MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1160, 25 May 1894, Page 32

MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Tho Stipendiary Magistrate had before him last week four children, Joseph, Annie, Daisy, and Leslie Ward, who had been taken from a house in Fraser’s lane, which was alleged to be a brothel. Constable Black stated that ho was of opinion the house was a brothel. The children could not be said to be altogether neglected, but their mother was seldom in at night, and tho place was not fit for them to live in. Tho mother also had an unmarried daughter, 17 or 18 years of age, living with her, who had recently given birth to a child. Tho mother said her house was not a brothel. She had been away, and did not know what her sister had been doing during her absence. It was stated by the police that the sister of tho woman had been arrested as a lunatic. Mr Martin, S.M., adjourned the case till the 31st inst., remarking that if tho children wore not sent to school in tho meantime, and kept away from their present surroundings, he would direct the police to bring them before him, and he would commit them to an Industrial School.

A young woman - named Hondolino Dewson was charged in tho Magistrate Court on Friday with tho theft of a watch and chain, valued at <£3o, the property of Jas Wallace, at Wellington, on the night of the

20th of April last. Wallace, who lives at Christchurch, stated that when the alleged offence was committed he was on a holiday in Wellington and when in Upper Willis street saw a scrimmage going on between three men and a woman. He went across the road to them, and while thero one of the men jostled him, and immediately afterwards they all ran off. Shortly afterwards he missed his watch and chain. Replying to accused, witness denied that he gave her the watch to keep for him till he paid her some money the next night. John Griffiths, pawnbroker, Courtenay place, stated that accused tried to pawn the watch and chain with him for £l, saying that she had got them from her son. He had had a description of the watch from the police and he suggested she should go with him to the police station and explain how it got into her possession. She refused to do so and cleared out. Detective Campbell stated that when he arrested the accused she said she had got the watch to pawn from a fair young man whom she did not know previously. Mr Martin, S.M., committed the accused for trial, bail being fixed at two sureties of £25 each.

Mr Martin, S.M., presided over on Friday’s sitting of the Magistrate’s Court. Jas. Parman was charged on remand with assaulting his wife, and also with failing to support her. Mr Poynton, who appeared for the complainant, said the defendant had agreed to separate from his wife, and to pay 7s Gd a week towards her support. An order was made accordingly, and the charges were withdrawn. The boy Robert Crombie, charged with embezzling the sum of £3 5s 6d, the property of Messrs Chamberlain Bros., afc Mastcrton, was remanded to appear at Masterton this morning, bail being fixed at two sureties of «£lO each. Frank Fraudi was charged with

stealing four bundles of butter fish, tho property of Peter Casety, at the Pilot Station, Wellington Heads. Mr Wilford appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr Poynton for the defendant, who laid an information against Casety for stealing two bundles of fish from his premises. After hearing somo of the evidence the case was adjourned until Tuesday, in order that some other witnesses might be able to attend. A charge of drunkenness against Cieo. Idle, alias Gray, was dismissed, as the man is now serving a sentenoo of six months for larceny.

At tho Stipendiary Magistrate’s Court on Saturday a woman named Hannah McCarthy was sentenced to a month’s imprisonment by Mr Martin for being illegally on the premises of A. Shackleford, Manners street. William Smith was mulcted in a penalty of X2 for being drunk whilst in charge of a vehicle, and William Fidlo was ordered to contribute half a sovereign to tho Court coffers for being drunk whilst in charge of nothing in particular except himself, or suffer detention for 48 hours. A charge of breaking into the house of James Graham at Newtown and stealing therefrom 10s, the property of 11. Graham, was preferred against two lads named Henry SLinden and Alfred Skinner, who were remanded on bail until next Saturday. The reason of the adjournment was that Standen had been arrested with another lad named Henry Carpenter at Featherston on a chargo of stealing JOS, and he has to appear at that place on Friday next.

An important ruling was given by Mr Martin, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court on Monday. The Wellington Loan Company recovered judgment against Charles Bolton for debt, and, having obtained a warrant of distress, instructed the Court bailiff to seize his furniture. This was done, and the goods were removed to an auction room, but beforo tho sale came on they were claimed by Messrs Scoullar and Chisholm, on a bailment, as Bolton still owed them jC3 11s, the balance of tho purchase money, which sum had been tendered them by the bailiff and refused. His Worship held that the goods still remained the property of the vendors until all the instalments had been paid, and ordered possession to bo given up to them, tho execution creditor to pay ill 11s costs. Mr Gray appeared for the claimants, and Mr Poynton for the execution creditor. Somo time was occupied by Mr Martin, S.M., on Monday in hearing a case in which Mr W. J. Moore sued Mossrs Tregear and Mackay, -of tho Labour Department, for <£loo, damages alleged to have been caused by a breach of contr.iet on tho part of men supplied by tho Department to fell plaintiff’s bush at Makuri in tho winter of 1892. Mr Skerrett appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr C. B. Izard for tho defendants, who denied any liability in tho matter. His Worship hold that plaintiff was not entitled to recover any damages, and gave judgment for the defendants,without costs. At the Magistrate’s Court at Christchurch on Monday morning W. M. Do Weston was committed for trial on a chargo of criminally libelling Chief Detective O’Connor. Tho alleged libel was contained in a letter written by De Weston to the Premier.