POLICE COURT NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 13049, 14 December 1905, Page 7

POLICE COURT NEWS.

CHARGE OF ATTEMPTED PROCURA- ' TION. • ACCUSED COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. Tile hearing of the case in which Helen Marks was charged with attempted procuration and with keeping a house of illfame was concluded before Mr. R. W. Dyer. S.M., at tho Police Court yesterday. Chief-Detective Marsaek prosecuted, and Mr. .1. R. Reed (instructed by Messrs. Parr and Bloomfield) defended. The cross-examination of the witness who was in tho box when the case was adjourned on Tuesday afternoon was proceeded with by Mr. Reed. She said the first man came into tho room about half-past seven p.m. and the second about twenty minutes afterwards. Before the men arrived tho accused told witness and her companion, how to act when a man came into tho room. She and tho previous witness objected to having a?ijr conversation wi'h the man. Another girl in the house was not so particular. She heard tho key in tho bedroom door turned. She also hoard someone lock the window from the outside. There was no handle on the door. Sho saw the door "fly" open shortly after seven a.m., and heard someone moving about. - ' A nineteen-year-old girl said she had been residing with the aeonsed until the time of the arrest. Slio had been there for about five months, entering into the accused's employment as a servant. She received £1 per week. After having been in the accused's employment for about a fortnight the accused made a proposal to her. Witness at nrst refused, but subsequently complied. Tho accused told witness that the men wore her customers. Witness received money, and the accused took it all. There were other girls there besides herself. Some of them only slept there for the night. Witness was present when the last two witnesses were seen by the accused in'the sittingroom. She hoard tho younger girl say she would not do what she was asked, as she lisd never heard of such a thing. The other girl also refused. Another man came to the house as the first went away, but they did not see each other. Cross-examined by Mr. Reed, witness said she was asked by two detectives on the following day if she would leave the accused's house, and she did so, and was taken to the Door of Hope. A man was brought to witness by a detective to see if she could identify him as the man who had been at the accused's house, . out he was not :-he man witness saw. She had never known of a lodger staying more than one night. The accused was not particular what kind of girls were there. They were not married _ women. They were girls in short dresses with th»ir hair down. Another girl, about 22 years of age, ivlit said about six or seven months ago she used to work for the accused, gave evidence as to the character of the house. Cross-examined by Mr. Reed, witness said whim she wont to the accused's house she knew its character." • A resident of Union-street said on November 27 she received a letter,' and in consequeace of it she visited the accused's house ant! took the girls to her own home. Detective MeMahon said he arrested the aoci sed on November 30. The accused denied the charge, and said the girls came to her house as waitresses," and she engaged them at £1 per week.- She also stated that the girls were not- suitable, and she let them go, When she was leaving the house she said to one of her daughters, ' If these men ask you where the people have gone that were here this morning, kee? your mouth shut." Witness also said he had known the accused for about eight years, and she had been known as a woman of loose char- " Cross-examined by Mr. Reed, witness said lie did not know that th© accused kept a boavdingliouso, but he know where she lived. Tho accused pleaded not. guilty, and was committed for trial on both charges. She was.allowed bail, in dne surety of £100, and a deposit of £100.

> r- THEFT OF FRUIT. " Arthur Harman, a young man, described as a baker, was charged before Messrs.' R. O. Hendy and F. McGovern, J.P.'s, with stealing three cases of fruit, valued at 13s 2d, the property of Arthur Tooman and (Jo. Chief-Detective Marsaek prosecuted, and Mr. Skelton defended. The latter admitted the offence (on behalf of the defendant), but pleaded mitigating circumstances. Ho stated that the defendant had had a lot of trouble and expenses lately, and was tempted to steal the fruit. Chief-Detective Marsack said the defendant bought four eases of fruit at the auction mart and paid for them. The defendant then got an assistant at the mart to deliver the fruit, and as tho assistant had not marked the sale of the fruit 'iff the sheet he got three cases of fruit besides his own. Detective Marsack also stated that, an auctioneer had lost about £150 during the year in fruit stolen in a similar manner. The defendant was remanded for a week for the probation officer's report. MISCELLANEOUS. Ralph and George ' MoClure and Percy King wero each fined ss, and costs 7s, for riding a bicycle on the footpath. On the application of Maggie Shrimplin, William Murray was bound over to keep the peace for 12 months. Edmond George, a second . offender, was fined 10s, and costs 3s, in default 18 hours' imprisonment, for drunkenness. Two first offenders were fined 5s and costs, in default 24 hours' imprisonment, and two others, who did not appear, were ordered to forfeit the amount of bail, £1.