POLICE COURT.—Saturday.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5359, 20 January 1879, Page 3

POLICE COURT.—Saturday.

TBefore R. C. Barstow, Esq., R.M.I Drunkenness.—Three persons were punished for this offence. Larceny.—Archibald Campbell was charged with stealing a gold wedding-ring and keeper, : the property of Mrs. Weatheridge. He pleaded guilty. It appears while the woman was drunk he stole tho rings off her finger and pawned them. Tbere aras a long list of previous convictions against the prisoner, and he was sentenced to four months imprisonment with hard labour. Merchant Shipping Act.—Thomas Satchell was charged with disobedience to lawful commands, on board the British ship Marava.l, on the high seas, on the 16th of November. He pleaded not guilty. The charge was laid under the Shipping and Seamen's Act, 1877. Mr. Pardy stated the case. He had refused to obey the orders of the boatswain and captain. Robert Ramsey, master of the ship Maraval, deposed the defendant was an articled seaman on board. the 10th of November the boatswaiu complained that prisoner had refused to put matting on the mainstay. "Witne.ss threatened to disrate him to an ordinary seaman. He told witness that ho had a sore tinger, but even if he had not he would not do it, and he threatened to fix him (witness) off. Witness had him put in irons for 48 hours. Witness had to keep him separate from the others, as be endeavoured to excite insubordination amongst the emigrants. He acted in this way on the request of the surgeon-superintendent. Captain Ramsey read the entry from the official log. Cross-examined : He sent the doctor to examine the prisoner's finger, and the doctor reported that there was nothing to hinder him from the performance of his duty. Witness did call him a scoundrel and useless trash before prisoner spoke, and might have called him a blood-sucker. Richard Nelson Baker, boatswain of the ship, deposed that the defendant refused to put tbe mat on the mainstay, and he brought him before the captain. Prisoner asked the cuptaiu if he was to be made a loblolly boy on board the ship. He corroborated the captain's statement. Edward Charlton Cox, surgeou-supenntendent of ship, deposed : He recollected the charge of insubordination against the prisouer. When witness came on deck the prisouor had just been put in irons. At the request of the cuptaiu he examined prisoner's finger, and ascertained tlisit there was nothing to prevent him from doing his work. All that ailed him was a bruise on the finger, which had apparently been done some time before, and witness said so. The defendant said his reason for not putting on the* mat was that he could not do it, and when the captain abused him, and threatened to disrate him, he told him to keep his hands oif him, or he would fix him up when he caine to Auckland. The Bench said the prisoner was the only member of the crew against whom there was anything lodged. He was found guilty, and sentenced to seven days' imprisonment and to pay the costs. The 1 rogramme of the Henderson's Mill Races, which take place on the 22nd February, appears in our advertisement columns. We direct attention to the advertisement of the Northern Wairoa Hotel, at Dargaville, which contains all the elements of a first-class home for visitors and families visiting this portion of the North. The management is well # spoken of, and the house is beautifully j furnished.