POLICE COURT.—THURSDAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIV, Issue 4813, 20 April 1877, Page 3

POLICE COURT.—THURSDAY.

[Before R. Graham, and J. Cosgravo, Esq?., Jmtice?.' Vagrancy.—The same prisoner, Agues Conlon, was' charged with a breach of the Vagrant Act,, by being au idle and disorderly person, a rogue and vagabond, and an habitual drunkard. Tho accused pleaded guilty, and «vas sentenced to one year's imprisonment with hard labour. Assault.— Alexander Hatfald was charged with eyssaulting Isaac Harrison, by striking

"Eim across - "the"" mouth. - The' defendant" pleaded guilty, saying,, [however, that the blow had beon delivered without any intsn.tioi} of hurting him. Mr.- Harrison, the prosecutor, admitted -that- the assault was hot of a serious Mature. £lc did not desire to have the defendant'severely punished. 1 ■~A fine of £11 and .costs; iwith' the altgfnatiye of seven ;days' imprisonment with hard labour, was imposed. Mrs. Wetherall Again.—Susan Wether-, all made her periodical appearance before the Bench, charged.rwith failing to contribute to the support of her children, inmates_of the. Howe-street Industrial . Home. SubInspector Pardy. said : that -the- woman had been repeatedly brought before the Bench, that ishe never had paid,' and never would pay. AU her children were'being, supported at the expense of tlie. public, while she flaunted about the streets at'night dreised in the loudest style. Although well able: to patronise theatres and public-house bars, she never could pay anything towards the support of .her unfortunate offspring; The prisoner wa* liberated on promising , to pay £2 into Court on Saturday, and the balance, 12 10s, on the Friday following. An Unfaithful Father.—StephenHorne was brought before the Court to show cause why, for theiastseveuty weeks, liehadnotpaid the usual contribution of 2s 6d per week. Tbe prisoner Baid he had not been in constant employment, and therefore could not keep up his payments. He was in expectation of securing work this week, and would make' an effort to discharge his liability. Frouf the statement made—by the;Sub-Inspector, this appeared to be even a worse case (if that were possible) than that of Susan WetheralL - The Court adjourned the case till Friday, i the 27ch instant, in order to give him an opportunity to satisfy the Court that he was desirous of paying what ho was due Intellectual Weakness—Two persons —one from Te Kopuru, aud the other from the Wade—were brought. before the Court charged with being pf- unsound mind. Upon the evidence of Dpi. Ellis and Goldsbro'. one was sent to the hospital, and the other (he from Te Kopuru)' was committed to the. • Lunatic Asylum. ''

Customs .Regulations. —Margaret Gillespie, stewardess on board the s.s. Hero, was charged with being concerned in the unshipment of a parcel of velvet from the s.s. •Hero, no duty having been paid upon the same. The Customs authorities elected to sue for £17, which was treble the value of the velvet. The defendant pleaded guilty, urging, however, in palliation of the gravity of the offence, that it had been committed unwittingly. She had found the parcel on board at Melbourne, and on arrival at Auckland had simply sent it ashore. It was addressed to a Mrs. Long, at the Thames. Mr. F. M. P. Brookfield having stated the case, the tide waiter Baid that he was engaged in the ordinary pursuit of his duties on board the Hero some time after her arrival alongside the Wharf, when he observed a washerwoman taking some clothes ashore. He noticed something peculiar with a pillow-slip which she carried. Inside it he saw a pasteboard box. He searched it, and found the velvet inside. On being interrogated, the woman said the pillow-slip had been given her by the : stewardess. The' Bench , said it had no option but to order the defendant to pay the full amount sued for, viz., £17. Mrs. Gillespie said she had not the money. The Bench said in that case she would have to undergo six months' imprisonment in the Common Gaol of Auckland. She would further be obliged to notify the Gaol, when the term had expired, of that fact. At this stage Mr. W. 11. .Kissling, instructed by a gentleman in Court, said lie would pay the tine. The defendant was consequently allowed her liberty.

.Larceny.—William Shuter was charged on remand with stealing fifteen geese, valued at £3 15s, the property of Henry Davidson, Kyber Pass Road. Mary Davidson, wife of the prosecutor deposed that on Monday last they had fifteen geese, but on the following day they were not to be found. The fifteen geese at this stage were produced in Court. They were dead and putrefaction must have set in for the stench proceeding from them was simply unbearable. The witness identified them as her husband's property. Constable "Menzies and Henry Morgan, a lad employed at the Phcenix Foundry, also gave evidence. The prisoner' was sentenced to six months' imprisonment with hard labour.