RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT, AHAURA.

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1886, 22 August 1874, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT, AHAURA.

I ■■■;- ■ 1 Friday, August 14 I (Before C. Whitefoord, Esq., R.M.) L THE NEWEST SYSTEM OJF ROAD BOARD t EXPENDITURE. 1 Frederick Stanhope, of No Town, was brought up charged on a criminal inforJ mation with converting to his own, use !■ certain money belonging to the Ahaura ' 7 Road Board to the value of £8 10s; . George Willis, on being sworn, stated : k lam Secretary to the Ahaura Road Board . On 4th August, 1874, I saw defendant. 1 I gave him L 8 10s. I gave him eight Linotes and half a sovereign. ; The defen- " dant represented to me that the workmen 3 on the No Town road had had their provisions stopped at the store, and wanted f to get their money^ I cashed the cheques 1 coming to the men, and deducted some r small amounts due Mr Ollivier and myself 3 by the men working on the No Town ' B road, James Wooldridge and Michael Nealon, and then gave the money I - jhave before described to defendant '-.for ■fc James Wooldridge and Michael Nealon. * I told defendant to give L 49s to 0 James Wooldrigde and L4ls to Michael Nealon. The defendant gave me a receipt '• for the L 8 103. John Ollivier was present. No time was mentioned as to when he was to give the money to James Wooldridge and Michael Nealon. I went to No Town last Friday, 7th Aug., 1874. I spoke h to the prisoner. -I said "it is a bad job .. that has happened ; how are you going , to pay the money!:back again ? Neither the men interested'- nor myself wish to } j prosecute you. Cannot you arrange and d 3ettle with me within two months, and I .. will be security to the men for their wages." Prisoner said he could not give security; he would give his I O U, and make it for LlO, to reimburse me for my trouble. I produce the IOU. marked A k and the receipt given me by the prisoner, n marked B. I saw half a sovereign in the prisoner's possession the day I gave him '» the L 8 10s. Prisoner isa member of the i- Grey Valley Road Board. f a Cross examined by Mr Staite for the , c defendant : I have no reason to suppose prisoner kept the money. He was sober JS at the time I gave it him] I saw 7Mm d with half a sovereign just before I gave n him the L 8 10s. I first heard on Thurs--0 day,{6th Aug., of the loss of the money. Prisoner said when he left the Ahaura he stopped at Jenkins's Hotel and had a l > drink, and then went to Mitchell's and r " did not know what occurred. James " Wooldridge and Michael Nealon are willing to take . ray security for their d being paid. I have promised to pay them ■* in two months. They have not received their money yet. When I gave the S money to prisoner I gave him a . raerao--8 randum, and told him to see it was all ~ right, and gave him the money. The sr men were to sign, the memorandum the c prisoner had with him. '" John Ollivier stated that he was prer sent when Mr Willis handed the prisoner the L 8 10s, and« that as the men's store account had been stopped, he wanted the '* money handed over to them at once. a Prisoner said he would see that it was all = right. . ■■.-;;;.■ James Wooldridge stated that the Road * Board owed to him and his mate, Michael a Nealon, L 8 10s, but that he had notre- § ceived any portion of it. a Michael Nealon gave similar evidence, 0 and stated that he saw prisoner jat the Twelve-mile, and asked him if he had - any money for him. Prisoner said he had lost the money. , : r Prisoner was then remanded; until the f 19th August, on which date the evidence - of Mrs Mitchell, of Nelson Creek, was taken. . . 1 Mrs Mitchell stated that prisoner called at her hotel about , a fortnight ago quite r sober, and changed several Ll -notes in 1 shouting for others and himself, probably r spending L3or L 4. The prisoner went to other hotels besides, and afterwards ■ returned to her house. ; 1 The defendant was further, remanded 1 until- Thursday, 20th August. 1 The; defendant again appeared before the Resident Magistrate's Court on ; the 21st August. After Shearing the statement of the defendant as to the manner in which he supposed he lost the money entrusted to his care, the Magistrato said the story was not at all probable, and after lecturing the -"defendant very severely, he told him the Cbiirt had .**" a doubt as to the felonious intention his part when he appropriated the ihoney, and, giving him the benefit of the doubt, dismissed him. CIVIL CASES. Trent v. Rankin.— This was an action brought to recover the sum. of L 5, for damage done to certain articles of furniture belonging toj the plaintiff by the defendant, who is a carrier between Greymouth and Ahaura. The damage was not admitted, but the defendant had paid Ll 53 and costs into Court before the hearing ; and judgment was given for the amount paid into Court without further COSts. •■'■ i' ; : (For remainder of News, see ith gage. )