RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5518, 22 October 1879, Page 3

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Tuesday, October 21

(Before H. Eyre Kenny, Esq., 8.M.) . . VAGKAKCI'. :

Henry Hudson, a; well-known character, ■was charged with, being illegally on the premises of Ann » I)otherill/ The. .complainant deposed that she liad a room in the Old Men's. Refuge. On Sunday aboiit i o'clock she got up to tend a baby, and in doing so felt thebed-clothes drawn away.- She put out her hand and felt a man's liaud. She then screamed out, and the man. struck a light, unlocked the door, andiwalked out/ keeping his back towards her all the time." - The man could not have got ir^ by .the dqorj.. as, it was locked' on the inside, but must have gained access to tho room by-the-window, which was found open in the morning though it was closed the previous evening. Witness described the man she saw in the room, and the description tallied with the prisoner's appearance: Sergeant O'-Malley deposed that when prisoner was • arrested he did not deny the charge, but said, in excuse for being in complainant's room, that he was tired and had gone in to rest himself for. a few minutes. Constable Lorenson repeated ; some language of a disgusting nature that' was used bj'thc prisoner when being locked up, from which' it appeared that his object in entering complainant's room was not merely that of resting himself. Inspector Scully said th,e prisoner had been m and out of gaol, for the past two years, and would not work. ,He had been given money to go up-country to employment,. but had spent it. . His Worship, said there were four previous convictions recorded against the prisoner of vagrancy. Tbc prisoner said, that was not true ; he had been convicted nine times. His Worship sentenced the prisoner to six months' imprisonment with hard labor. Prisoner's demeanor while the case was being heard w"as"vcry insolent, and. pn being sentenced; ho exclaimcdj "Why, that's a very easy sentence for house-breaking !"

CIVIL CASE

Urupa v. Fair-— Hori te Urupa, a na-tives-sued R>. J. Fair, baker, ot Havelock, for the recovery of a horse alleged to*'be ; the property of the plaintiff, and al§ : o l "claimed damages. Mr Lee s was for plaintiff: Plaintiff; deposed/ that the horse was his. property, and that 'he had not seen 'the' 'animal since June, IS7&, when it disappeared, until, the. day of the show at Hastings. . A half-caste named Thomas Gorton deposed that he had known plaintiff* to be in-possossion of the bay gelding iii' question; in 1874, and also remembered, its disappearance. " He was also present whefi the animal ■ was found at Hastings drawing a trap. ' Both witnesses dejposed to the horse having been ultimately found in the 'defendant's, possession at' Havelock. A native, witness /whp had' taken care of the horse .from the 'tune it .was foaled till it was . disposed of , to . the plaintiff swore. to its identity.. . All three witnesses described .tho horse. accurately — the color, brands, &c. Defendant said he had purchased the horse from a young man named Robert Gooseman, in 'the .employ of Mr'M'Leanj-and had given £16 10s for it. Gooseman had purchased it by hi s orders from another young man at Clive, nanied Beard. Ho did not know until lately that there was anything wrong about the ownership of the' horse. His Worship gave -judgment for plaintiff, and recommended the defendant; to take legal, aclvice as to whether he could not recover damages from either Gooseman. or Beard, if they. were worth powder and shot. The value of the horse was. s assessed' at £25, defendant. to have the choice of buying it focJ.that Iprice .or returning- it, ■ and to pay damages _with costs.' Defendant elected. 1 tb return' the horse. ' ' , J