CITY POLICE COURT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19147, 15 April 1924, Page 3

CITY POLICE COURT.

Monday, April IT. (Before Mr H. W. Bundle. S.M.) In Trouble Again.—Olive Alay Baldren, Rn old offender, was charged with committing iniehief by wilfully damaging one pane of glass valued at £2, tlie property of j.vobert Dawson Horswell, and further with using obscene language in King street. .Accused pleaded guilty. —bub-inspector .eraser statWi that accused had been before inn court before charged with threatening behaviour, and the ease had been dismissed on condition that she left a man with ■whom she was living, but unw she bad gone back to hint.-—Accused said she would niarrv tlie man if she could get a divorce front Iter husband, —Sergeant Boulton deposed that, iu response to a tele, hone message be went to Ilorswell’s shop iu King street, am) found accused inside wring disgraceful language, and threatening to break things. Witness remonstrated with her, but accused ran outside and deliberately smashed the; Window. The language was the worst be

bad heard for a long time, and to bis mind the woman was insane.—The language alleged to have been used was written down and passed to accused who heatedly der.ieu it. and said it, was the other way about, and that witness . had .caught her by the throat and thrown her into the street, She had only gone to see her child, and bad placed her foot, against the window and if bad gone through the glass.—Ensign Coombea said the Industrial Home at Caversham was open to her, and if she would only stay long enough she would benefit from it.—Accused, sneaking rapidly, said men were to blame for her state, and she would work if she would get it but she erniM not pet a position under the name of Waldron. —The Magistrate said it was finite evident accused used the language complained of, and it was filthy. The sergeant’s evidence was quite clear. Lhe would make restitution for the damage done, and on the charge of using obscene language she would bo convicted and /..nteneed to a term of reformative treatment for a period of two years, a special condition being that she must remain in such a place a? Ensign Coombs directed. If she did not obey site would bo sent to an institution.—Ensign Coombs said the woman could see the child if she- went aborit it in the right spirit, and in any ease she would see that accused saw her child.

False Pretences.—Christopher Waller Welsh was charged with obtaining from Henry Mathie Allan the sum of £ls liv means nf <a valueless cheque with intent to defraud; further that being licensed under (be Offenders’ Probation Art. 1920. he failed to comply with the renditions of such license.—Mr (i. T. Bavlee appeared

for .accused and pleaded guilty,- f’hief-de teetivp View is said the accused knew bis account at the hank was dosed, yet he issued a cheque for £ls, and also another, but in the second case Ine person concerned was not taking action. Accused had been admitted to probation last year for theft, and ho had been more or less of a nuisance. Mr F. G. Gumming (Probation Officer) stated that accused had made restitution and had reported fairly regularly. It was quite evident, however, that accused had an idea, of making money, and that had placed him in his present position.—Mir Bayleo said accused admitted the facts, but said that the cheques would be met. - The whole trouble—he did not drink—was that he had certain ideas of making a fortune, and one way of furthering this was to purchase building sections', and the time had corno when ho could not meet his liabilities. If ho wore admitted to probation be could make good, and he had received the offer of a position at Burnside.--The Rev. Bryan King said ho had had the man under close observation, and he could say that he was a hard worker. Tie bad come to him and asked for assistance.—Mr Gumming: There, is no'need for accused to go to Mr King, he could come to me if he wanted assistance or counsel. Anyhow, (he department considers this a serious ease,— Tlie Magistrate said accused had been be-

fore the court before, and be could-not issue valueless cheques —-the public bad to be protected. lie would take into consideration what Mr Baylee and Mr King bad said, although it appeared to him that, accused was. to a certain extent, a mental ca.se. ,Hc would ho convicted on both charges, and peulonced to reformative detention for n, period not. exceeding two years with a recommendation to (he Prisons Board that he he mentally examined. Theft from Boat.—A charge of stealing ,i„ alarm clock valued at 17s sd, and one pair of binoculars, valued at £l. the property of John Ringland, was preferred against Joseph Kearns, who pleaded guilty.-—Ghief-tiptective Lewis slated that accused had neon night watchman on the boat Htelhi for over three years, most, of the time being spent in Dunedin. In January last the boat went lo Port Ghalmers am] accused went with it.' While them accused took the articles mentioned, and later lie left the ship. About, three weeks after this ho returned to the boat and said he -found the cabin door open and various articles missing, the value of which was estimated at £2O. As there was a suspicion that accused also took the other things, the Chief Detective asked for a remand to enable inquiries to he made.— Accused declined to accept bail in his own recognisance, and he was remanded until ihursday next. Prohibited Persons. John Forrester pleaded guilty to a charge of procuring liquor from Percy Hickey during the currency of a. prohibition order.-— Hub-inspector Fraser said defendant was seen by a eonstable coming out of a hotel at 11.15 a.m. on April 5. and when questioned admitted having a» drink, lie also had drink in Ins possession.—Defendant said it was on ly when ho came to town that he touched liquor.—Ho was lined £2 (costs 7s), in default 43 hours’ imprisonment. Archibald Duncan M‘Klay piffitlcd iruilty to u cluirg'o of being found drunk, and further with procuring liquor while prohibited. —Sub-inspector Fraser said defendi-nt was arrested m a drunken condition and hud a flask of whisky in his possession.—Defendant expressed re-

