MAGISTRATES' COURT.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 347, 4 June 1877, Page 2

MAGISTRATES' COURT.

THIS DAY. (Before T. W. Parker, Esq., K.M., G. Sumi-ter, Esq., J.P., and W. J. Steward, Esq., J.P.) DRUNK AND DISORDERLY. Patrick M'Cusker was brought up charged with the above offences. The apprehending constable deposed that accused was using obscene language, and was very violent when he was arrested. Arthur Carncross deposed : I saw accused on the Cricket Ground last evening about 6 o'clock. He struck me across the face. The mark on my face was caused by the blow, which was given with a horsewhip handle. The accused was walking past me at the time. The accused was fined L 5, or fourteen day's imprisonment, with hard labour. ALLEGED LARCENY. Martha Craig and John Madden were charged with having, on the 12th of May last, feloniously taken from one John Brown a pocket-book containing four L2O-notes, ten LlO-notes, and two L5-notes, all on the Bank of New Zealand ; a Ll-note (bank unknown) ; two photographs of females ; and two orders on James Finch, farmer, Hampden—one for LIOO and one for LBo—all the property of the said John Brown. Sub-Inspector Smith asked for a remand in the case of the two prisoners, Mrs. Craig John Madden, until Friday, the 7th inst., as the case of W. J. Craig would be settled at the District Court. Prisoners pleaded Not Guilty. In answer to the Bench as to to whether they

had any observations to make, they st-iH that they did not think it right to be kdfl in gaol till Friday. V CHARGE OF PERJURY. fi Alice Purnell was placed in the dotji and charged with that she did, on the 2fl instant, commit wilful perjury in givjS evidence in the case of A. Purnell v. ™ J. Craig. I Prisoner pleaded not guilty. 1 T. W. Parker deposed : I am Magistrate for the district of Oaniaru. j know the accused. I heard the casef Purnell v. Craig. The plaintiff in tli case sued the defendant for £3—thijj weeks' wages at 20s. per week. The (. cused was duly sworn by me, and stati that she entered the service of defendiij; about the Bth May, at the above rate j wages. The main point in the evideiv, turned upon the production of a rccei;j dated the 28th May, four witnesses givit, evidence to the effect of having seen tis accused sign the receipt produced, at' accused swore that the signature attaclu was not hers. The words she used wet, I " The signature is not niine. I nevl signed that document." Martha Craig deposed : I am the vrj of William John Craig, boarding-hous keeper, Oaniaru. I know the accusej She was a general servant in my emptaj; She entered my service about the 7th;i May last. She left it on the 28th. The:!; was no agreement at all about the rato t wages. She offered her services at i)s. p week. She remained at my place thrt, weeks. On the 28th I made the accust; a present of a skirt. She asked mo tlic i if I would pay her her wages. I Bait; "Yes; I am quite willing," and asktjj her what rate of wages she require 1 .j She made no reply, except to as'l me again to pay her her wages. U said you have offered yourself at !U per week, but I told her that was mot J of a nursegirl's than a woman's wages. 1 told her I would give her 12s. per weell and she said that would be all right. Pail of this conversation took place in til sitting-room, and part in the diniti|| room. I told her if she would come inll the sitting-room and give mo a receipt would pay her wages there. This w between 10 and 11 o'clock in the niorniii We both went the silting-room. ■wrote out the receipt produced in In presence, and she signed it. She said i the time that her hand was shaky. Tli receipt I put on a wire file. A man wl I think they called White told mo to i so. There was a man named Ryan all present. Whether my husband was i the sitting-room or not I cannot say. paid the accused her wages in two hal sovereigns and the rest in silver. Part, the money I got from my husliand, an the rest I had myself. 1 got the mone from my husband about an hour previom I swore befere the Resident Magistral last Saturday that my husband gave m the money. The accused stood up wlici she wrote the signature to the receipt After she signed it she left the sitting room. The receipt produced is correct u regards date. I am at present in custod on a charge of larceny. The accused is witness against me ; m fact, it was on he information that I was arrested on tha charge. On tlw night of the 20th May saw accused talking to a policeman at oui back door. She never claimed any wage from me after she gave me the receipt She was quite sober at tho time of signiii) the receipt. To the Bench : The two men were ii the sitting-room, one was sitting on th sofa, and 1 think the other was standing They could see anything that was goiiij on in the room. They could see tho tic cused sign anything. The receipt wai signed on a table in the centre of the room. It was a steel pen that 1 used in writing the receipt, and I found no difficulty in writing with it. Some time in the morning, before accused asked for hci wages, my husband gave me two halfsoveriegns and some silver. At the time of paying her I found I had not suflicionl money, and I went to him and got sonic more silver. Accused and 1 had sonio words on the morning of the 28th May, I told her she would have to leave my house on the grounds of not being sober, and consequently could not attend to her work. To the accused : I do not remember your asking me on the 26th May to pay you your wages. I gave you the dress on Monday morning. I did go into tho bed-room on Monday morning before breakfast and take tho dress away. You afterwards came and asked mo if I had taken it away. I said yes. You then asked me if I would let you have it, and I said, all right, and I brought it from my bed-room and gave it to you. Tho first time you asked me to settle with you was between 8 and 9 o'clock on the morning of the 28th. I did not tell you to take your things off and go to your work. I did not send the girl after you when you left, but the girl went herself. I never took you into the room after you came back and asked you to have a drink. To the Bench : I am not sure whether I filed the receipt or not. I either did that or pinned it up against the wall. At this stage Mr. O'Meagher informed the Bench that he had been instructed to watch the case on behalf of Mrs. Craig. William John Craig deposed : I am a boarding-house keeper, living at Oamaru, I know the accused. She was in our service as general servant from tho 7th May until the 26th May, when she knocked off work. On the Monday following I told her, in the morning about 10 o'clock, that I did not want her in the place any longer. She said, " I will not go until I get my wages." There were two men in tho sitting-room—one named White, and the other Ryan. Mrs. Craig was also in tho sitting-room at the time. She was i"\tho act of paying accused her wageb / Mrs. Craig then sat down at the table, and wrote out a receipt. The amount was

Ll 16s. The money was paid partly in g.)ld and the rest in silver. Accused signed the receipt, and Mrs. Craig took it away and put it in the bedroom or somev. here. The receipt produced is the one that was signed by Alice Purnell. I saw her sign it. She stood while she signed it. I told accused then to clear out, but she said she would not go, as she was ordered by Sub-Inspector Smith to stop at my place. At this stage of the case an adjournment was made, Sub-Inspeetor Smith throwing up the prosecution, and Mr. O'Meagher taking it up at this point. [Left sitting.]