RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 13, Issue 1079, 31 August 1869, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Friday, August 27. . (Before John Curling, Esq., R.M.) Breach of Armed Constabulary Act. John McFarlane was charged .with having illegally in his possession a revolver, the property of the General Government of New Zealand, contrary to the provisions of the statute. : The case was finally ordered to stand over till Friday, and being still sub judice, we refrain from publishing any of the evidence. Breach of Arms Act. Patrick Moroney was charged, under the 30th clause of the Arms Act, with having, by inland carriage, illegally removed a double barrel gun without being duly licensed, &c. The following was the cvi- - dence :— Thomas Scully, sworn, deposed : — I am Inspector of Police for the Province of Hawke's Bay, and the officer appointed . by the Government to lay informations under tho Arms Act 1860, and tho Amendment Acts. On the 24tk inst., I informed Mr. Tabuteau, the licensing officer, that I had reason to believe Patrick Maroney had sent a double barrel gun belonging to Mm, inland, for sale, without a permit. Mr. Tabuteau accompanied me to Moroney's house, and demanded the gun he had bought at Mr. .Lyndon's auction mart about a month ago. He said he had not got it, as it was up the country, but he could get ifc down. I then proceeded against him. (Gun produced ; no maker's name and no number, the gun being an old one.) The defendant, after being cautioned in the usual manner, stated as follows : — The party who knew that I had this gun — John ' Moroney, my brother— told me to send him the gun to try it in shooting ducks, pigeons, &c, and if it suited him he would buy it. I sent it up by a waggon, lie sent it back again and told me it was too light for duck shooting. It came back the evening of the day on which Mr. Scully called upon me. The Magistrate said that the law was very strict in this particular, and, having been broken, he had no other alternative than to commit the defendant for trial at the next sittings of the Supreme Court; but would admit him to bail, himself in £40, and two sureties in £20 each. Saturday, August 28. Drunk and Assaulting Police. A man named William Patterson was charged by Constable Bryan with having been drunk, and with committing a violent assault on the police, at 1 o'clock that morning. - The prisoner was found guilty and fined £4 and costs, or, in default, to be imprisoned for one calendar month. He was committed in default.