MAGISTRATE'S COURT

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 186, 24 November 1876, Page 2

MAGISTRATE'S COURT

THIS DAY. [Before T. W. Parker, Esq., R.M.] DRTTNK AND DISORDERLY. Griffen Green, on this charge, pleaded " guilty," but as repeated convictions had been proved against him, a penalty of 10s. or three days' imprisonment, was inflicted. Mary Lambert, charged with the same offence, did not answer to her bail, and the Court ordered her bond to be estreated. INSULTING LANGUAGE. Andrew Duncan, was charged with using insulting and abusive language to Robert M'Lsan. Prosecutor gave evidence that the accused had been a boarder at his house, and at ten o'clock last night, when under the influence of drink, called both himself and his wife disgraceful and opprobrius names. When ordered to leave the house he refused, and created such a disturbance that a crowd gathered round the place. Mary M'Lean, wife of last witness, gave similar evidence, wluch was further supplemented By Constable Stewart. The Bench discharged the prisoner, and advised him to leave the neighborhood. ROBBERY FROM THE PERSON. Patrick Walsh was charged with stealing, from the person of Hugh Cameron, a pocket-booh, containing £3O in bank notes, and a deposit receipt on the bank of New Zealand for £6O. The case had been remanded from last Tuesday, and the depositions taken on that day were read over to accused. Hugh Cameron, deposed: I am a laborer, residing in Oamaru. I remember the morning of Thursday, the 16th inst. On that morning I had a leather pocketbook, which contained £33 in bank notes, and a fixed deposit receipt for £6O, on the Bank of New Zealand. The notes were two tens, two fives, and three single notes. The pocket-book and deposit receipt now produced are mine. On the evening of the day in question I became the worse of liquor. I had been drinking for about four days, and had been unconscious of what I was doing for some of the time. On Monday the 20th I first recollect seeing the prisoner. He was going along the street with his nose and head bleeding. I went down to where I had seen him, but I found he had gone away. I then returned to the Northern Hotel, and I then missed my pocket-book. I was in T"%L, habit of keeping it in my outside pocket: I never saw it afterwards, until I saw it in the hands of the sergeant of police. I have no recollection of having authorised any person to take it, nor do I remember having given it to any one to take care of it. To prisoner : There were in the pocketbook, two ten-pound notes, two fives, and three single notes. On the day I missed the purse —that is, Monday—l reported the loss to the police. I could not swear on what day it was taken. Joseph Jenkins deposed: lam a cleaner at the engine shed, and live at M'Guinness's boarding-house. I know both the last witness and the accused. I recollect seeing them both together on the verandah of M'Guinness's boarding house. They were sitting down;. prisoner, with his arm on Cameron's shoulder. I saw Cameron with an open pocket-book in his hand. The one produced is the one. I also saw Cameron with number of bank notes in his hand. He was very drunk at the time; but prisoner, although not sober, was almost that. I could not say whether prosecutor was in the act of putting the notes in the purse, or taking them out. Prisoner was not boarding there, but came in on the Sunday, and stated that he had come from Menlove's. To prisoner : Prosecutor was very drunk when I saw you and he together, but you knew perfectly well what you were at. That concluded the evidence, but it appealed from the deposition of Sergeant Carroll, which was taken at the first hearing, that when prisoner was arrested, the missing purse and deposit receipt was found upon his person. Prisoner, who was very deaf, had the evidence read over to liini, but declined to make any statement, further than that he knew nothing of the matter, as he had been drinking very hard for Some days. He was then formally committed for trial.