POLICE COURT NEWS,

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12000, 24 June 1902, Page 7

POLICE COURT NEWS,

Messrs. A. Myers and J. Moran, J.P.'s, presided at the Police Court yesterday, and Sub-Inspectoi Mitchell represented the police. H Language: George Sutherland, in answer to the Court, said he did not remember being •drunk and disorderly in Queen-street on .Saturday night. On the evidence of Constable Sims the Bench held the charge proved. For drunkenness accused was fined 10s, or in default 48 hours' imprisonment, and for the language he was granted the option of a fine of 40s, or in default ordered a week's bard labour. I'•' A Durham-street Den: A coloured man I named Antony Sebreno pleaded guilty to keeping a brothel in Durham-street, and to consorting with prostitutes, and denied that , he had insufficient lawful means of support. .Sub-Inspector Mitchell said perhaps the moral standard of a coloured man was not so high as that of a European, but ho would I ask the Bench to impress on this section of the community the seriousness of the offence, Jem the fact of a male being engaged in this class of work was infinitely worse than a 1 female doing so. He would'ask the Court to • 4old that accused was not deserving of a fine, as he had been cautioned repeatedly by the police, but had treated their warnings with contempt. Accused's house had resolved itself into a perfect den of infamy. The charge of vagrancy was withdrawn, and accused was sentenced to two months* hard labour on each of the two remaining charges, 'sentences to run concurrently. A young /woman named Dora Bassett pleaded guilty .to charges of assisting in the management of a brothel, vagrancy, and consorting with reputed prostitutes. Sub-Inspector Mitchell .said the accused had been living with the man Sebreno, and she had become so low ; in the eyes of women of her own class that .she was shunned by them. He believed that • accused had expressed a wish to go to the Door of Hope, but while always willing to I assist her class if they were sincere, he would point but that the accused was not so. .While reoeatly undergoing a sentence she had been lean by Sister Howard, and promised to go Ito that institution on her release, but instead of entering the Door of Hope, had : gone straight for the door of degradation. In I answer to the Court the accused asked for a chance to go to her home at the Thames. The Bench decided to give accused another chance, and inflicted a fine of 40s, or in default a week's imprisonment for assisting • in the management of the brothel, and accused was convicted and discharged on the remaining charges.

(Before Messrs. Joshua Jackson and G. , Harney, J.P.'s.) ■Up Charge of Stealing: George King, for Whom Mr. Reed appeared, pleaded Hot guilty -to charge of stealing from the vessel Kiwi 'f-ix* fowling-piece and a coat, of the total value ■%-,' of £10. the property of James McCormack. Chief-Detective Grace conducted the proseI ration, i James McCormack, master of the cutter Kiwi, said he gave accused a trip to sea in his vessel, and on their return accused Iff assisted *° unload ' the vessel at Devonport. - H •Witness afterwards brought the vessel across I§ .to the Queen-street Wharf, and went ashore, v? .and on _ returning missed the articles men-, tioned in the information. Accused knew H ■where the articles were stored, and it would -/.- bo difficult for anyone to find them. By Mr. I Reed;. The spot was visible from persons ;; on the wharf. Wm. Peak, second-hand ; dealei, deposed to accused selling the articles j to him for £1 12s 6d. Mrs. Murphy also identified the accused as the man who disU posed of the articles. Detective McMahoa deposed to investigating the case with De'■'■'.,tective McHvenev, and to arresting the ac- - cused, when he denied the theft. Mr. Reed . submitted for the defence that the ease was I one of suspicion only, and that there was |H nothing to connect the accused with the 1 matter; further, that accused was not the ■ man that sold the goods, and that it was a H caee of mistaken identity. The Bench decided that there was a case to answer, and accused, who reserved his defence, was committed for trial. Bail was allowed in two rareties of £25 each, or one surety of £50.

Ip ' ON'EHTJNGA POLICE COURT. * ». Mr. T. Hutchison, S.M., held a sitting at the Onehunga Police Court yesterday morning. : J Alleged Cruelty to a Horso: Henry Hy- ;:: j»nd, baker, was charged with cruelty to a ;• horse by failing to supply it with sufficient food and shelter on May 28 last. Mr. Martin appeared for the accused. Constable | 'McCarthy deposed to seeing a liorse belongI zing to Hyland in a paddock on May 28 last. o lt waa lying down and unable to rise. It 111 had two cuts on its knees. The horse appeared to be dying of starvation. It was without a cover, and the weather was very H Wet. Iu fact, he (witness) considered the norse was 'being so cruelly treated that after consulting with Senior Constable Tapp he H obtained the services of a veterinary surgeon. I In answer tc Mr. A.artin, the constable I stated that the horse was destroyed that day. I •W. MoFarquhar, veterinary surgeon, said he I examined the horse in question on May 28 I hut, when he found its knees were broken and it was in a very low condition for want lOf food. From its appearance he judged if that it had been short of food for some ; "Weeks, as it was nothing but a skeleton. He V .had not made a post-mortem examination 1 trf the horse after death to see if it had suf- ' fered from any organic disease. Henry Hy-;U-Und, the defendant, deposed that the horse Iwd boen reguarlj fed twice a day until the- ■ ,day it was destroyed. Its wounds had also* been properly dressed. He had not pero sonally attended to the horse, but he knew ; tout one of his boys had both fed and watered Ithe animal all the time it was sick, and another person named Gunning had dressed its wounds.. . In answer to the magistrate, defendant said he saw the sick horso three oi I ioui days before the police came to him .';"*bou* it. He noticed then that it was fall- ; *»Bjf off in condition. Thomas Edminston, ■a youth in the employment of Hyland, de- > .Posed to feeding and watering the horse I M twice every day while it was sick. Ho was ; always allowed tc help himself to the horse•feed, and he always gave it sufficient to eat. ■His Worship said it was impossible to convict on the evidence, and the case would : > therefore be dismissed. H; Charge of Obstructing the JJ'ootpath : John § ; Morton, grocer, was charged with obstruct"tog the footpath in Queen-street, Onehunga, on May 22 last by allowing a horso to remain /.'across the same. Defendant was convicted I »nd discharged. ,r Mangere Bridge: Four Mangcre farmers HP Were each fined ss, without costs, for trotting .Wross the Mangere bridge, contrary to the 1 ; by-laws.