RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT. ■■••'■■ ';; ' AHAJJRky / '"', .. ' !

Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1697, 12 January 1874, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT AHAURA.

, Feiday, January' 9. :. r (Before C. 'Whitefoord, Esq., R.M., and F. Guinness, Esq., J, P.) • „..« '■; ••'Police, v. iiqoney.— /Th.9' defendanl; was. with ; assaulting "Too Sbon and anothe^ CJiinese, at Ahanra, on' 27/tfy of Peceinber.'^ The. assault was witnessed by Messrs Davey and Hamilton, of Ahaura, but neither could identify the prisoner as the person who committed it. Inspector Gbbdall said the defendant bolted into , the bush as soon as he committed r the. assault- which' was a brutal and entirely unj>rovoked act on his part. It Wa? only that .mpriiing .the 'police ; supceected in arresttrig him at Nelson Creek. The^defendant denied.. : that he was the. delink quent, whereiipon, at, the request..of:. > Mr : Goodall he-was remanded^for the pi'flduc- ' ;.tion ; of; evidence as,to.his!identity., -Latbr in the day the prisoner was again' brought up at'; his : 'own' 5 request an d dealt with sumhiariiy; He pleaded guilty, and jn said he was, totally. oblivious ' during the holidays, 'and if he "assaulted Too Soo'ri he hoped iti'iwas not tooiafe to make some reparation. The prisoner was lectured and sentenced to three days' im.prisonment with hard labor. , ,-.,,-, ' 'Teier Henderson was charged with using .abusive language towards Constable James Dorris, at Half-Ounce, on 271h of December.'' The constable said that he was on duty at the Upper Tttwn, Half-.'OunceV'-ori the day named, when the de-. fendant came up to him and called him a " b— — y' skunk, "'! dared him to arrest hj.m, pdsaid J th'af M was a "traitor to .his c/'untry. l'.- . J3f>.,dr£w the attention of a b y : staiid er, Mr Pitman , tp. t.ne langua^p and conduct of defendant, whomiiiiaipautioned more than once. Later in the evening, iuoarly at itnidnight, he saw the defendant knocking- aboiit with his coat off, jan'd.whißpering to parties who were -hos tiJe.to him (witness). -The witness in eros ;by s . : the defendant ..deniedlthat h'eVas drunk himself on the i-6'ccasiop, •< saying^itha't ! 'he/neversdrank^ "liq" nor'e't HaltOuhce, ' as !: lie- wks warned "that he was going to ge't'a'd6se['ahd to beware." James Pitman said he was t alking to Dorris when Henderson came

up, the latter aaked Dorris if it was true ha intended to summon him, and asked the reason. Henderson also said he believed Dorris had his eye on him since he v \yas jn a tpwji lr but f the..wit^ hear called a skunk or a traitor. The witness' ;alsb said thal^heykneWjf^om experience there was likely to" "be trouble ■atead^h'en^vgr Dorris, affifcaiiyone^wjth whom he was, not on -friendly terms, came into contaot, arid fearing the consequences he (witness) moved away, so that if the language cornpJainißd of-;was used he did not hear it. ' Tn cross-examination the witness said he knewthe- defendant six or, seven , years,. and never knew him to be \ guilty ;i i o^,'u?itig; [obiae'ene or. "abusive langu^ge, I tio an'yprie. Ori this 'oc.casipn he spoke calmly, and quietly tp tjh.e^co|.stable. The defendant denied the charge 1 altogether, arid' said the; constable was the aggr.es.snr. For some reason, the constable had, for some annoyed jihirii by enquiring if he was in. town, calling him f nicknarneSj : and threatening. ; "tp r make it hot" for' the deif endarit. '■''■ Dorris j kneW him ! for 'several i yeara, and he knew; his /name during that time, and needc riott enquire for him by a nickname. He never was guilty of any act that would bring him under ; 'the Vsiirvieliance pf the -police, althoujgh 'Dorris had. -boasted' , that i-he ' was watching him (the defendant).'. o The .defendant „,pp"rapliiined v '''bitte>ly\^'6f >I ' i the conduct , of , . ,the V ,'■ cons; table '.'to, )iim/ an d ■others. ; . John. Hay^s Jsaid' he! sa'w.'iihe defendant; and; •anpther/,talkirig,, u^bout wrestling on the occasion complained of by the constable. They were not fighting, although they had their coats off. Everybody had ; hii: coat " off that jday^ieither taking part .in. the ; sports,, or on account of the warm weather. The witness denied that the defendant used the language complained of. O. W. Anderson gave similar evidence. He said the defendant ■/Wasiisoberi all;. through, the^holidays,- and did not quarrel with anyone, c.He^had known him four years ; and he was always *a ! roriiarkably qine't niari. ; ! Thfe case was dismissed, the Bench remarking that the evidence did not' 'sustain the charge. There were- very audible expressions of approbation from the body ofr. the Court when; fthe ; charge; was ; dismissed,. but the Bench directed the .police. to arjpst the offenders. if a ' repetition of such conduct took place. ■ ''- :!:U ' "'■