INVERCARGILL.

North Otago Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 8508, 30 June 1896, Page 3

INVERCARGILL.

June 29 At the Police Court, John Street Baxter, a grocer and prominent Prohibitionist, was charged with selling a bottle of schnapps without having a license to do so, £he defence was that an employee supplied the liquor against defendant's express instructions. The Magistrate ruled that he was not responsible for the act of a servant where the servant acted outside the employer's authority and orders, and dismissed the case. William James Hyndman, Baxter's employee, was then similarly charged. The defence was simply that accused was an agent, and derived no profib from the sale. The evidence showed that Hyndman purchased bhe schnapps from another grocer for a customer. Evidence was given that the liquor was sold to Hyndman for 4s 6d, but ho stated that he thought he gave 5s 3d. The receipt produced showed that Baxter's customer was charged 5s 6d. Decision was reserved. A similar charge will be heard against David Roche, who supplied Hyndman. In the last of the sly grog-selling cases — that against D. Roche — the Magistrate dismissed the information on the ground that the defendant, having expressly told his employees that they were not to sell less than two gallons of liquor to anyone, he could not be called to account for what they did m defiance of his order.