LAW AND POLIOS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9991, 30 November 1895, Page 3

LAW AND POLIOS.

SUPREME COURT,-Criminal Sittings. ■ Friday. ' [Before His Honor Mr. Justice Conolly.] ' THE SHEEP-STEALING OASES, ( ! In respect to the charge of sheep-stealing ] preferred against Te Tana Hojiaia and Te . Rau Hohaia, which had occupied the Court the whole of the previous day, the jury, who had bean locked up all night, DOW I returned to Court. The foreman announced that they were unable to agree upon a verdict. They were therefore discharged, and the trial of the accused was fixed foe next day (Saturday). CHARGE OF ARSON. Constance Crutchfield, a middle • aged woman, surrendered to her bail, and was charged that on the 11th of October, at - Owhuroa (Upper Thames), she wilfully set fire to the dwelling house of Patrick Bedford. There was a seoond count charging her with setting fire to substances so situated that she well knew the building was likely to catch fire therefrom, She pleaded not guilty. Mr. Brassey appeared for a the accused, and at his request . witnesses were ordered to leave the Court. Mr. Tole prosecuted, and opened the case to the jury. The facts which the prosecution undertook to prove were as follow : The prosecutor, a miner at Owharoa, between Waihi and Paeroa, occupied a whare made of slabs and palings, and the bedroom had a shingle roof, thatched overhead, but the kitchen roof was only thatch. This whare. was situated about two chains from where the accused lived, and a path ran between the two, and there was an opening in the fence. On the 11th of October, the prosecutor went to his work, after securing his wlmre, aud he left no fire in it. The kitchen fireplace was 13i feet from the bedroom. On returning in the evening he met the accused coming from the direction of his house, and about 10 yards from it. He observed smoke issuing from his house, and said to the accused," My house is on fire," to which sh« replied the house was all right, and the door looked. He observed that she was agitated, and he also noticed that there were fragments of nikau on her hair. He called ft butcher boy named Wingate, and the woman returned with them, but gave no assistance, and appeared careless, but the tvro men put out/the fire (the bed being on fire), and Bedford' then noticed that thfj window of the bed-room had been broken. Subsequently Constable Beattio found some toetoe or pampas grass in the room, although there had been none there when he left in the morning, and it was known that there was pampas grass in Mrs. Orutchfield's house used for ornament, or as flycatchers. Patrick Bedford, Albert Wingate, May Montgomery, and Constable lieattie, gave evidence for the prosecution. Mr. Brassey did not call evidence, but he addressed the jury, and His Honor then summed up the evidence exhaustively. The jury, after about a quarter of an hour's deliberation, returned to Court at half-past five o'clock, with a verdict of "Wot guilty,'' and the accused was discharged from custody. The Court adjourned till ten o'clock next morning. In Chambers. LEAVE TO SELL ESTATE. On the motion of Mr. Griffith, leave was granted to sell certain lands and property in the estate of Roderick Campbell, deceased. JOHN BEAVER V. JANE BEAVER. Mr. BrookKeld moved for judgment to be Mr. Brook field moved for judgment to be entered up for plaintiff, and for an order that conveyance and assignment of chattels be declared void, and removed from the registration books, etc. The motion had been postponed from a previous sitting, in order that notice might be served on the defendant. She was now present. The order was granted as prayed. MAGISTRATE'S COURT.-Friday. (Before Mr. H. W. Northcroft, S.M.I Judgment Summonses.—Robert Holmes (Mr. Gittos) v. J. G. Carpenter, £4 9s; ordered to pay on or before 20th December, in default seven days. Albert Lee (Mr. McGregor) v. F. Boyd, £1 8s lOd; ordered to pay the balance, Ss, on or before'2oth December, or in default seven days. Martha Carter (Mr. Burton) v. James Leatham, £110 a 8d; ordered to pay on or belore January 6th, or in default seven days. TOLICE COURT.—Friday. [Before Messrs. .T. Savage anil ,T. Kent, J.P.'s.] Drunkenness. — William I'ettitt and Walter Townsend, second offenders, were each fined 10s, with costs, or in default 48 hours' imprisonment. Elizabeth Spier, for a fourth offence, was sent to gaol for one month, with hard labour. Disorderly Conduct.—A inan-o'-war's man named John Frew was charged with being drunk in Victoria-street on November • 20: also, with having used obscene language, 1 and damaged the tunic of Constable O'Brien, value 15s. Accused pleaded not guilty to all 1 three charges. Constable O'Brien gave evidence to the effect that the proprietor of an oyster saloon under the City Hall requested iiiin to eject the accused from his premises, as he was drunk, and making a disturbance. The constable complied with the request, and when accused was put out he used the obscene language complained of.. On the road to the lock-up iie caught the constable by theshoulder with his teeth, and tore his tunic. ActingDetective McMahon gave corroborative evidence. Frew stated that when he got a few drinks he lost his head completely, and (lid not know what he was doing. _ For being drunk lie was fined £1, for using obscene language a sentence of forty-eight hours was inflicted, and he was ordered to pay lSs, the damage done to the policeman's uniform, or in default forty-eight hours. Theft.—Alfred Ashenden, a respectablelooking mau, was sentenced to seven days' hard labour, on a charge of stealing one cap, valued at 9d, the property of George Fowlds,. From the evidence it appeared that the accused went into Mr. Fowlds' shop on the '2Sth November, and asked to be shown a cap. He was shown the article, put it on his head, threw his old hat on the counter, and walked out of the place without paying. One of the assistants followed the accused, and had him arrested. > Undesirable Citizens.—A decrepit old man, Edward May, was charged with being " ail idle and disorderly person, in that he f, was the occupier of a house frequented by n persons having no visible means of support, Ii Sergeant Gamble stated that the _ accused 0 was living in Chancery Lane. His house 1 was in a filthy state, and a hot-bed of vice. On the loth instant witness visited the place, , and found a number of persons of ill-repute there, mostly intoxicated. The place was the haunt of prostitutes and low characters, " The accused said he was helpless, and the r people complained of invaded his premises. I- The evidence of Sergeant Gamble was corroborated by Acting - Defectives Bailey, Quirke, and McMahon. The Bench inflicted 1,1 a sentence of one month's imprisonment ™ without hard labour. Jane McManus, ',1 Martha McManus, Jessie Wingate, and Elizabeth Spier, some of the persons whe were found on May's piemises on the lotli ie instant, were charged with J)eing idle and disorderly persons without lawful means ol support. After hearing the evidence, eacl: of the accused was sent to gaol for oiu month. (Before Mr. 11. W. Northcroft, S.M.) 2 House of 111-fame.— middle-aged wo man named Grace Gallagher was charged with keeping a house of ill-fame in Cookstreet oil November 18. Sergeant Qamblt it conducted the case for the prosecution, and Mr. Cotter appeared for the defence. Ac ii) cused was found euilty, and a fine of £3 witt costs 17s imposed.