MAGISTERIAL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCIV, Issue 10707, 17 July 1895, Page 3

MAGISTERIAL.

CHRISTCHURCH. Tuesday, July 16. (Before Mr N. K. Bowden, J.P., Mr J. R. Brunt, J.P., and Mr M. Bowron, J.P.) Drunkenness. —Kate Moore, for this offence, was fined 20s, with the alternative of twenty-six hours’ imprisonment. Counterfeit Coin.— George Rugstead, seventeen years of age, was charged with having, on July 15, at Christchurch, uttered a counterfeit half-sovereign, knowing the same to bo counterfeit. Accused admitted the offence, and said he got it from a gentleman. Detective Henderson said that George Tibbs, a fishermonger, with defective sight, asked the lad to buy some crayfish, which he did, and tendered a sixpence badly coloured to represent a halfsovereign. Tibbs gave the lad 9a change. The fish was a threepenny one. Tibbs was going to get change for the half-sovereign when the boy said, “ It’s all right,” and ran away. When arrested accused admitted to the constable that the coin was passed on him, and he then tried to get rid of it. George Tibbs explained the circumstances, and stated that the lad, when he afterwards caught him, gave up the 9s, and he did not wish to press the charge. Detective Henderson said the boy was respectable. The Bench decided to take a lenient view of the case, and dismissed the accused.

Alleged Larceny. —George Campbell (fourteen years of age) was charged with having, on July 13, stolen four £1 notes and 14s in silver from the Press office, the property of H. D. Pine (Mr Brunt here retired from the Bench). The accused admitted the offence, and elected, through Mr E. Manhire, who represented the lad’s mother, to have the case dealt with summarily. Chief-Detective Henderson said the boy was employed running errands at the Press office, and on the day in question, took the money from Mr Pine’s drawer, which had been left unlocked. When questioned by Detective Benjamin, he admitted taking the money, and said he bad spent some of it, and bad '‘planted” the rest. They went to accused’s mother’s house at Addington, where he dug up the ground near the closet, but no money could be found, and the boy said the plant must have been discovered. IT. D. Pine gave evidence as to the duties of the boy at the Press office. Mr Guthrie, manager of the Press Company, said they did not want to press the case. The money belonged to Mr Pine, and the Company was disposed, if the boy had confessed at once, and had shown a disposition to restore the money, to overlook the matter, but they could scarcely do so in face of the fact that the money had disappeared again, and they could not help thinking that it was not quite a straight case, otherwise they would have been prepared to take him on again, and give him another trial. They did not want to he severe on the boy, whose mother was in poor circumstances, and in bad health. In answer to the Bench, accused . repeated his statement that the money had been planted, and taken from there. Mr Manhire said he had known the boy for a long time, and he was the main support of his mothei', who was ill, and her husband was away. The money would be guaranteed to Mr Pine. The Bench decided to remand the accused till Thursday, in order to give him an opportunity of finding the money. Bail was allowed accused in £25, and one surety of £2s,—Michael Ford was charged with having, on July 15, stolen an overcoat, valued at £1 7s 6d, from the shop of Thomas Armstrong, Lower High Street. Detective Maddren deposed to seeing the accused leave a secondhand shop with a new mackintosh, overcoat on. His movements being , suspicious ho asked him where he got the coat, and he aaid that he bought it in Timaru some two years ago. Robert Kmnaird deposed to putting the coat outside Mr Armstrong’s shop yesterday, and it was gone in the evening. After further evidence had been given, the Bench sentenced the accused to three months’ imprisonment with hard labour. Frederick Lane, an elderly man, was charged with having, on July',ls, stolen four tiles, value 10a, the property of H. B. Kirk. Accused admitted taking the tiles but pleaded that he had no intention of stealing them. The son of the prosecutor deposed to seeing Lane take the tiles from his father’s yard, and,! when, questioned, said Mr Eirk ha‘d", given him authority to do so. Another employe of prosecutor corroborated this evidence, and added that accused had three others planted under a gate. Accused repeated his assertion that he was not stealing the tiles. He admitted having been convicted, several times previously. The Bench decided to deal leniently with the case, as the accused was an.old man, and sentenced him to one week’s imprisonment.

Alleged Assault and'.' Eobbeet. — Edward Driver,- alias John" Lowe, was charged with 'having, on July 16, at the South .Belt, assaulted find robbed Mary of a purse and 10s worth of silver. Chief-Deteqtive Henderson asked that the case' might be treated as one of simple larceny. Accused pleaded not guilty, and asked that all witnesses should be ordered out of Court. After the evidence had been heard, the Bench found accused guilty, and sentenced him to one month’s imprisonment. .

(Before-Mr H.W. Bishop, 8.M.) Civile Cases.—Judgment by default, with costs, was given for plaintiffs in the following cases;—Mary Lukey v. Louisa Eogere, claim £4 16a 6d, costs 10s; A. Anpleby and E. Bray v. T. Catton, .£SB 6s 3d, costs £4 (Mr Bruges for plaintiffs); the Public Trustee v. G. Eobinson, £l4 Os sd, costs £1 10s 6d (Mr Caygill for plaintiff) ; Walter A. Wood Mowing and Heaping Company v. A. Hawken, JBIO ss, costs £1 14s 6d (Mr Flesher for plaintiffs); Mason, Struthers and Co. v. J. H. Kissel, .£l4 2a, costa 15s; T. P. Dunmill v. J. W. S. Trelawney, JBB 16s 4d, costs 8a ; Berry and Go. ,v. E. J. Arlow,i>34 16s lid, costs £2 14b, Mr Franks for plaintiffs.—Mason, Struthers and Co. v. A. Lilly, claim £1 3s 9d. Defendant admitted the debt, and judgment was given for plaintiffs for the amount claimed and costs ss.

LYTTELTON. Tuesday, Judy 16. (Before Mr S. E. Webb, J.P., and Mr N. C. Schumacher, J.P.) Lighting a Pike, —Samuel McDonald, a member of the Lyttelton Fire Brigade, was charged under the Police Offences Act with lighting a fire in Donald Street, a right-of-way off Oxford Street, at 1 a.m. on Sunday, July 7. It was explained that the Council had recently fitted up a new system for ringing the alarm and the brigade, under arrangement with the Council, had decided to teat the apparatus. A small fire was lighted with the object of haying the bell rung by someone unacquainted with the working of tho ; system. G. Laureneon, chairman of the' Fire Prevention Committee, corroborated the statement, and added that the facts had been fully explained to the Police Inspector in Christchurch when the summons was issued. The Bench said the case would he dismissed, and expressed the opinion that it would have been an act of courtesy on the part of the Inspector of Police, when the facts were explained to him, to have withdrawn the case. EANQIOEA. Tuesday, July 16. (Before Mr H. S, Wardell, S.M., Mr E. E. Good, J.P., and Mr J. L. Wilson, J.P.) Drunkenness, &c. A first offender charged with having been drunk was fined 6s and costs, and a charge against him of having used obscene language was dismissed on payment of costs, the whole amounting to 19s.