POLICE COURT NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15262, 28 March 1913, Page 5

POLICE COURT NEWS.

TWELVE MONTHS FOR VAGRANCY.

A strongly-built young man named James Cromwell appeared before Messrs. D.- B. Wallace and A. Walsh, J.P.'s, at the Police Court yesterday, charged with being a rogue and a vagabond, inasmuch as he had insufficient lawful means of support- Chief-Detective McMahon stated that the accused, though perfectly ablebodied, refused to. work and lived a vagrant • life generally. He had' been before the Court on a number of previous occasions, but short sentences had done him no good, and ' he had neglected op-, portunities given him to pull himself together. The only way to deal with the accused would be to send him to gaol for a good term. The Bench imposed a sentence of 12 months' hard labour. Two Maoris, Maki Rau Taupo, and William Taupo, and a white man named William H. Osborne, appeared to answer a charge of having assaulted Percy Norton, a barman at the Waverley Hotel The evidence showed that the two Maori accused and another native had gone into the hotel, all three being more or less drunk. They were refused liquor, upon whidh Maki Taupo leaned over the bar and struck Norton., The barman then endeavoured to get the men quietly outside, but was rushed and knocked down, his coat being torn off his back during the scramble. Maki Taupo and William Taupo were arrested, but the other Maori succeeded in escaping. The Bench convicted both natives of assault, Maki being fined £1, with 23s costs, and William £1, with 16s 6d costs. Osborne, who was adjudged to have been innocent Of any assault, was merely fined 5s for drunkenness. A charge of being a rogue and a vagabond, inasmuch as ne was found by night without lawful excuse on the premises of the Grosvenor Hotel, was preferred against Arthur John Fitzgibbon, aged 36 years. The accused was additionally charged with having stolen £1 and a watch and chain, valued at 8s 6d, the property of Ernest Edward Balderaon. He wgs remanded for a week- # Charged with insobriety, five first offenders were each fined ss, while another, through his non-appearance, forfeited his £1 bail. A statutory first offender, in the shape of an old woman of 70, who appeared with two black eyes, was fined 10s. Joseph Dolan, a fireman, charged with drunkenness and with having absented himself from the steamer Pakena without leave, was fined ss, and was ordered to be seat back to the vessel. James Downey, charged with breaking his prohibition order, and George McCauley, charged with drunkenness, were remanded until this morning. 1 For riding his motor-cycle furiously along ; Remuera Road, William ; Henning was fined 10s, with 7s costs. John Under-, wood and A. Tout, two cyclists, who rode on the footpath, were each fined ss, with 7s costs. For neglecting to make the necessary returns under the Land and In come Tax Act, John Twidle was fined £2 with costs. -~