THE COURTS-TO-DAY.

Evening Star, Issue 11452, 21 January 1901, Page 4

THE COURTS-TO-DAY.

MAGISTRATE'S COURT. (Before E. H. Carew, Etej., G.M.) Judgment was given for the plaintiffs for the amount-claimed, with costs, in the following c^ses:—La Frahchi's Freehold Gold Dredging Company v. Alexander Cfaigie (Timai'tt), claim £1 ss, allotment money due oh twenty-five, shares {Mr White for the plaintiff company); same- v. Samuel M\Auley (Arrowtown), claim £1 ss, allotment nioney due bn twenty-five shares; same v. Thomas Dewir (Roxburgh), claim £2 10s, allotment money due on fifty shares; Claughesy's Freehold Gold Dredging Company y. Thomas H. Cahill (Cromwell), claim £3 15s, for calls- due (Mr James for plaintiff compuhv) ;.samev. Patrick Spencer Taylor (Cromwell), claim £7 10s, for calls due; same v. Frederick Shury, claim £ls, calls due; Morven Ferrv Gold Dredging Company v. Dennis A. Cahill (Cromwell), claim £5, calls due (Mr James for plaintiff company); Same v. Thomas H. Cahill (CromWell), claim £l2 10s, calls due; John Ford v. Alfred Halford (Mornington), claim Bs, balance due on boots supplied (Mr Allan for the plaintiff).

John M'Lean v. Andrew Ramsay (Green Island).—Claim, 2s 6d, for two Bluegum clothes posts. Mr Fraser appeared for the defendant.—There was no appearance of the plaintiff, and the case was struck out, with costs (£1 lis lid). Alexander Kilpatrick,v. Charles B. Morris (DuhWoon).—Claim, £42 2s Bd, for goods supplied. Mr Gallaway appeared for plaintiff, and Mr Barclay for defendant.—After evidence His Worship reserved judgment. Foster and George v. the Union Bank of Australia and T. J. Collins and Dr Coughtery.—Claiis, £2O 6s 6d, for work and labor done and materials cupplied. Mr Calvert appeared for the plaintiffs, Mr Cook for the bank, and Mr Stilling for the other two defendants, both of whom jointly paid part of the amount claimed into court.—The case was proceeding when wo went to press.

CITY POLICE COURT. (Before C. C. Graham, Esq., S.M.) Drunkenness.—William Naughton and two first offenders were each, fined ss, in default twenty-four hours' imprisonment; and two first offenders who had been locked up sinco Saturday night, were convicted and discharged. Assault with a Tomahawk.—Joseph Hanna was charged with assaulting Hatma Mansoor on the 19th inst., causing actual bodily harm.—On the application of Mr Hanlon, acting for defendant, a remand was granted till Friday.—His Worship fixed bail at two sureties in the sum of £SO each and defendant in £IOO.

The St. Kilda Assault Case.—The case in which John Morrell was charged with assaulting Joanna Collins by striking Irer with a broom was resumed, Mr Hanlon appearing for complainant and Mr W. C. MacGregor for defendant.—Defendant was cross-ex-amined, and other witnesses for the defence were Henry Morrell, Mary Cross, and Wm. Price.—His Worship said that the evidence for the complainant was unsatisfactory in several respects, the witnesses contradicting each Other on some, points, and after hearing the evidence given by Price, who appeared to be an independent witness, he had no doubt about dismissing the case with £1 Is costs against the complainant. False Pretences. Henry Mcaghan, charged with- obtaining £1 18s from Elizabeth Harrison by means of false pretences, pleaded not guilty.—Sub-inspector Kiely said that Mrs Harrison was the keeper of a boarding-house known as "The Willows," in Princes street south. On the Ist January defendant went to her and made arrangements for board and residenco at 19s per week, including washing. He represented himself as v a boilermaker in the employ of the Corporation at the gasworks. Every morning up to the 15th he had breakfast at the house at a little before eight o'clock, then started off in the direction of the gasworks, carrying his lunch under his arm, and ho turned up for tea in the evenlPS- On the 15th Mrs Harrison gob a letter from him asking forgiveness for not having paid, stating that he had been called away on private business, and that he would be back in a week to square up. It was a rare occurrence for boarding-house, keepers to bo thus victimised in Duncdin, but the dodge was a common one in some-other parts of the colony.—Mrs Harrison in the course of her evidence said that defendant told her when ho came that he had no money, but that ho was working at the gasworks and would get paid in a fortnight, and it was on the strength of that representation that she took him in. At the end of tie fortnight ho told her the pay day would be the Wednesday instead of the Tuesday, and she said nothing about waiting the extra day • but when on tho Wednesday he came downstairs ra a "creepy" way she asked him for the money, and he replied that he was going to the Shamrock Hotel to lift his wages. That was the last she saw of him. —Andrew Meighan deposed that defendant had worked at the gasworks from the 27th Ai ovember to the 3rd December, but not since. He had sought employment, but there was none for him, and no promise was made.—Mr D. D. Macdonald here rose and said that he had nothing whatever to do with the case, but as amicus curia? he would draw His Worship's attention to section 228 of the Code, defining false pretences. According to the evidence the defendant did not tell Mrs Harrison that as an existing fact he -was employed at the gasworks, but that he was going to work there, and thus there was no false representation according to the statutory definition.—His Worship said he had noticed Mr Macdonald and Mr Hanlon in consultation, and knew the point, and, guessing it niiglrt be raised, he had carefully noted the evidence. According to his notes, Mrs Harrison said that defendant told her he had a job to go to, a"nd he carried out the fiction by putting on his working clothes every morning and pretending to go to his employment.—Defendant made, "a lengthy statement, the points of which were that he had asked for work and hoped to get taken on, as the foreman said he woVld try to get him a. job; that he daily went round town looking for work; and "that in the end he was ashamed to face Mrs Hanison, wherefore he wrote her the letter. He did not intentionally deceive her.—The Subinspector remarked* that when arrested the defendant had 12s in his pocket, and with that and what he earned by odd jobs he could have given Mrs Harrison something. —His Worship said hs had decided to convict, but he did not like to send to prison a young man coming up for the first time, and he would order him to come up for sentence when called upon. It seemed to be a mean and dirty trick that the defendant had played, and he should remember (hat he owed the money still, and ought to pay up when he could. Bigamy.—Amelia Lusidini was charged with this offence. Acting-sergeant James Kenny, of the Queensland police, produced a warrant issued at Charters Towers authorising the arrest of accused on a charge of having married Robert E. Naismith at Clifton, Queensland, during the lifetime of Luigi Lusidini; Detective Campbell deposed that he arrested accused this morning at Maori Hill, and added that she was only fifteen years of age when first married, and that she had not seen her first husband for eleven years; and the extradition papers «eing found to be in proper form, accused was remanded to appear at Charters Towers. Stealing Jewellery.—Herman Booth, charged with stealing £lO worth of jewellery from the dwelling of Alfred Lavender, was remanded till to-morrow.