LAW AND POLICE.

New Zealand Herald, Issue 6568, 5 December 1882, Page 3

LAW AND POLICE.

BANKKUPTCY. Re Hksry James BAKER.—The debtor is a carpenter, and came up to ask for his discharge. As there were no creditors present the bankrupt will have to apply for his dis' charge under the 184 th section of the Debtors and Creditors Act. The particulars of the estate have been already published. POLICE COURT.—Monday. [Before Messrs. W. J. Hurst and E. Walker, J.P.'i. Drunkenness and Larceny. —Eliza Lestrange was charged with stealing from the person of Thomas Purcell a purse containing £1 at the Nottingham Castle Hotel, Aber-crombie-street, on Saturday the 2nd instant. There was also a charge of drunkenness against the defendant, against whom there were also recorded many previous convictions for drunkenness and petty offences. Anne Bradfield deposed that she saw the prisoner in company with the prosecutor in tkinner s hotel, Abercrombie-street. She saw the prisoner take a purse out of the prosecutor's side pocket. It contained money. There was silver in it. He wanted the purse back from her in order to get a drink. She refused to give it to him, saying that she had been two days with him, and he promised to marry her. The prisoner then said she was best entitled to it. Thomas Purcell, the prosecutor, said the putse contained 20s when prisoner took it. The purse itself was not worth much. The prisoner Baid that on the Sajurday the purse contained £4. The prosecoior gave £1 to a man who was with him, kept £1 for himself, and gave her £2. The prosecutor then got beastly drunk, and lost his monev. The prosecutor said that all he knew about the matter was that the prisoner stole his containing 20s. Constable Carroll said that he took the prisoner into custody. Some time after she was in the lock-up she took off her right shoe, and concealed in it either 9s or 7s in silver. The purse was afterwards found in the lock-up urinal. The prisoner said that she was searched at the police-station and 13s was taken from her. The money was given to her by the prosecutor. She was drunk. Sergeant White said the prisoner was drunk. The prosecutor was also very drunk when he came to the station. The prisoner was sentenced to 14 diys' imprisonment with hard labour.

Drunkenness.—W. S. Staite and Robert Rowson were each fined 5s for being drunk, or in default 24 hours' imprisonment. Larceny.—(icorge Murphy, aged 12, and R. Smith, aged 15, were charged with the following series of petty larcenies :—(1) Stealing a pair of boots, value 12s, the property of Henry Sawkins ; (2) a coat, valued at 255, the property of Henry Keesing; (3) a pair of shoes, valued at 4s 6d, the property of Edward. Wilkins ; (4) four umbrellas, valued at 30s, the property of Joseph Green ; (5) a pair of boets, valued at 10s, the property of W. H. Dampier; (6) a pair of shoes, the property of John Scott, 3s; (6) a pair of boots, valued at 12s, the property of Henry Sawkins ; (7) a coat, valued at 20s, the property of Sydney Asher; (8) two pairs of boots, valued at 15s, the property of Benjamin Crocker. Both prisoners had been remanded, to enable the police to make inquiries. The younger prisoner was committed to Kohimarama School until he should be 15 years of age. The Bench took time to consider what could be doße with the elder boy. The Bench ultimately decided to require the father of the boy Smith to enter into a bond of £25 to bring him up for judgment when required. Assault.—Charles Hopkins was charged with assaulting John McKeuzie by striking him on the head with liis clenched fist. The complainant said he asked the defendant to chastise his children, who were a great annoyance. Complainant also said that if defendant did not chastise the children it would be done for him. The children had been throwing dirt and stones on complainant's verandah. The defendant got into a great rage, and committed the assault, accompanj ing it with a volley of oaths. Crossexamined by Mr. Cotter : The complaic.iut said he had moved to Ponsonby. The assault was committed on the 25th of last month. The defendant had not interfered with him since. Mr. Cotter said the" defendant denied the assault in toto. The complainant came to the defendant's house adenine o'clock at night, when the defendant was in bed. The plaintiff kept knocking loudly at the door. The defendant's wife went to the door, and said said her husband was in bed, but MeKenzie insisted upon seeing him. When defendant went to the door the complainant put himself in a fighting attitude, said he would punish the children if Hopkins did not do so. The defendant gave the complainant a push. There was no assault whatever with the clenched fist. The defendant is master of the Tarn o' Shanter at present, and not in very good health. The complainant said that what he meant by saying that the children would be corrected for him was, that he (complainant) would give information to the police. The defendant was fined Is and costs. Assault.—Maud Churton was charged with beating two children named Georgina and Gertrude Kendall. The defendant Said that the children of Beresford-street School annoyed her by throwing stones on to her house and verandah. The father of the children said the woman beat children at a considerable distance from the school. The children she beat might be perfectly innocent. The Bench would say whether the little girls in the Court looked like children that would behave as the defendant stated. He only wanted protection for the children, who were afraid to go to school in consequence of the defendant's behaviour. The Bench said the defendant laid herself open to very serious consequences. The defendant's husband said he was going to leave the neighbourhood, and the children would in future have no reason for apprehension. The Bench allowed the defendant to be discharged upon payment of costs, 14s.