LAW AND POLICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12625, 4 August 1904, Page 7

LAW AND POLICE.

POLICE COURT NEWS. Yesterday's sitting of the Police Court was held before Mr. E. C. Blomfield, S.M. Drunkenness: Five first offenders were charged with drunkenness, and of these two, who failed to appear, were ordered to forfeit bail, amounting to £1 in each case, while the rest, on pleading guilty, were discharged upon payment of costs.' Charges of drunkenness were also preferred against three others, who wore fined according to the number of previous convictions against them: Mary Annie McAuley, ss; Frank Evans, 10a and costs; and Thomas H. Toppin, 20s and costs. A Sad Case: Mary Bearpark, represented by Mr. Baxtei. denied a charge of vagrancy. The case foi the prosecution was that Mrs. Bearpark, who is a widow, did no work, and lived an immoral life. The accused, on the other hand, declared that she earned her living at washing, and denied the allegations of the prosecution. After counsel had called a nurahoi of witnesses, who said that they sometimes left washing with Mrs. Bearpark, the magistrate decided to convict. As it was her first offence, he said he would be lenient with her, and he ordered hei to come up foi sentence when called upon. Upon the evidence given, Sub-Inspector Black applied for the committal of Mary Bearpark, the daughter of Mrs. Bearpark, to the Industrial School. Fathex Patterson, who was in attendance, suggested that the child should be sent to St. Mary's Orphanage, and on the sub-inspector agreeing, the child was committed there* accordingly ; Alleged Theft of an Umbrella: Henry J. Atkins was remanded until this morning upon a charge of stealing an umbrella valued at 16s 6d, the property of a man named Thome. Ail Unregistered Dog: John Proctor, for failing to register his dog, was fined 10s and costs. Truancy Cases A number of parents were prosecuted by the truant inspector (Mr. J. Small), for failing to send their children to school. Fines were imposed according tc the extent of the offence: —Isabella Holloway, 14s; John Conway, 10s; John Stacev, 12s; George Koff, 12s; and Alfred Reed, 20s. Remanded: James Adamo was remanded until to-day upon a charge of being about to leave the colony without having made provision for the maintenance of an unborn illegitimate child of which ho is alleged to be the father. , ' Alleged Thefts: Oil the application of Chief-Detective Marsack, Joseph Watson was remanded until to-morrow upon charges of stealing three billiard balls, valued at £2. from the Criterion Hotel, an overcoat valued at 12s 6d. the property of John Mendoza, an nccordeon worth £2, from the dwelling of Thomas E. Carter, a razor valued at ss, the property of Edwin Michael, and an overcoat valued at £2, the property of Henry Gouldstone, from the Chamber of Commerce buildings. Chief-Detective Marsack said it was probable that the accused would plead guilty to the charges. Thefts from a Vessel: A young man named William Frederick Knight pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing a dingey and contents, valued at £12 10s, from the Pukapuka. Evidence was called to show that the accused, who was working upon the Pukapuka, disappeared with the dingey while the Pukapuka was in Auckland on July 1. He was next heard of at Lake Takapuna, where he was seen with the dingey, and where he told a resident that he had been " shipwrecked." He was arrested in the country, and confessed the theft to Detective Miller. Knight was committed for sentence. Alleged Abandonment of a Child: A charge of abandoning her child was preferred against a you woman named Rose Baldwin. Henry Clark, a resident of Grafton Road, said that he found the child upon his verandah on the night of July 30. Prior to that the accused had said she would leave it there, and he understood that his sou was the father of tsie child, and had been paying a 'ittle towards its maintenance. The son said he saw the accused and her mother in front of the house when the child was found. He said he did not want to keep it. and the accused said she thought he ought to. Tho magistrate held that it was not a case for criminal proceedings, and dismissed the information. He advised the accused to take proceedings against the son for its maintenance.