PORT CHALMERS POLICE COURT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11925, 25 December 1900, Page 7

PORT CHALMERS POLICE COURT.

Monday, December. 24. j (Before Messrs D. A. De Maus and J. Morgan, . Drunkenness.—Robert Hanna, charged with '■being found in a state of drunkenness on the . 22nd iust., did not appear, and his bail (10s) An Impudent Theft.—James Doclierty a. boy of about M years of age, was charged with stealing, on the 20th inst., a Wnterbury watch valued at 15s Cd,- the property of J. R. Itoason' ■ —Mr Plaits appeared for the accused ' and | pleaded guilty to the charge, and also to a second charge of stealing, ou or about the 19th Aoveinuer.Na purse containing £15 ss, the property of J. E. Wonson.—Sergeant Geeriu stated ! .in reference, to the first charge, that on the 20th mst. the accused boy was seen by Miss i Monson coming out of her father's =mokino •room by the window. She asked what he wag ■ doing there, and he replied that he had been looking for a rent book. On Mr Monson's re- ! turn home he found the watch had been taken j from his table.-J. K. Monson identified the I .watch produced in court as his property or •rather that of Mrs Monson.-Mrs Monson, wife

of the last witness, identified the watch as her property. She knew the boy Docherty, who was in the habit of coming to her house with letters [or Mr Monson.—Miss Elizabeth Monsou stated that she had seen the boy coming cut of her father's smoking room on the 20th inst. In reply to her he said he had taken a note there in reference to some rent owing by his uncle.—Ella Buckley said the boy had given her the watch to mind for him.—Constable Bosworth also gave evidence.—ln the second charge, that of stealing the purse containing money, Mr J. E. Monson deposed he was in the habit of keeping money in the pocket of r. coat hanging in his smoking room. The last time on which he had seen the missing purse was on November 17. On the 20th of that month he looked for the purse, but it and I the contents were gone. It contained £15 ss. Witness had no desire to see the boy severely punished.—After Constable Bosworth had given evidence of the boy's admission of giving £2 of the stolen money to each of two girls, Mr Platts urged the bench to deal leniently with the accused, whose parents were poor and respectable people. They would, he promised the bench, as far us lay in their power, repay the stolon money, while the father would severely flog the boy.—The Bench could hardly see how a boy so young as the accused could be so daring as to commit such thefts as ho was charged with. They would convict him, 1 and remit his case to the stipendiary magis-

tratc, with a recommendation that he be committed to the Industrial School—Mr Plaits urged their Worships to reconsider their decision, pointing out that to commit the boy to the Industrial School would be to cast a slur upon his mother.—Their Worships retired, and ; on returning stated that they had concluded to ; convict the accused on both charges, and , ordered that he. receive six strokes of the birch for each offence, at different times. Ihe stolen watch was ordered to be restored to Mr Monson, and the bench expected the parents to repay, as far as possible, the stolen money. Receiving Stolen Property. — Elizabeth Conolly wns charged with receiving the sum of £2 from James Docherty, knowing it to be stolen.—Accused, defended by Mr Platts, pleaded not guilty.—Kate Docherty, who was also charged with receiving £2 from James Docherty, was defended by Mr Platts, and pleaded not guilty.—Mr Platts admitted that the girls ttad received the money from Docherty, but were unaware that it was stolen. Ho urged the bench to discharge the girls.—Their Worships dismissed each case.