MAYOR'S COURT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 3248, 4 July 1872, Page 3

MAYOR'S COURT.

Wkdnkkdav, .'srd July. (liefore Ifi.s Worship the Mayor.)

Dru;.NKi:\Nr.;<s.~ -.lohu Kay, who had a blue cheek, took his place in the dock. It appeared ho w;is helplessly drunk when taken to the lock-up, but soon recovered hiniHtlf bo f;ir as t<- bo able to curnc and swear " most fearfully," Constable Lauder said, for hours together. It was not known that he hid <;vor been uj> for drunkenness before. His Worship had a recollection of having seen hi.s face in Court previously, but it was hta(cd that when he had come to Court before it was over a neglected boy of his, now in the Industrial .School. His Worship Huod him 10s, or, failing payment, directed he be hciil to gaol for 24 hours, and ordered that ho be kept in the lock-up till he became quite sober. John Wei barn c had a like penalty and alter native.

Rksisti.vi; Tin: I'olkt.. — William Web3ter, ri.'/V,'..■>■ Seotty, w;is charged on summons with resistiti'4 Serjeant Beozley. The defendant resides at I'ort Chalmers, On a day lately, t!i<^ H'-r^e'int arrested a man on the town passenger jetty, who, for his own safety, he considered to be too drunk to allow him to go on board the steamer, and the defendant, who was under the influence of litju.tr, kept pulling the man from him, until, on being persuaded by a gentleman, lie desi.sl.id. Jt now appeared thnt the do'f end ant was the mail's mate ; and .Sergeant Mallard gave him a good character for the seven yearn ho had known him at Port ■Chalmers, adding "of course he occasionally enjoyed himself. He was dismissed with a caution.

A Ni'inr's .Shirk.—James M'Lanchlan, Benjamin MM'hersou, and John Mamlerson, three young men, v.ere charged with having behaved themselves at (Jreen Island in a manner calculated to provoke a breach of tho peace. They pleaded not guilty. It appeared there was also a fourth, who had left for W.'iitahuna, and after whom a summons 3ia<l been sent.

■Sergeant Milliard said that this was a somewhat unusual cases. These young men were ff.iilfcy, on tho night of tho 10th ult., of conduct that was, as it appeared from police enquiries, really disgraceful ; in fact, of wliat was guncrally termed larrikinistn, an offence which was to some extent becoming prevalent. These young men had conducted themselves in a manner which was very unbecoming to a Mr Sampson and a Mr Johnst jn, ana it appear©.! that the effence, so far as they were concerned, had been condoned

