POLICE COURT NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15864, 10 March 1915, Page 5

POLICE COURT NEWS.

| PUNISHMENT OF VAGRANTS. , SENTENCED TO IMPRISONMENT. ' Convicted on Saturday last of being an 5 incorrigible rogue in that she had no visible means of support, and had been previously convicted of vagrancy, Mary Donovan, aged 33, was brought up for sentence in the Police Court yesterday. . Sho was given the choice of going to gaol '■ for three months or to the Salvation Army } Home for six months. Sho chose the , former. "A choice," commented , the senior-sergeant, as I have just been ' informed that the Salvation Army authorities would not take her under any pretext." Tho remand from Saturday had been granted, as the accused intimated that she might appeal against tho coir-. viction. She decided not to, however. Having been found on Saturday night in a blacksmith's shop ip Federal Street, John Sutherland was charged with vagrancy. His presence had been made known to a passing constable by the fact - that he had put his head out and asked , a pedestrian for a match. Sutherland's - explanation was that he had been given .- permission to go there by a friend. The t owner of the premises, however, repudie ated the right of the accused to sleep in his premises. "You men who get drunk and" go into other people's premises are becoming an intolerable nuisance,'' ren marked the magistrate in imposing a sent- '» ence of seven days' imprisonment with J hard labour. OBJECTED TO UNIONS, g "I don't see why a British citizen e 6hould have to pay for a license to be j allowed to work," declared Herbert s Samuel Potter when advised by the magisd trate to get some work. He said that he e could not get work, as he was not j a member of any union, his remanc '. being prompted by & suggestion that, he r might join some union. Potter had been j convicted some time ago on a charge of d using threatening behaviour in Albert - Park. His behaviour in Court had reg suited in a remand for medical examinag tion. Potter stated that he could he n trusted with his liberty, so in view of the i fact that he had been in custody for some rf time he was discharged. When the Rev. e F. Jeffreys promised to assist him, Potter 0 caused some amusement by asking, "Who 0 i 6 this man?" It having been explained that Mr. Jeffreys was the Court missions ary, Potter seemed quite satisfied and • quickly left the precincts of the Court, e■, . ■ ~ ALLEGED THEFT. : Charged with having stolen £47 in . money, Edward Donnelly was remanded for a week. It is alleged that the money j was stolen from a man who was enter e taining the accused and some other men in 9 a hotel in Newmarket on Sunday. The . arrest of the accused was brought' about (, by his attempt to change a £5 note, e which, it is alleged, was one of those that a had been stolen. Donnelly has been emi ployed at the Parnell tunnel construction » works. 1 MAINTENANCE CASES. " This man won't pay anything until tho (rates of the gaol are opened for him," - -was Mr. R. Singer's comment about Daniel » Dougherty (Mr. A. F. Stilling!, who was 8 £19 10s in arrears on an order for the support of his wife. The defendant was J sentenced to undergo a month'* imprison- * ment unless he nays the arreart and two guineas costs within a week. Walter McQuoid, who was £8 in arrears on a maintenance order for tha support of his wife, was ordered to pay 10s a week in future. There was no appearance of John Douglas Kerr, who had failed to support his three children. He was ordered to pay £10 pa«* maintenance and 5s a week for each child in future and to find a i suretv of £95 that he would in future : comnly with the orders. } The case aeainst Charles ThomasGarj monswav, who was in arrears on mainten- } anoe orders for the support of his wife i and children, was adjourned for a month. J MISCELLANEOUS. > Plea<"infr not guilty, Gifford Bowern , (Mr. R. Sineer) was' committed to the i Sunreme Court for trial on a charee of having obtained certain «oxions articles i for a girl. Bail was allowed in two 1 sureties' of £50 each or in one of £100. The cirl has already been committed for sentence on a charge of having taken the dnics alluded to. Having fnken two glasses of port wine, Lucy Mn.ckie was arretted for drunken- ' ness. This made her tai>d offence within ' the last six months, and her recent indulgence v" 1 " a breach of a recentlyissued prohibition order. She was fined £1. or three days' imprisonment in de- ' fault. A Maori admitted a charge of drunkenness. Ai this was Ms first offence, he was fined ss, with the alternative of 24 , hours' imprisonment.