MAGISTRATE’S COURT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 4874, 21 May 1918, Page 6

MAGISTRATE’S COURT.

: BEFORE MR W. A. BARTON, S.M. I DRUNKENNESS, James Stanley, on a charge of drunkenness, was convicted arid lined os .with 2s costSj in default, 24 hours* imprisonment. IDLE AND DISORDERLY. Molly Gillum®, alias Molly Walters, vvas charged with having been found chunk 111 Palmerston Road on May 18. She was also charged with being ail idle and disorderly person in that she had insufficient means of support. On the first charge, which was admitted, defendant was fined £1 with 4s costs in default four days’ imprisonment. Oil the second .charge defendant pleaded not guilty. Detective McLeod said the woman (who was married to a Maori), arrived in Gisborne about the end of November last. Since that time she had done.no work of any kind to his knowledge.' She was the woman who figured so prominently before the Court in the Skipworth sty-grog case. Slie was. continually about the streets in the company of half drujiken men and from her actions was no better than a prostitute and a danger to young men.

The accused said she had been working. Witness further stated that on her own showing she was drawing the allotment of a soldier who left with the 24th reinforcements. This man was not her husband. He had this on her own statement and was inclined to believe there was somo truth in it. ’ Constable Butterworth said that since leaving Mrs Skip worth's boardinghouse, accused had been living with a native. Several complaints had been made about her house and drunken people going there. Later accused went to live with a wharf laborer. This man' was now in the hospital and accused was living in the house she previously' ■ occupied with him. It .was owing to complaints that he went and bad a look at the house on Saturday night. On being arrested accused said she wanted to go and get her hat and coat. Constable McKay," on going to the house, found a half-drunken man there.

Constable McKay said that when he went to the house he saw a man dressing himself on the side of the bed and lie’ said, when questioned, that he had given accused money to stay the night' There were about two dozen empty beer bottles in the house and also a bottle containing beer. When tlie two accused came to the police station the mail asked for his money back and she gave him £1 6s. . , n The Magistrate: What did lie say. Witness: “Molly, I want my money back.” ..." Accused said she had been earning her living since her husband left her at Tologa. She had been living with another man but saw no harm m that. , "The Magistrate: Oh! you don t? Accused: Well, I’m not the only one. . .

A list of previous convictions against accused was read, one of which was for keeping a brothel in Auckland on September 21, 1915. The Magistrate said he liad no doubt that accused was a common prostitute mid that she was a dangei to young men of tlie town. ..Sue would be sentenced to three months hard labor in the Gisborne gaol. Accused: Thanks; anything moie. His Worship: “To be cumulative with the former sentence, that s all ” BREACHES OF BY-LAWS.

William Arthur was charged with driving a motor ear over the I eel Street bridge without a tail light. There were previous convictions against him for breaches of by-laws. A fine of £1 with 7s costs was imP °Andrcw McOullock for driving a motor car over the Peel Street bridge at a speed exceeding five miles ner hour was fined £2 with costs 7s. Dugal Ferguson pleaded not guilty to a charge of having ridden a bicycle over the Peel Street bridge without a light. The information was amended to read Peel Stree , instead of “Peel Street bridge and defendant pleaded guilty. A fine of £1 and 7s costs was imposed.. For similar offences a fine ol At and 7s costs was imposed in each ot the following cases: —Henry Jacobs, Samuel Thacker, Stark j ani , George Robert Buscke, and Alex Copley, James Swam and \ ictoi Franks. ALLEGED FALSE PRETENCESThomas Mcßeown was . charged with having obtained at Waipukni a certain goods, to wit- one suit ot clothes, valued at £3 los and on - pair of hoots, valued at £1 12s be, from the Hawkes Bay Farmers’ Cooperative Company by false p.eten Ce T. Wills was also charged with having on Mav 3 at Waipukurau, obtained one suit of clothes-valued £4 10s, one cap, valued at 5s ami one pair of boots valued at £1 If bci, from the Hawke’s Bay Farmers Cooperative Company by means of false pr fSSvo -ifeUa -w remand to' Watpulrarau on WedM* day the 22nd mst at 11 a.m. e accused offered no objection and the remand was granted-