by them, Tb« police, however, deeming i£ a matter that affected the public as well as those they annoyed, }ia<l summoned the defendants. There wa* no doubt that the matter would have been hushed up by Mtmr* Sampson and Johnson, and the reason why the police took action in the matter waa that they considered it their duty to nip thews practice* in the burl. William Sampson, a miner residing on the Main South Rosul, at the seven mile post, said that he knew the men before the Court perfectly well- On the night of the 10th of •June, he was dlistnrbed from his sleep at about 11 o'clock, by hearing stones thrown on the roof of his house. On looking out at the window he found that some persons were going up the road, and heard ucoie shouting. He could not swear they were the defendants. It was fbout two o'clock when ho went to bed again, and he afterwards heard a " lot of noise" about the jilace, and I had a gate lifted off the hinges. He got up, dresisert himself, and w*mt a* far as Mr Johnston's house, about 150 yards distant from his, and about which he heard noises. He could see some young men about; Mr Johnston'si, but directly he started from his place, they left Johnston's. He could not recognise who they were. He afterwards, went down the road, in the direction in which the men had gone, and came upon the defendants. He wished them good morning- One said, "give him a drink." They all followed after him, and one of thorn caught him by the arm, and asked him where he was going. He replied, " going homo," and that wan all that parsed. They were all partly drunk at tho time, but capable of iaking* fcare of themselves, He did not accuse them Hat the time of throwing stones on his premises. The young man who took him by the arm wan not present. He was very much annoyed at their conduct that night, but did not think of it next morning. They did not come to apologise to him, but he forgave them freely. John Johnston, blacksmith, Walton Park, said that on tho night in question stones were thrown on the roof of his house, and a disturbance was created about the place, and harrows ami gates were shifted, lie got up, arid could hear people going along the road laughing. He went to bed agsiin, and subsequently, at he thought between twelve and ono o'clock, there vim a repetition of the disturbance. He then got up and overtook the individuals, and rvengnwed, them as being the defendants. He said nothing to them, and they said nothing i to him. He left them on the road, and re- j turned home. He did not accuse them of j anything. Thf-y were tho worst.' of liquor j at the time. They apologised to him on the: following morning, and ho wished the • ourt to understand that it wasjiiot he who brought the action against people whom he wished to live.! at peace with, and from whom he re- j ceived benefit, but that it was the police j who had done so. .Sergeant Mallard said lie had stated that , already, and would nay that when these tin- ! seemly disturbances became a matter of no- j torioty in the district, the police took proceedings in the public interest. M'Ph croon said he had not thrown stones at either of the houses, and tin regarded what ha<l appeared in the newspaper | Ilia Worship told him to coniine his statements to what he had to say regarding the evidence, and to give an explanation of his conduct. M'Phcrson said that as he had been in company with the others, ho supposed he was as bad as the rest. He was wot drunk at the time ;he had his senses. He was sorry for what had happened. His Worship did not think the evidence disclosed anything showing that the defendants belonged to what was demonstrated the larrikin dims, but were young men out on what was known aa the spree, -who had got partly intoxicated, and thought it fine (un to kick up a riot. The police, though the parties most affected had condoned the offence, were quite right in bringing the matter before the Court. The public decency could not bo outraged by a lot of young fellows going out at night and getting drunk. He was compelled to take notice of the case, which, to his mind, was clearly proved. Each was fined 40s and costs, or, failing payment, imprisonment for 24 hours. Assault.—Mrs Holly, for assaulting a boy named Thomas Richard Merry in St. Andrew street, by hustling his collar, striking him with a knife on the hand, a"-d pelting him with stones, was lined f>s and costs. Commcttki> Fon Thiar,.~Joseph Capstick was charged, on warrant, with stealing eight cow and bull hides from the tannery of William Bridgman, the Olen road, Caversham, and of the value of £!), on or about the 29th June. He pleaded not guilty. Detective Farrell conducted the case.

William Bridgman : I am a tanner and currier. On the evening of the 28th June last my carter, William Cook, brought seventeen cow and bullock hides from M'Donald and Doring's slaughter - yard, Maori Hill, and delivered them on my premises, laying them down in the yard near the shed. This was about five o'clock in the evening. In consequence of what I heard on the following morning I counted the hides, and found eight missing. On Sunday morning, the 30th ult., J supplied Constable Anderson with the description and brands of the missing hides. On Monday, the Ist July, I saw eight hides on the premises of Messrs Murray, Roberts, and Co., Wool Merchants, Princes street south, which tallied with tho description of the colour and brands of tho missing hides. Their value is between £8 and £'.). The hides were frewh and were not three weeks slaughtered. William Cook, carter to Bridgman : On the 2Sth ult. 1 went to Mr Wilson's slaughter house at Maori Hill, and received 17 hides from Mr Wilson, and delivered them at Mr Bridgman'e. I found eight missing next morning. I got their description afterwards from Mr Wilson, and went' to Messrs Murray, Roberts, and Co-s premises and saw that eight hides there corresponded in brand and colour with those missed. Some head pieces) had been cut off from the hides at the tannery, and on examination of tho hides at Murray, Roberts, and Co.'s these pieces were found to fit them. John Wilson, slaughterman, Maori Hill.: On the 2Sth ult., 1 delivered seventeen cow and bullock hides to the last witness, William Cook, for Mr Bridgman. it is the duty of the slaughterman to take a description of all cattle slaughtered by him, and to enter the same in a book. The written description I now produce corresponds to that of tho hides I delivered to Cook. I swear positively that the eight hides which I ftund on the premises of Messrs Murray, Ko'-f-rts, and Co. wore portion of these delivered by me to Mr Wiiliam Cook for Mr Bridgman. They were fresh hides, and I recognised them by their general appearance and brands. William Farley, storcman and buyer for Messrs Murray, Roberts, and Co: 1 knew the prisoner. On Monday morning last, at about ten o'clock, he came to the store, and offered eight hides for sale. I purchased them from him, at lCs each. I paid him by a cheque of the firm. I did not mix these hides with others, but kept them separate, on receiving information that some hiuea had been stolen.

