MAGISTERIAL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CI, Issue 11884, 6 May 1899, Page 5

MAGISTERIAL.

CHRISTCHURCH. . Friday, Mat 5. (Before Mr W. H. Cooper, J.P., and Mr " J. G. Sopp, J.P.) Alleged Theft of a Bicycle. —James Bastes was charged with having, on. April 21, at Ashburton, stolen a bicycle valued at £26, the property of J. H. Rickman. Mr Franks appeared for the accused. On the application of the police the accused was remanded until May 10, bail being allowed in the sum of £SO. Dismissed—A charge, brought against a little girl of breaking a window pane, value 2s 6d, the property of Patrick Foley, was dismissed, the Bench holding that no case had ’been proved. Similarly, in a case in which a lad was charged with throwing stones to the danger of other persons, it was also held that no proof had been established. The case was dismissed. Mr Cresswell appeared for the accused. Stone Throwing- —Thomas Jackson, Arthur Quartermain, Cecil Hardingham, Wm. Joyce and Alfred Cade were charged with, throwing stones bn April 16 at Addington, to the danger of one Matthew Tumble. Quartermain did not appear, and the others pleaded not guilty. Alter hearing evidence, the Bench adjourned the cases until May 9, so as to have the attendance of Quartermain, to ensure which a warrant was directed to be issued. . Alleged Theft from the Person.— John Hurley was charged, on remand, with having, on April 27, stolen a gold watch and chain, with a ten-dollar piece attached, and £l3 in money, from the person of Janies, Ayers. Sub-Inspector O’Brien prosecuted. Mr Francis, on behalf of Mr Russell, appeared for the accused. James Ayers said ' he was an hotelkeeper at Westport, and some six weeks ago arrived, on a visit to Christchurch. On April 26 he drew a cheque for £3O from the Bank of 'New Zealand at Kaiapoi, which he cashed for five £5 notes and five £1 notes. On the sanie afternoon he went to Christchurch, and next day bought a pony trap from Messrs Hayward and Co., for which he paid £l6. Between 11 and 12 p.m. on that night he was passing by the Queen’s Hotel, when he met the accused, and both adjourned to a house of ill-repute in Cashel Street to have a drink. . They did not have any drink there, however. On their leaving, in about ten minutes time, me accused accompanied witness to another house in Bedford Row. The door was opened by a woman, whom the accused addressed as “ Bella,” and the two were shown into the kitchen. Witness had only been there h, short time when he missed bis handkerchief from his coat pocket, ■ and, searching his other pockets, he found that he had been robbed. He at once took his watch and chain out of his vest, and, putting them in his trouser pocket, and keeping his hand on them, left the house, followed ’by the accused. They had gone some distance along the street when the accused said, “ Surely you cannot have lost your money; it must be in your coat pocket.” Witness removed Ids hand from his trouser pocket to feel, and the accused then plunged his hand into tie unprotected, pocket, and, snatching the watch and chain, made of? , down Madras Street as fast as his legs would carry him. Witness followed him until, he lost him at a turning. John Robinson, a cab driver, said he had seen Ayers between 10 and 11 p.m,' in the Criterion Hotel on the day of the robbery. He was not very sober, and witness noticed that ho was wearing a gold albert chain. William Morrison, another cabman, said ho also saw Ayers at the Criterion Hotel about five minutes to 11 o’clock on the night in question. He was slightly under the influence of drink, and witness drove him to the Queen’s Hotel. ' Elizabeth Cummins said she remembered two men coming to her house shortly after eleven. They stayed a few minutes, and then left, going in the direction of Madras Street. Witness knew Hurley, but the'other man was a stranger: to her. Jessie Veach said she was at Bella Sinclair’s house in Bedford Row on the evening of the robbery. The accused and Ayers came to the bouse at about 11.50 p.m., and in about five minutes both went away. Nobody complained of having lost any money. Next day witness saw accused in the company of Detective Fitzgerald. The detective 1 asked her if Hurley had been at Sinclair’s on the previous night, and she answered that he' had. Hurley denied having been there. Eliza Veach corroborated the evidence of the last witness. Edmund Campbell said he met the accused in the White Hart Hotel on the evening of April 27.' In company with two other young fellows, they walked as far as Colombo Street, when Hurley left them, at about a quarter past eleven. Detective Fitzgerald said that, upon the robbery being reported to him, be accosted the accused on the same day. -He denied having been in the company of Ayers the previous night, hut said that he was with three other young fellows up till a few minutes to twelve. He; offered to go to Sinclair’s house that H might be proved he was not there as stated. Witness accordingly took him along, and Jessie Veach identified him as a man who was at the house the previous night. The accused denied having been there, but the girl stuck to her story, and said that the accused was in the company of the man who last night complained of losing bis money Ho was searched at the police station, bub nothing-was found on him. The accused reserved his defence,, and was committed for trial at the next sitting cf the Supreme Court, bail being allowed jn two sureties of £SO each. Alleged Incendiarism.— William Horace Williams and Albert Rosanowski were charged with having, on April 26, 1(399, wilfully set fire to the dwelling-bouse_oi Thomas Joseph Parker at St Albans. Wil-,. liams was further charged with setting fire, on July 4, 1896, to a two-roomed house in. St Albans, the property of Thomas Rowley, Mr Donnelly appeared for Rosanowski. bub-: Inspector O’Brien conducted the prosecution. Gordon M’Clnre, district surveyor, produced a plan of Mi' Parker’s bouse and grounds. Ann Parker said the two accused were known to, her. On the Monday previous to the fire she was standing m her back-yard, when Rosanowski called out to her from across the road. He used disgusting language, -and said he would hum out both her and old Stone, a neighbour. This conversation was the night before the fire. On the night of the fire she retired to rest at 8.30, and her husband followed a little after g' p.m. [There were four rooms and a scullery in the house, and witness occupied the front bedroom with her husband, and the child slept in the back room. There was a coal fire burning in the kitchen range when witness went to bed, but it was very low, and there was a fender and asbpan attached. About 1.30 in the morning she was awakened by a tap at the window, and someone shouted out that the house was on fire. On getting up she found the kitchen to be full of smoke. Her husband went for the child, and witness went outside and found that the weather-boards between the kitchen porch and the window were on fire. With the help of her son and some others the fire was extinguished. The house was insured in the New Zealand office for £SO, and the furniture was also covered by a policy for £SO. The house was her own property. A tablecover, a feather pillow, and a petticoat were on the kitchen table. Thera was no sign of fire on them when she went to bed in the evening. There was a bundle of rags soaked in kerosene lying outside the back door under the house. They were found by the police in the morning. Two bottles, which' smelt as if they had contained kerosene, were found lying in, the fernery after the firs. Witness did-nob -put them there,, and had they been there before the fire she would have noticed them. To Mr Donnelly : Her son, Robert Parker, was a private enquiry agent, and slept in a detached room about a chain from the house. At this point the Court adjourned till Monday next, at the Police Court. Both accused , were admitted to bail, in two sureties of £SO each and their own recognisances of £IOO. TA'TTET.TON. Friday. May 5. (Before Mr S. R. Webb, J.P.). Drunkenness. —John Allen was sent to gaol for seven days’ medical treatment. 7 Larceny. —William Edward Townsen^.

pleaded guilty to steJmg. totabledote valued 255, from the Post- o*ce H°t 1, Wellington. He was remanded to Welling ton to appear on Monday next.