. Witness produced accused’s journal, and in it there could not be fonnd any entries of the sums of L 66, L2 ss, and L 5 which had been deposited by various parties in the Savings Bank as shown by his entries in their pass-books. These entries were initialled “D.K.R.,” and witness could swear that they were in accused’s writing. The entries also bore the Waikouaiti post office stamp. To Mr Solomon: Witness might have told accused not to send in his deposit receipts for a few weeks, but not for a longer period.—Caroline Buckland, wife of J. 0, Buckland, of Tumai, Caroline Marian Buckland, aud Daniel M'Pheo gave evidence as to paying money in or sending it to bo paid into the Savings Bank at Waikouaiti, whioh amounts appeared in the pass-books. —John King, Government audit - inspector in Otago and Southland, deposed that the sums in question were not accounted for by accused.—Accused, who reserved his defence, was committed for trial. —Mr Solomon applied that if accused were unable to get bail he might be let out pending his trial, as ho bad a wife and seven children to support. No harm would be done by letting him out, and such a course was provided for by section 11 of the First Offenders’ Probation Act,—Detective Bain opposed the application, as the defalcations of accused were only just coming to light. They extended back to 1884, and the known amounts already came to Ll64.—Mr Fish said that the application wqnld be refused, but bail would be allowed as before—accused in LIOO, and two sureties in LIOO each.

(Before Messrs J. Logan and J. Elmer, J.P.s.) Further Charges —Accused was further charged with having on September 9 similarly misappropriated the sum of LI 6s, and on January 5, 1887, the sums of L 7, LI 6s, LB, and L7.—Accused was committed for trial on these charges, and also on further charges of misappropriating six sums of LI each.