MAGISTERIAL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXV, Issue 7865, 21 May 1886, Page 3

MAGISTERIAL.

CHRISTCHURCH. Thuebdat, May 20. (Before R. Beetham, Esq., E.M., E Westenra, Esq., and the Mayor of Christchurch.)

Drunkenness, Assault, &c. John Kelly, oKas Jameson,' alias O’Neill, charged with having been drunk ia St Asaph street, said he had been working a o-ood deal amongst water, and had had a fflass too much. Fined 10s, or forty-eight hours.—David Finlay, a young man, was charged with having been drunk and disorderly in' Sydenham ; damaging the property of John Nixon to the value of <£2; assaulting Margaret Nixon, and using obscene language. The evidence showed that at 1 o’clock on the previous afternoon the accused, who was drunk and in a very excited state, had gone to the premises of Mr Nixon, tailor, Colombo street, Sydenham, close to the railway crossing. He asked Mr Nixon to come out and drink with him, and this request being met with a refusal, he tried to pull Mr

Nixon out. As Mr Nixon objected to this proceeding, accused seized him by the throat, threw him down, and was doing his best to throttle him, when Mrs Nixon came downstairs to the rescue, and together they managed to expel the intruder. When Mrs Nixon was pushing him out he made a kick at her. He then smashed in one of the door panels, and threw stones to the destruction of the glass in the windows and doors. One of the stones struck Mrs Nixon on the arm. Both Mr and Mrs Nixon said they hoped the Bench would deal leniently, as accused was the only support of an aged mother. Accused’s mother said he had met with an accident while he was in Sydney, and had been bad in his head ever since. The least drink he. took affected him. Mr Beetham: “ Then he should not take any.” Accused expressed his sorrow, and asked that the Bench would deal leniently. He promised not to come before them again. Mr Beetham said this was not the first time he had been here; he would be fined 10a, or forty-eight hours’ imprisonment for drunkenness; fined Is, and ordered to pay £2 for the damage he had done, or forty-eight hours in default; and sentenced to ninety-six hours’ imprisonment for the obscene language and assault.—Annie Wharton was fined 10s, or forty-eight hours’ imprisonment. Assault. —Daniel Eadcliffe was charged with assaulting Joseph Frederick Ward on April 25, at Fapanui. Sureties of the peace were applied for. Mr Thomas appeared for complainant and Mr Weston for defendant. The parties were brothers-in-law, between whom, unfortunately, bad feeling had grown up. On the day in question complainant had tethered a horse, harnessed to a trap, across a private path leading to defendant’s house; he had fastened his horse in a similar place before, and then, as on this occasion, defendant had cut the tether rope. This time the parties met, and defendant abused complainant, who replied that a certain objectionable expression was more applicable to defendant than to him. Defendant then struck complainant, who defended himself. After hearing the evidence, his Worship said the Bench did not think the case was one for sureties of the peace. While it was very clear the complainant had done that which resulted in the assault, this by no means justified Eadcliffe incommitting the assault. "Complainant had tied his trap across the footpath, when he might have' tied it elsewhere. He must k&ve known this would produce more illfeeling, and probably a shindy, as it had. This, however, did not justify the offence, and defendant would be fined 10s and pay the costa of the enquiry. Miscellaneous. —Henry Panned, for employing a young person in his workroom after 2 p.m. on Saturday, was fined -£l, and J. D. Phillips, who was similarly charged, was fined £2 } as this was his second offence. Cornelius Eossiter (sixteen) and James Blackmore (fourteen) were each fined 5s for discharging firearms so as to endanger or frighten persons on the Sawyers’ Arms road. It appeared that the boys had been shooting at pigeons belonging to Mr Toovey, of the Sawyers’ Arms Hotel. For allowing horses to wander, S. Nutt, Q. H. Limbrick, E. Pape, and F. Mahnke were each fined ss.—Hoop Sing, for leaving his vehicle unattended in the roadway, was fined ss.—John Watson was fined 10s, and T. Sheehan JBl for having unregistered dogs in their possession.—William M'Connell, for being the owner of one hundred sheep infested with lice in the Addington Saleyards was fined £1 and costs. —F. W. Dowding admitted having shot a hen pheasant out of season at Opawa on May 8, and was fined £2 and costs. He said the bird rose so quickly that he had not the slightest idea what it was, and fired on the impulse of the moment.—John Murphy, who had deserted his wife, Grace Murphy, and six children, was ordered to pay 24a 6d per week towards their support. AMBEEIiEY. Thursday, Mat 20. (Before A. Broadfoot, W. S. Smith, and ju Uhit'E u.' uuauui two lads, of about 13 years of age, were charged with committing a nuisance in the Post Office letter box at Leithfield. Mr G. B . imore appeared for the prisoners. James Shore, after receiving a severe reprimand from the Bench, was, on account of his youth, handed over to hia father for the purpose of being flogged in the presence of the police constable. The following were each fined 5s and costs for allowing cattle to be at large: — James M'Gowan, A. M'Lean, James Thomas. J. Lohman, Mary Parker and Andrew Simpson. Emily Dance, for the same offence, was fined £1 and costs, owing to non-attendance. —Edwin Tobin, for being drunk, using abusive language, and interfering with the removal of stock, on May 10, at Messrs Benn and Co.’s auction sale, was fined .£1 and costs.—John Eichards and his two sons appeared to answer a charge of cruelty to pigs, and were fixed £1 and costa. CnsAßiua Qoesb. —George Gorrie appeared to answer a charge, laid by the Kowai Eoad Board, of neglecting a notice which had been served on him for the removal of gorse on the roads adjoining his property. A fine of j6lO was inflicted, but would not be executed if Gorrie commenced forthwith to clear the gorse. _ In the case ’ against Thomas Evans for a similar offence judgment was withheld on his undertaking to commence work at once. Dorothea Olfeld, who had also received a notice which had not been complied with, was ordered to clear 10 chains per month until the work is finished, which she agreed to do.

Civil Case. —Spiner v. Tobin, claim £2 ; Jsllos had been paid into Court. Judgment was given for this amount and costs.