Detective Farrell : On Monday last, I called at Messrs Murray, Itoberta, and Go's., for tho purpose of informing them of the robbery of the hides from Mr Bridgman. The store man told me that he had just bought them from a carrier, named Oapsticft. I found the accused, and questioned him as to where he had got the hides which he had sold to Messrs Murray, Roberts, and Co., and he said, " I have bonghfc them at Lake Wakatipu, and have had them for upwards of three weeks in my dray." This wan all the evidence. His Worship told the accused that, as the value of the goods he was charged with stealing was under £10, he had the option of receiving sentence at once, or of being committed for trial. Accused said he had bought the hides, and was not guilty. His Worship committed him for trial at the ensuing criminal sessions of the Supreme Court.

Mi LINDSAY AND FEOFESSOE BLACK. TCI TUB EDITOR. Slit—lt has Iwco said that it requires a surgical operation to make a Scotchman understand a joke, but I never yet heard that he was slow to comprehend tm implied sneer at his own capacity or at the institution in which his abilities are exercised. Profesftor Black seems not to have read with attention the preening remarks of ]>r Lindsay, in which he states that in the Colonies "jacka of all trades" are apt to be appointed to positions which they cannot properly fill; and inferentially, that persons of acknowledged status wili not consent to occupy them if called upon to teach subjects with which they are only superficially acquainted. As an apology, under such circumstances, for the kind of instruction likely to be imparted, he proceeds to rate the University of Otago as "an institution, which, notwithstanding it« pretentious name, is simply on a par with the Mechanics' Institutes of Britain." The logical deduction, therefore, is, that the name quality of teaching which would suffice for a Mechanics' Institute is that with which the students of the Otago University will have to be satisfied. I scarcely think that the sketchy and desultory lectures given in the best Mechanics' Institute at home arc to be compared with the careful and methodical system of an University course. Professor Black may be of I)r Lindsay's j opinion, and I may have been mistaken in supposing that a University curriculum is insisted upon by the authorities of our local institution. In that cast), there is neither disparagement nor degred&tion in Or Lindsay's remarks; but I, Sir, was of opinion that the Otngo University aimed at, if it had not actually attained, a higher position than that of a Mechanics' Institute. Viewing it as a mere preliminary somethimr/and not an University, I think Professor Black is right in stating that the readers of the Ed. Med. Journal, with thin information before.them, will conclude it impossible that Dr Lindsay could expect all the departments of natural history, besides chemistry, mining, and agriculture, to be thoroughly taught by one man. In conclusion, I would remark that Profe«;or Black has failed to notice the very point and issue of the complaint contained in my letter—namely, the alleged lower status of*the University of Otago. I merely called upon him, as / would upon any of the other professors had their names been mentioned, |to uphold the institution in which they arc Kii|>poKcd to occupy posts of honour. 1 did not ox pee t to receive in reply a personal explanation, in which I>r Lindsay's remarks are tenderly dcn.lt with, if not actually apologised for. linked, Professor Black seems to I sympathise wil.si Dr. Lindsay, and mildly hopes that he will "re-cast his estimate" of the status of our University, forgetful or regardless of this injury already done. Pos- ; sibly this with him would go for little, but I j would fain hope not, submitting it as his duty always to consider the University first, and himself as only forming a part of the whole.—l am, Ac, M. I).