THE COURTS-TO-DAY

Evening Star, Issue 15913, 20 September 1915, Page 5

THE COURTS-TO-DAY

CITY POLICE COURT. (Before J. R. Bartholomew, Esq., S.M.) *' -j.^. 11111 * 161 * 116 "-— Albert Lewis Aycrs, Geo. Ewrng Garland, and a first offender were each fined 10s or 48 hours. John Edward Thompson was fined 12s or 48 hours. A first offender, on remand for medical treatment, was convicted and discharged, and ordered to pay ISs expenses, or two days* imprisonment. . A Fight.—William Eckhold and John • Risk were charged with using threatening Jiehayiour in Princes street, whereby a preach of the peace was occasioned. They 6oth pleaded guilty.—Sub-inspector BroJ>erg sai<}:that at 2.40 p.m. on Saturday the accused had;a stand-up fight in Princes street; They, punched at each other • in a determined manner.—Eckhold said that the other man called him a ■ German and struck him.—Risk said that the other accused hit him first.—His Worship fined each accrued 10s or 48 hours. Assault.—Thomas Michael Lynch, a .young man, was charged with assaulting a S? n name nn kn°wn. He pleaded guilty. —The Sub-inspector said that this offence was committed at about a. quarter to 12 on Saturday night. A constable was-in btuart street, and saw accused and another man follow the man who was unknown. Apparently the latter had said something to the other two. At any rate, accused struck the unknown man. a violent blow, knocking. him down.—Accused said that the man, who was half-drunk, «™ e "-P-*? m and his frf end, and said: J. he Irish Regiment are the dirtiest in the world at the present time." He (accused) got very angry. He followed the man and asked him to apologise. He re- *?. se( i.to do so, and he then struck him.— Dined 20s or three-days' imprisonment. J2i Remanded.—Eric Ward, on rom Was barged with drunkenness, with using obscene language, and with committing mischief by damaging a policeman s helmet valued at 12s 6d.—The Subinspector asked for a remand on account °l a witness being ill.—Mr Hanlon, for the defence, offered no objection, and accused was remanded until Friday, the same bail as before being allowed* By-law Cases.—Mary Prentice, for allowing cattle to wander, was fined ss, with 7s costs.—William Naylor, for fail- ?-, to K KeeP . e P' on tho ri gM> side of the road while riding a motor cycle, was fined 10s, with 7s costs.—George Gourlay, who pleaded not guilty, was fined ss, with 7s costs, for leaving building material insufficiently lighted. Bad Language.—William Prentice was charged with using obscene ianguage and Blanche Prentice with using indecent language in a public place—to wit, Sullivan's avenue, South Dunedin. The offence took pJace- m the house occupied by the defendants, who are husband and wife, on the evening of Sunday, August "22. Mr Hanlon appeared for both accused, and pleaded not guilty. The charges wore taken together.—John Sparrow, Thomas Monte, and Richard Hedges gave evidence as to hearing the language complained of from the street.—Constable Havelock said that he had received a. complaint that a row was going on in Prentice's house. He went down, and found Mrs Prentice standing outside her door, which was shut. He asked her what she meant by using such language, and she told him the circumstances.—To Mr Hanlon: The complaint was made by the witness Sparrow.—Mr Hanlon here submitted that there was no evidence against the male defendant. The statement made by Mrs Prentice could not be taken as evidence against her husband. —His Worship _ concurred, and dismissed the case against William Prentice.— Blanche Prentice went into the witness box and denied having spoken to Constable Havelock on the evening in question, nor had she seen him then.—Sub- i inspector Broberg asked witness 5/ the! three other witnesses swore that they saw her speaking to Constable Havelock at the time and date mentioned would she still deny it?— Witness' refused to answer.— William Golden, who stayed with the Prentices, said he was 1 there during the row, but did not hear any obscene language used.—To Sub-inspector Broberg: The date he alluded to was the Sunday before last (September 5).— -His Worship ■said that'.'the case was a disgusting one. It was unfortunate that the charge against the •: male accused -could not be sheeted home. The woman would be convicted | and fined £2, with £1 8s costs, with the ! alternative of two weeks' imprisonment. ■——William Prentice was then charged with usintr obscene language on September 18. Mr Hanlon defended in this case also, and pleaded not guiltyS-Emest Annear, living nexi, door to the Prentices, gave evidence of having heard the language complained of about 10.50 p.m. He would swear by the ' oico it was William Prentice.—To Mr Hanlon: If there was another man in the house, he must have been in bed. However, he might have made a mistake.—To Sub-inspector Broberg: He had lived next to Prentice's for some , months, and had heard accused speak to his wife repeatedly, and it was the same voice he had heard on the night in question.—Constable Havelock said he heard . the row at Prentice's house, and proceeded thither. He saw Prentice and his wife in the upper room through tho open window, and heard accused use the language complained of in a loud voice. He told .accused to stop it and go to bed.—Accused, >vho had a record of 13 previous convictions for various offences, was convicted and sentenced to three months' imprisonment with hard labor. A Serious Offence.—John Daniel Blaek, on remand, was charged with on the 4th Jnst., at Anderson Bay, attempting to commit a serious assault on a young woman. Mr Hanlon appeared'for accused. —After hearing the evidence accused reserved his defence and was committed for trial; himself in one surety of £4OO and two other sureties of £2OO each.