THE COURTS-TO-DAY.

Evening Star, Issue 14004, 10 March 1909, Page 4

THE COURTS-TO-DAY.

CITY POLICE COURT. V

(Before H. Y. Widdowson. Esq., S.M.) Drunkenness—Jas. Smith, who pleaded guilty, was fined 6s or twenty-four hours. A first offender, who appeared in a very shaky condition, was remanded till' Friday morning to give him a' chance to recover. Obscene Language. Charles James Brown, charged with using obscene language in Duke street on the night of March 6, pleaded not guilty. Mr Hanlou appeared for the accused .-Nonstable Daubney, stationed at Woodhaugh, said that last Saturday, while in Duke street, he Baw the accused and some other young men going up Duke street. A motor car passed the party, and they made vse of insulting remarks to the occupants. Witness crept up inside the fence, and one of the party said: " Look out for old Daubney." Accused said: "If Daubney were here I would throw him over the five-wire fence," and made use of obscene language. Witness came through the fence and seized accused, and asked him what he meant by using such language. Accused denied having used the language.—Constable O'Connor said that he had to remonstrate *ith the party earlier in the evening. They were very disorderly.—The accused made a statement denying that he had made use of the language complained of. He had heard bad language made use of by one of the party, but he oould not say by which one.—Donald M'Alister, a member of the party, said that ho did not hear accused make use of the words complained of. Obscene language was used by the party. Witness had used obscene language. They were not saints.—Harry Pearson and John M'Donald, other members of the party, said that they had not heard accused use the language complained of. Bad language had been used earlier in the evening.—His Worship apid that the young men had no regard for either decency or truth. Accused would bo convicted and fined 20s, in default seven days' imprisonment. Alleged Theft of Carpet.—John Watt Wilson, for whom Mr Irwin appeared, Wat charged with stealing, on February 15, a roll of Brussels carpet, the value of £3 ss, the property of A. and T. Inglis.—Chiefdetective Herbert applied for a remand, as accused had just arrived by the steamer and time was required to get witnesses.— Mr Irwin said that he had no objection, but he would ask that bail should bo allowed. It might appear that accukd had left Dunedin to avoid arrest, but this was not the case. Accused had been led to believe that no action would be taken. When arrested he had a reference from the firm in his pocket.—Chief-detective Herbert said that that was the case.—Accused was remanded until Tuesday, bail being fixed at £3O and one surety of £SO. Assault.—Lancelot Fowler was charged with assaulting William Henry Warren en the 15th inst. Mr Scurr appeared for accused, who pleaded not guilty.—After hearing the evidence of William Henry Warren, Constable Sweeney, and the accused, His Worship convicted the accused, and inflicted a fine of 60s or one month. Fourteen days were allowed to pay the fine.

By-law Cases.—Alexander Boveridge pluaded guilty to allowing a horse to wander at 8L Hilda, and was fined Is.—Jas. Scanlan, for allowing two horses to wandor at St. Kilda, was fined 5s and cost*. Railway Carriage Disturbance,—James Dec and Hugh Roid were.charged that, on February 1, they did behave in an offensive manner in a railway carriage travelling from Dunedin to Mosgiel. Accused were further charged with damaging a railway carriage to the extent of 10s, the property of New Zealand Railways. Doe did not appear, and Reid (for whom Mr P. Thomson appeared) pleaded guilty to the first charge and not guilty to the second.—Walter P. Gibb said that he was a passenger in a second class smoking carriage on February 1 in the 10.20 p.m. tram from Dunedin to Mosgiel. There were about eight persons i«rtho carriage. After passing through tho Cavcrsham tunnel Dee took out a set of boxing gloves and challenged Reid. Reid accepted. Dec knocked Reid down, and on his rising knocked him down again. Roid was completely knocked out. While some of the others were attending <o Reid Dee fell through the window. Neither of the accused was quite Bober, and they had liquor in their poFsession. After passing Burnrido Dee struck another passenger (Lindsay) several times. So far as witness saw Lindsay gave Deo no provocation. Witness frecprcntly tiavolled in the same train, and it was generally very rowdy.—Corroborative evidence was given by Ernest Bridge.—Station-sergeant King, who conducted the case, said that the conduct of those travelling by this train had grown so bad that a special constable Imd to be sent out in it. Cases of a similar nature as the present had already been boforc the Court—His Worship Raid that ho hoped that this caso would be the lout of the kind. Ha would increase the fine* very much in any other case that vns brought.. On the charge of offensive bi-hi-.-viour Reid would be fined 20s and cofU (17s), and Dee 60s and costs (17s), in default seven days on tho firnt charge. The Eecond charge against Reid would be dismissed, and Dec would be fined 20s and costs (£2 4s), in default fourteen days' imprisonment

Opening a Sewer Without Permission. —Walter Symons was charged with that, on March 1, he did open a sower in Maclaggan street without permission of the City Council. Accused pleaded guilty.— -Annie Stcntiford was charged with procuring the committal of an offence in causing a sewer in Maclaggan street to he opened without pennission_of tho City Council.--Station-Horgcant King 6 md that tne fnrts were briefly as follow: Constable Vox, who was on duly in Maclaggan street at ten minutes to one on the morning of tho 3rd inst., saw Mrs Stcntiford standing at the entrance to the sower. He went up to Mrs Stentifoid and turned on his light to see what way going on. Mrs Stcntiford (-aid that the lavatory pipe had got blocked by a piece of crayfish. Sho had told the drainage authorities about it, and thev had told her to get a man to clear it. She had sent one down to do it. At that moment Symons came up. The police were rather curious about the matter, and had afterwards gone down, but had discovered nothing. The drainage authorities had informed the police that the opening from Mrs Stontiford's lavatory was 60yds away from the man-hole where Symonds had entered, and it was a difficult thing for tho!-e familiar with the sower to locato any particular pipe, and it was impossible for anyone to do :-o at that hour in tho morning. It was a dangerous tiling to meddle with the opening to a sewer, for if tho covering were not properly replaced any person passing over it was liable to fall in.—Evidence corroborative of Sergeant King's statement was given by Constable Pox.—Henry Butcher, inspector for the Drainage Board, said that he had inspected Mrs Stentiford's sewer, and found no sign of any stoppage.—His Worship said that it was a dangerous thing to meddle with the opening to any sewer. The present wise should be a warning to the public not to interfere with the sowers. Each of the accused would be fined 20s and costs (7s). Disobedience of Maintenance Order.— Fiederick Joseph Partridge (Auckland), for failing to obey three orders for the support of his children, and for being £7 5s in arrears on the first order, £9 15s on tho second, and £l7 15s, was sentenced to one month's imprisonment in Auckland Gaol on the first charge, and two months' hard labor on each of the other two charges, the warrants to be suspended so long as he kept up his present payments under the orders and pays 5s a week off the arrears.

(Left sitting.)