RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume III, Issue 682, 20 January 1866, Page 6

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Friday. (Before Thomas Beckham, Esq., R.M.) brunkenn-ess. Andrew Murray, William Blair, John Kenny, Pat DReedy, Charlea Weston, and John Collins, were each charged with this offence, and were fined 20b. and costs, or in default 43 hours' imprisonment with hard labour. ESCAPE FROM THE STOCKADB. Isaac "Robinson was placed in tho dock, charged by Joseph Tuckwell, gaoler of the Mount Eden iStockade, with escaping from tho Stockade before his of imprisonment was expired. Joseph Tuck-well deposed: I am giioler at tho "Mount Eden Stockade. I know the prisoner. Bis name is Isaac Robinson. Ho was under sentence of -the Supreme Court. He was introduced into tho .sjaol'on the sth December last. He was committed under warrant from Hr Aruey for stealing from the person with violxnce, for which he was sentence: Ito three years' hard labour. There was also .a second sentence for three years for stealing from a ■dwelling-house. They were accumulating sentences. ■On Wednesday, 3rd January, I mustered the prisoners as usual at half-past seven o'clock, to send them ■out to day work- On the return of tho prisoners at noon, the prisoner waj missing. I first saw him .again on Wednesday last in the police office. Constable King depose! : I know the prisoner. His name is Isaac I'obinson. I apprehended him on Monday, the loth instant, at Flat Bush, about 10 • o'clock at night. The prisoner was then arraigned on a charge preferred aga'ust i im by James Griffiths, Avith having, on the 4th January, assaulted him and stolen various ni tides of clothing, value £3 or £4, the property of the said James Griffiths. James Griffiths depose !: fam a sawyer, residing at little Muddy Creek. 1 saw liim on the roid to .Little Muddy Creek on the 4th instant. He hailed me, and asked mo where I was going. I replied tint I was going to Little Muddy Creek. We walked on together for about two miles when tho prisoner got behind me and gave me n blow on tho head with a stick, which knocked mo down. Ido not k"OW how long I remained there, for I was insensible. When 1 camo to myself X found I was naked all but my flannel shirt, and the prisoner's clothes laying by my side. 'Iho clothes produced ure what 1 found laying by my side, awl arc tho eloihes the prisoner had on when I met him. I put them on and walked home in them. My wife took tlia clothes off me when I got home. I lost my own i-lothes. The clothes tho prisoner has now on are my pioperty. I felt the effects of tho blow until very lately. I have not been able to work since. Mary Urifutli3 deposed: I am the wife of James Griffiths. I recollect Thursday evening, the 4th inst. About eight o'clock my husband came home and tried to repeat some words, but I could not tell what ho sr.id. He was dressed in the clothes produced. I recognised him by his voice. I took tho elothca otf my husband and kept them till daylight, when I brought them into town. I have beer, obliged to scad him to hospital, where ho has remained ever Constable King produced the clothes which he received from last witness. Prisoner said the man gave him the clothes himself when he first met him. lie certainly did hit him first, and told him that if ho did not take them from him he shonl : take them from some one else. '1 he prosecutor told him he could take them, as he liad .often done the same thinir before for the like., of him. v The prisoner was fully committed to tako his ;trial on tioth charges. AITESIi'TED SUICIDE. George Goodall was biought up, cn remand, charged with this offence. Mr. Wynn appeared for the prisoner, and stated that he was instructed that there was no foundation for the charge made against the prisoner. Dr. Merritt deposed : I know the prisoner. I saw him at Mr. Patter's s'uip on tho 28th ult. 1 was sent for to see the prisoner. He appeared in great agonv. I eaquired wliero his pain was. Ho pointed from his throat to his stomach. Ho was unable to articulate. I a«k~d what poison he had taken. I gave him a paper, pen, and ink, and he wroto the words, " some oxa." I then asked the chemist's assistant for sme prepared chalk. I administered tho chalk freely, which relieved the pain. X then administered an emetic, and shortly afterwards ho commenced retctiing. He was then removed to the Union Hotel. As he did not vomit freely, I adminis« tered another emetic, which operated freely. He then became able to speak. I then asked him where he got the oxalic acid. He replied, from the stable. He then being quiet and comfortable, I lett him. His pu.se was very irregular, sometime" violent and sometimes depressed. The eyes wera injected, and suffased symptoms would indi ate irritant poisoning. .Judging from the symptom», I should say he had taken poison. I did not examine what he vomited. By Mr. V. jiin : lam a member of tho University of Michigan. I took my degree in March, 1557. Oxalic acid is got from lime and also from vegetables. The symptoms of poisoning by oxalic acid are intenee irritation of the throat and stomach, and a severe shock to tho nervous system. Most of the mineral acids would produce the stme effects. I never atten■ded a person who had died from taking arsenic or oxalic acid, therefore I cannot speak from my own ■experience. The test for oxalic acid is nitxiteof silver. If it is freely in solution it would be precipitated