POLICE COURT.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 1706, 22 December 1919, Page 5

POLICE COURT.

PALMERSTON NORTH—MONDAY,

AN OLD MAN'S HOLIDAY,

Mr J. L. Stout, S.M., presided at the sitting of the Police Court this morning. Kenneth, McDonald, an-old grey haired man, was charged with being drunk in Rungitikei street yesterday, and- also with assaulting Harold Baker and Robert Smith. Accused pleaded guilty to the drunkenness charge, but denied having any knowledge of the other two charges. He said he was 67 years of age, and had bought a bicycle for £l4 14s, which was smashed the day he purchased it. Ha pleaded for a chance, saying ho "did not foel too good," having sustained , n shock when ho fell off tho bicycle. ! His Worship: What about the two men ! you are supposed to havo assaulted? I Accused said ho did not know anything ! about that part of the trouble i Senior-Sergeant Eraser 6aid that accused hud been found in a boarder's room in the Clarendon Hotel last evening and was put off tho premises, being afterwards found in another hotel, and incidentally he had committed tho two assaults. Douglas Baker, manager of the Clarendon i Hotel, deposed that ho put accused out of j tho hotel in tho morning, in tho afternoon, j and again'in tho evening about half-past six o'clock, when accused assaulted Harold-1 Bakor. j

Robert Smith, porter at the Imperial Hotel, deposed that he saw accused going upstairs and he put him out. The accused struck him on the fr.co.

Accused when asked,if ho had any questions to asrc, said ho had made a fool of himself. He was 67 years of ago and had come to Palnferston North for a holiday from his work at Napier. Tho Magistrate finod accused IDs on tho charge of drunkenness, in default 24 hours' imprisonment, and on tho other two charges convicted and discharged tho offender, at. tho same timo warning McDonald that ho had better get back to work at Napier. CHARGE DISMISSED.

Joseph Henry Lewis, a youth 18 years of go, who was before tho Court on Saturday ust oa a charge of not having sufficient

lawful means of support, and who was remanded to enablo His Worship to givo full consideration to the matter, was brought before tho Court again this morning. Mr H. R. Cooper appeared for the accused, saying that there had been some misunderstanding■' about tho date on which the caso was to/come on as it was understood it would be taken to-day. His mother complained that he had been locked up sinco Tuesday, and had not been ablo to get bail.

Tho Magistrate said he was not prepared to convict Lewis on the present evidence, but if ho went on as ho had been doing ho would come within the section of the Act.

Ho was not taking the chance that the Supreme Court had given him and had only been working threo or four days during tho past month. His mother was a widow with three children to support besidos a "big lump of a boy" like accused, who ought to bo helping her. He might not yet come within the section of tho Act relating to an idle and disorderly person, but if he went on as ho.had been doing ho would have' to be convicted, yind might bo sent to Invercargill for reformative treatment ■ for' two or three years as he did not seem to want a chance when it was given to him. Detective-Sergeant Qurko asked for a certificate of conviction on tho other charge, which Lewis had to answer on Saturday last, namely,' giving a false alarm to tho fire brigade. Tho Magistrate said that the police were entitled to get that, but it seemed to him the whole question was one for the Supreme Court as accused had not been doing as the judgo suggested. RIDING BICYCLES IN ESPLANADE.

George Farmer was fined 10s and costs 2s for riding a bicycle in the Esplanade, tho Magistrate remarking that this offehoo was getting too .common. Owen. Tynhan and Eustace Everest were .similarly penalised for a like offence. . DRUNKENNESS..

J. 11, Jensen .was fined £1 for drunkenness, and'a statutory, first- offender for a similar ofl'onco was lined 10s.

BREAKING AND ENTERING. Joseph Wilson and James Boyco, two youths, were charged with breaking and entering tho dwelling of Robert Don lies ut Shannon on tho 17th inst. and stealing therefrom goods to tho value of £5 6s 9d. Robert Downs deposed that on the evening of the 17th ho and his wife left their houso at Shannon about 7.50 o'clock. With tho exception of ono window, which was simply shut down, having a broken fastener, all the doors and windows wore locked. Bofore leaving the house they left some bread and other food on tho kitchen table. They returned at 10.45 p.m. and found that tho food had been removed. They then discovered that somebody had got through tho window, tho curtain being broken down. They found that several small articles wero missing. On going through the Shannon recreation grounds subsequently with a constable they found a hut and then found tho two accused asleep. The constable wakened them up and arrested them. The accused admitted that they got into the house through tho window. Constable McGregor searched tho accusod, and on Wilson he found the stolen property. Boyco admitted that ho gave some of the goods to Wilson to hold. Witness identified tho property as having been taken from his house; it consisted of a hat, two brooches, tie pin, pendant, knife, scarf, tin of tobacco, patent match box, and a blanket. ConsUble McGregor gave evidence as to finding the accused asleep under tho.trees in the Shannon recreation ground covered with the stolen blanket. Both accused admitted having trot into tho house through tho window. Tho recused said they had escaped from Weraroa training farm that day. Accused had nothing to say and rrtiilty, being committed to the Supreme Court at Wellington for sontenee.