gret, and said he was not feeling well. Hc was convicted on the charge of drunkenness and fined £1 (costs 7s) for (he breach of his prohibition order, in default 48 hours’ imprisonment. Dismissed.—A plea of not guilty was entered by John Glia idea .Patterson when charged with permitting a_ horse to wander at large.—Sub-inspector Fraser stated that the horse was found in a right-of-way late at night, and when defendant's wife was interviewed she had stated that the horse belonged to her husband.—Defendant said the horse was not his. as his animal was in Leith Valley on the night in question, 'the horse in question, ho understood, had been taken off a private section, and it had been there several times since.—'l lie wife of defendant stated that when the constable interviewd her she told him her husband’s horse was not at large as far ns she knew. ■ She then went outside and the constable flashed his torch on the animal, and witness said it was probably her husband’s horse.—The Magistrate said he was satisfied that Mrs Patterson led the constable to believe the horse belonged to her husband, but as the evidence was not clear, the ease would bo dismissed.

Failure to close shop.—F. Bonham was charged with failing to close his shop in the Arcade at the required hour of 1 p.m. on Saturday. Defendant pleaded guilty, inspector Kinsman stated that on Saturday. March 15, at 7 p.m., ho entered defendant’s tobacconist, shop in the Arcade, and spoke to him regarding the closing of his establishment. Defendant had said that it. was closed on Wednesday, and he thought lie could keep open on Saturday.—The Magistrate advised defendant to procure a copy of the Shops and Offices Act and road d. He was fined 10s (costs 7s). A Farmer’s Troubles. —An elderly man, C. J. Lockwood, who proved lo he rather talkative, was charged with failing lo clear his property of ragwort.—When asked how lie pleaded, defendant excitedly declared that the Government had 10C3 acres adjoining his property where it grew weeds, ragwort, and rabbits, and he had to still nr for it. He wonhl plead guilty to having some ragwort at the top end of his property. — inspector 11. Fountain said defendant had 10 acres of land in the Mount, Cargill district, and had received notices to clear ragwort. He started to door it, but had not finished, and because of this the sections below were infected. It. was rough country, hut ail the other settlers bad cleared their land.—Defendant (excitedly) : I’ll tell you what the trouble is, and it’s because I haven’t got, a bottle of whisky.— (Laughter.) —Inspector Fountain: Do you know I am a teet.olalter?•— I Wendant: You are not. T have had a drink out of the same horde as you. —(Laughter.) —lnspector Fountain (heatedly) : Aon arc ,-i | ,—Defendant : Thank you for no-thing.-—The Magistrate : That will do.-- Inspector Fountain: Very well, sir. Dm ( won’t have a man accusing me like this in open court. I w ill tiring an act ion against him. -The Magistrate told defendant tf- coniine himself to statements enn-i-eniing ragwort. 1 V-feiidani, who v.a- sh illing after his statements, said he ih-voled a half-day a week towards clearing his properly, and there was barely an acre left. In clear. The Inspector staled that defendant had done the same thing la-1 veer, hni no action had been taken. I lie Magi-trate imposed a tine of £1 (cods is), and stans. that I bo line was small because of (he sma’.i property defendant owned, but that, if be in eourc again lie would ho inory

severely dealt with. lie also instructed defendant not to make ridiculous and wild statement/) regarding (lie inspector.

Two Similar Charges.—J. Lament was ako cluirged with failing to clear ragwort Iroe.i his properly at North-East Harbour. Tlie Inspector stated that the property consisted of 56 acres, and was more or less infected, about two acres being uncut. Defendant staled tlm he had engaged a man (o do flic work, but, (lie man had not fulfilled tlm contract.—-Defendant was tinea £2 (costs 7s).- -Henry Winter (Air Anderson) was charged with failing to clear ragwort on his properly in the Leith A alley. The Inspector said defendant had purchased l!i" property from another man, and had failed to get rid of the ragwort. —Mr Anderson stated that defendant had been seriously injured and could not attend to his properly. He had put a man on to do tlm work, and he asked that this be taken into consideration. —The said ho could riot treat the case in a dilierent manner to tlie other one, and imposed it line of £2 (costs 7.-;). Afainienanee Cases. —Jeannio Maeaskili proceeded against Alexander Alaeasktll. claimin'' £lO 10s due as arrears in respect of a maintenance order for her children. — The Tsev. V. C. Bryan King said defendant was in regular employment, and earning over £5 per week. There were five children. — Defendant wa.s sentenced to three months’ imprisonment, the warrant; to he suspended if he paid ?s 6d a week off (ho arrears in addition to the current order. Edwin -loliti Bruce applied for a variation, I.iv reduction, of a maintenance order payable bv him to the Education Department in respect of bis two children. —After evidence as to defendant’s financial position, tlie Magistrate varied the order to 12a 6(1 per week as from Alnrcli 31 last.