MAGISTERIAL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXV, Issue 7824, 2 April 1886, Page 3

MAGISTERIAL.

CHEISTCHUECH. Thursday, April 1. (Before E. Beetham, Esq., E.M., E. Westenra, Frederick Hobbs, and A. Currie, Esqs.) Drunkenness. Nellie Tait was convicted and fined £1 or forty-eight hours.— A first offender was fined 5s or twenty-four hours. Violent Assault. —Mary Fitzsimmons was charged, on remand, with violently assaulting her husband, John Fitzsimmons, on March 30. The case had been adjourned for medical evidence as to the man’s condition. Dr Brittin now said he bad seen the man in the Hospital, but could not yet, say with certainty that Fitzsimmons was out of danger. If the wound healed under the most favourable conditions, the patient might be able to appear in a week, but there was a danger of gangrene, and if this supervened the consequences might be most serious. The Bench remanded the accused till April 9, no bail being allowed. Charge of Selling Beer to a Drunken Man. —Edward Bavenhill, licensee of the Caversham Hotel, was accused of selling beer to Charles Evans, who was then in a drunken state, on March 20 last. Mr Loughrey appeared for the defendant. Inspector Pender called Constable Bethel, who said that on Saturday, March 20, he went to the Caversham Hotel and saw in the bar Thomas Farrell, Edwaid Beere and Charles Evans, or " Piccolo Charlie,” as he is called, each with a glass of beer opposite him on the counter. Piccolo Charlie was drunk. . Defendant admitted having supplied the liquor, and the man Beere said he had paid for it. Crossexamined: Evans was staggering about tbe bar in a besotted-looking state, and his language and demeanour were those of a drunken man. Took a sample of Piccolo Charlie’s beer (produced). Witness was in plain clothes, and went there for the purpose of detecting any breach of the Act. This was the first time witness had seen Piccolo Charlie. Did not know much about Charlie’s peculiarities of manner, but knew now that he was almost always in a state of chronic drunkenness. This was Mr Pender’s case. For the defence, William Barrow (the man described as Beere by the constable) said he had asked Evans to play “ The Copenhagen Waltz,” and shouted a glass of “shandy gaff” for him. The constable had taken a sample from witness’ glass, not from Piccolo Charlie’s as he had sworn. Did not notice that Evans was in the least drunk. If four men said he was drunk, witness would say that either they were telling lies, or else Evans was a man that could carry a lot. John Farrell and Robert Walls also gave evidence for the defence. Walls had known Piccolo Charlie for many years and had not seen him as sober for a long time except during the few weeks he was in the Salvation Army. Would not swear he was quite sober at the time. Charles Hogg had known Piccolo Charlie for five years, and thought he was as sober then as he had ever seen him. Did not think Charlie was always drunk. Mr Loughrey called Detective O’Connor. Mr Pender remarked that it was too bad to use the police officers against the police; O’Connor said he had seen Piccolo Charlie between 3 and 4 p.m. on March 20, and noticed that he was sober, Mr Loughrey commenced to address the Bench, when Mr Beetham ■topped him, and said he need not trouble, as they would not convict on the evidence. It was one of the worst offences he knew of to supply a drunken man with liquor.

and caused more than half the crime in the country. Should ! any putdicah be convicted of it, he would be most heavily fined. Case dismissed. -

Breaking Windows. —John Waine, a boy of about fourteen years of age was charged with breaking a pane of glass, value £7 11s 3d, and destroying writing on the glass value £2 4s, in Hobbs’ Buildings. Mr Meares appeared for the defendant. It appeared that the window had been broken by a stone which Waine had bowled along the footpath to another boy. Mr Frederick Hobbs, the owner of the buildings, made no claim for the glass as it had been repaired by the Plate Glass Insurance Company; and Mr William Hobbs, hairdresser, who had had to pay £2 4s tore-letter his shop window, generously said he would take half the amount considering the circumstances of the boy and his parents. His Worship said boys must be taught that they had no right to play cricket or throw stones in the public streets. A fine of Is and costs was imposed, with £l 2s damages, the amount to be paid at 10s per month.

A Dangerous Dog, —E. J, Martin was charged with being the owner of a dangerous dog, not kept under proper control. Henry Crooks said he had gone to defendant’s premises, and when in the back yard the dog had attacked him, bit him on the calf of the leg, and then sprung at his arm. It was a ferocious dog, " about as ugly a brute as you would find in Christchurch.” Defendant denied the ugliness of his dog, but admitted that he kept it loose in his yard for the purpose of guarding the coal and wood there. His Worship ordered the defendant to pay the costs of the case and tie the dog up in the day time. Defendant would be liable to a penalty of .£1 for every day the dog was loose. Prohibition Order.: —On the application of Mrs AUott, the Bench made an order prohibiting the hotel-keepers of Christchurch and Avon districts from supplying liquor to her husband, William AUott.. Miscellaneous. —For allowing horses or cattle to he at large E. Beattie, P. Kookman, J. Eowell, and E. Watkins were fined 5s each.—For the more serious offence of allowing a horse to trespass on the raUway line E. Blackburne was fined £2 and costs. —Charles Brown was fined 5s for riding his bicycle on a footpath, and Joseph Williams 11s for acting as driver of a stage carriage, and plying for hire without a license. LYTTELTON. Thursday, April-1. (Before H. AUwright, Esq.) Drunkenness. A first offender was fined ss, Joseph Allan was ordered to pay ss. Vagrancy. —Hugh Seerey, Charles Preston, and Jeremiah Coghlan pleaded guilty to being found sleeping under the verandah of the Harbour Board shed. Mr Alexander M'lntyre and the police stated that the men were found under the shed at 2 o’clock yesterday morning. There was great danger of fire. The men were sent to gaol for ninety-six hours.