by nitrate of silver. The precipitato would fulminate. Dr. Kane was there but ho formed no opinion on the case at all. I sent for a stomach pump. I did not use it because I considered the antidote was sufficient, nnd that the pump would only increase the irri J ». The first symptom of taking doses of poison s;.i :to kill is a great prostration of the ueives. Juugiu = from the symptoms,'! should say the prisoner had taken sufficient poison to kill him. If I had not treated him as I did, I believe ho would havo died. Some of the symptoms, I observed, might have been the consequence of other causes than poison. The state of the pulse might be caused by delirium trc.mens. Fred* A. Powell deposed : T am assistant to Mr. Potter, chemist, Q.ueen-street. I Baw tho prisoner on the 28th instant. He came into tho shop at 10 o'clock on the morning of that day. He appeared to he in an excited state and asked for six-penny worth of laudanum. I refused to give it to him. He then begged me earnestly to give him six-penny worth of oxaic acid. I also refused to give him that. He got worse and worse, he became speechless. I called a constable in, and sent for Dr. Merritt. [The remainder of this witness's evidence was the same its that given by Dr. Merritt ] Ho was ordered to find two sureties of £50 each, and himself in £100, to be on his good behaviour fox six months. ASSAULT. Jason Kernahan was charged by Daniel Brett with violently assaulting him on Saturday, 13th January, by knocking him down, kicking him, and striking him on the head with a bjr of iron. Dani 1 Brett deposed: Belween 10 ttnd 11 o'clock on the nigtit of the 13th instant I was going home. I had to pass through Freeman's Bay. I went, into Mcleod's publiC-houtfe' to have a glass of alo. I met the prisoner and two others going out as I went in. After I came out I overtook them. I was knocked down with a blow from a bottle, and the prisoner kicked me when I was down. When I was near my own house I was again' knocked down by a bar of iron, and the prisoner kicked me again. That's all I remember By Air. Beveridge: I had had a glass of ale before going into Mcleod'* public-house. George Williams deposed : I saw the thrco men fighting together on Saturday night, the 13th inst. The men were the last witness, tho prisoner, and another man. I pulled the prisoner from last witness. He was on the ground. Tho last witness was about half gone. Ho was able to walk home, although he had a drop in him. They seemed to be all three alike. The prisoner struck first. He . hit the prosecutor twice and kicked him once. ■The defendant was ordered to pay a fine of 20s. and costs, or le imprisoned for 1-1 days with hard labour. breach of the slaughter-house act. • Thomas Smith waß charged with a breach of the Blanghter-house Act, by slaughtering an animal on * his premises. Mr. Beveridge, who appeared for the defence, said thtit the Act enacted that no beasts should be slaughterod except at a slaughter-house appointed by proclamation of His Honor the Superintendent. A proclamation, was issued by W. Brown, Superintendent for the time being, that the slaughter house •bould be the one ereoted near Hobson's Bridge, and no cattle should ho slaughtered at any place

situated to the south of the Waitemata, within three miles from the Supreme Court-ho«se in Queen-street. Air. Beveridge argued that as this slaughter-houßO was closed up, and no other place had been proclaimed a public slaughtor-house, so that a butcher could not slaughter anywhere, the slaughter-house at Panmure not being a proclaimed slaughter-house. His Worship said if that was the only defence, the defendant had very little chance. He should inflict tho full penalty of £10 to be paid into Court, and then the defendant could apply to the Government, and if the Government were wrong, the Government would of course remit the fine. Georso Giles pleaded guilty to tho same charge, and was fined in the same amount. His "Worship made some remarks on tho inefheient state of tho law on this subject. Every obstacle seemed to bo throwu in the way of tho Police in finding out an offence of this kind. He was first obliged to find out that tho animals were being slaughtered, and then he must go to the Police Court and get a search warrant before ho could go on tho premises. Certainly the law required amending. HBEACH OF THE MUNICIPAL TOLICE ACT. John Linton was charged with a breach of tho abovo Act, by throwing a quantity of rubbish on the public thoroughfare, viz.—Eden Crescent. Ho pleaded guilty, and was fined 60s. and cos's. KEEI'IN'O A HAD HOUSE. William Jones, Philip Mason, Annie Waters, Susannah Sand', and Clara Grant, were summoned, but did not appear to answer a chargc of keeping a bad house. The serving of the summons h ving been proved, warrants were ordered to bo issuoi for their apprehension. THREATENING LANGUAGE. Win. Knapp was charged with using threatening language towards his wife Frances Louisa Knapp, , by saying ho would fake her life, and she further , stated that "unless ho was restrained oho feared ho would do her some grievously bodily harm. Ordered to find two sureties of £-5 cacli to keep tho peace and be of good behaviour for six months. larceny. William Wilson pleaded guilty to stealing a Crimean shirt, value Ss., the property of John Slator, of tho Court Hou=e Hotel. Ho was ordered to he imprisoned in tho common gaol of Auckland for two months, and kopt to hard labour.