CITY POLICE COURT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 9195, 15 August 1891, Page 6 (Supplement)

CITY POLICE COURT.

Fbiday, Auoust 14.

ißefore Messrs A. Bartleman and W. Angus,

J.P's.) Drunkenness. —For this offence three first offenders were convicted and discharged, Bridget Djggs, against whom there were 14 previous convictions, for beiDg found drunk in King street was fined 20a ; in default, seven dayn' imprisonment. Andrew Brown, for the same offence in Princes street on the 13th insc, was fined sa. or 24 hours.

Assaulting tiie Police. —Thomas Carroll was charged with assaulting Constable Williams and Uonatable Bunnar while in the discharge of their duty in Rattray street on the 13th iust. at 11 p.m.—Accuaed pleaded gnilty, and. was un-defended.—Sergeant-major Bevin said that on Thursday night Constable Williams had occasion to arrest a sailor in princes street, and accused followed them for Borne distance down High street on the way to the police station, when he rushed the constable with the object of rescuing the arrested man. There was a scuffle, in which the prisoner got • away. Accused kicked the constable in the cheek. The constable sounded bis whistle, and Constable Bonnar came to his assistance, and was also attacked by accused. — Constable Williams deposed that he was proceeding to the police station with a prisoner in his charge, and accused followed them. When they got opposite the vacant section near the Times office, accused rushed him. Both accused and the man he had in charge seemed to know what each was to do. Witness drew his baton and hit at accused, but missing his footing he fell. While engaged in the scuffle, both accused and the other man kept up a firing of stones »t him, and he was otruck sevtral times. When he fell, accused rushed op him and kicked him on the jaw. He blew his whistle, and Constable Bonnar came to his assistance. Accused turned and rushed on Constable Bonnar, and pulled him to the ground. After a minute's struggle ..Bonnar got the better of his mau, and witness went after the other man, but did not catch him. —Constable Bonnar said he saw two men scuffling with Constable Williams. Accused was one of them, and when he saw witness he turned and rushed on him and knocked him down. Accused was very slightly under the influence of liquor.—Sergeantrmajor Bevin said that accused was a seaman on board the ship Waipa. The crew of this boat were very troublesome, and had vowed that before they left the port they would give the police a " doing."—Accused was fined £5 for assaulting each constable, or one months' imprisonment, the sentences to bo cumulative.

Larceny.—John Morell, a lad 14 years old, was charged with stealing on the 14th inst. the sum of 6i, the property of Messrs Wardell Bros. — Accused pleaded guilty.—Sergeant-major Bevin said that accused was in the service of Messrs Wardell Bros. For some time past various sums of money have been missed by the men from their pockets. That morning the accused came as usual at 8 o'clock. Before he came in Mr Wardell marked pi, and put them into the purse of one of his employes named VS ells, who hung his coat up in the stable with the purse in it. At half-past 9 the money was gone. The boy was suspected and searched, and the money found in his possession.—Mr Wardell, who was ia court, said that they did not wish to press for a penalty, but of course they would not keep the boy in their service.—The Bench gave the boy . a B67ere lecture, and he was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence when called upon. George Widdicombe was charged with stealing on the 16th June at North-Bast Valley, one silver locket and chain, one pair earrings, and one knife, value of 20s, the property of Kate Duggan; and at the same place and on the Same date with having stolen one gold brooch, and one chain of jet mounted in gold, one pair silver links, one silver brooch, one watch guard, and a quantity of old coinajof the value of £11 Bs, the property of Sarah Sinclair. —Accused pleaded not guilty.—The prosecution was conducted by Chief-detective Henderson who said that the case was different slightly from the others which had already been beard against accused, inasmuch as the stolen articles had not beeu recovered. But he thought that from the evidence which would be given the bench would be satisfied that accused was the person, even in the absence of the stolen jewellery. Accused came to the hotel of the informant ou the abovementioned date and took a room. On the second morning after accused came to the hotel he appeared with his hand bound up, and it was surmised that in forcing open tbe box ia which the jewejlery was locked he had used v sharp instrument and cut his hand in the process. Some ribbons which were in the box were found in accused's room blood stained. Hu would call Sarah Sinclair, licensee of the NorthEast Valley Hotel, who deposed that accused came to her house on the 15th June and stayed there the two following nights. She kept thu jewellery in a case in her bedroom. It wag generally on the mantelpiece. Accused was the only boarder at the time. On the Saturday afternoon she went to the box and found that it had bien broken open aud a gold brooch stolen, value £4, and a gold chain, value 555, and the other articles mentioned jn the charge. The box also contained come ribbons and calico, together with a needle case. A pale blue ribbon sash, which had been in the box, was found in a drawer in the room which accused occupied. The handkerchief in which the ribbon was tolled, wheD found in the drawer, was also the property of witness, and had previously been in the box, Some other ribbons which had been there also were found between the mattresses of accused's bed, and were stained with blood. The sash found in the drawer was also stained with blood.^-Catherine Duggan said that she was in the employ of last witness. She gave corroborative evidence respecting accused's stay at the house. Witness waited at the table, and there was no bandage or anything of the sort on accused's hand on the first morniog. On the next morning he had a handkerchief wrapped around his hand. On the Sunday morning following she turned the mattresseß in the room which accused bad occupied, and found the pieces of ribbon, bloodstained, between them. It was Thursday night when accused laßt used the bed, and betweon that night and the time she made the bed it had not been used. Witness' room was immediately opposite that of aocused. She missed a silver locket and chain, a pair of earrings, and a knife; which she valued at 20s. Accused stopped at their place for two nights and one day. Constable Dales gave evidence to the arrest of accused. This closed the case for the police.—The aocused said he had nothing to say in his defence.—He was committed to take hia trial at the next sitting of tho Snpreme Court. The same acoused was further charged with Btealing on the 30th of June, one gold bracelet and small chain, the value of £2 10s, and about 5s in money belongiog to the daughter of John Outred. Accused pleaded not guilty. Detective Henderson conducted the case for the police.—John Outred, licensee of the Edinburgh Castle Hotel, Caversham, deposed that on the 29 th of June accused came to his house and applied for a room, and he was given the bathroom On the following morning witness sent his son to call acoused, and the boy found accused comiDg out of a room opposite his own one. He had no boots on. There was only one room between the one which accused occupied and tho one which his daughter oocupied. The room that accused was noticed coming out of in the morning was the one from which the jewellery ..was stolen, but it was not the room in which his daughter slept. Accused told the boy that he had gone into the room to get a brush and some soap. There was no necessity for his doing so, as both articles were in the bath room.—Eveline Anne Outred, daughter of the last witness, said she missed a bracelet immediately after acensed had left their place.—'Harry Outred said accused stopped at their place on the 29th inst. On the following morning witness went up to awaken accused, and found him coming out of another room,— Accused said that he was looking for a brush and soap. He did not know whether there was a brush in accused's bedroom or not. When he went to call accuaed ho did not know in which room he was sleeping, and did not go to the bathroom, bu; to a room in whiuh the boarders generally slept. That was the room in which he found accused.—This closed the caso for the pOlice.—Accused had nothing to say in his defence, and was committed to take his trial at the next sitting of the Supreme Court.

Clothes-stealing. — Rose Jackraan was charged with stealing one chemise on or about the 13tb inst, the property of some person unknown.— Oa the application of Sergeant-major Bevin the case was remanded until Tuesday to enable the police to try and find the owner.— Accused was found with the article in her possession in George street Dear St. Andrew streot.