CITY POLICE CASES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1417, 18 January 1879, Page 19

CITY POLICE CASES.

Tbe following cases were disposed of at the" City Police Court during the week :—: — Larceny-.— -Thomas Heywood, a negro, employed on the craft Star of the Mersey, was found guilty on a charge of stealing from Samuel Vaughan, at St. Kilda, that morning, two orders tor payment of money, a knife, 2s in silver and copper, and a piece of a comb, and was sentenced to 14 days' imprisonment. Embezzlement.— Adam Gordon Seymour, charged with embezzling L 2 143, and LI 15a, the property of his employer, James Russell Hamilton, was, at the request of the police, remanded till Moirlay. — Inspector Mallard, so as not to take the prisoner by surprise on Monday, stated that on that day two other charges might be brought against him — viz., larceny as a bailee, and forgery.— Bail was allowed to the prisoner in two sureties of LSO each, and one in his own recognisance of LIOO. The Industrial School.— On the application of its mother, an mfant, named Alfred Frederick Hitchmore, was committed to the Industrial School for 12 months, to be brought up in the Church of England religion. Fokgrry. — William Powtr, a lad of 15 years of age, was charged with having forged a cheque of the value of £10.— Mr L*ennißton appeared for uccused.— R. N. Adams, Daily Timts and Witness publisher, deposed tijat accused was < ffice boy in his employ, having been such for about two years. Witness kept a ba-iking account with the Bank of Hew Zealand. He kept his cheque-bjok in a cupboard in the office. On Monday afternoon last he noticed a cheque had been torn out of his book, number 222,442. The cheque produced, drawn in favour of T. Kcllnn by E. N. Adams for £10, corresponded with the one missing. The signature was not his (witness 1 ). The two slips of paper produced have Ih9 words "T. Kellan," and "Reference Lib • rary" written upon them. The writing ig that of accused. Witness communicated with the police upon learning that the cfc que had beet) cashed. Asa matter of f »ct, he could not say whose writing was upon the cheque.— By Mr Dennißton : The publishing-room is frequented by a number of brp.-i. 'Xhere are seven boys in my department, and others in the printing office. I saw accused write "T. Kellan " upou the slip produced. I asked htm to write it after X heard of the cheque boing cashed He made no objections. — Basil H. Goudio, talesman at Messrs Hallenstein'a in the Octagon, stited that he saw the cluque produced on Saturday, the 4th instant. It was presented to him in payment for a hat and shirt (produced aud identified) by a lad wh->m he would not know again. The price of the goods was 83 9d. When he took the ehsqu*, he asked the boy which Mr Adams it was who had signed the cheque. The boy told him it was " the publicher of the paper." The balance of the cheque was banded to the boy in notes and silver.— To Mr Denniston: Witness slid he could not identify either hat or Bhirt specifically; he could swear positively to the box in which they were.— Sorgeant AnHerson, who arrested accused, deposed that he found tho box, hat, nnd sbirfc produced in the house of accused* father. The boy had only 2d and a shilling stamp on him when arrested.— This closed the case for tho prosecution, and Mr Denniston siid he did i;ot purpose to addre s the Bench for the defence. — Prisoner was committed for trial at the uext sittings of tho Supreme Court, it beinar understood b*il would be allowodjin a moderate amount. A Gamb Hk did not Understand.— Ah Keo, a son of the Flowery Lmd, was charged with stealing a cart-load of manure, value Is 6d, the property of William Cteid, of Kensington.— Mr Ba>hirite, who appeared for the accused, pleaded guilty, but said that the offence had been committed ignovaotly. The defendant had recently become a market gardener, and was on his way home the oth r evening, about6(.'cl'-ck, with a load of manure Whilst passing the prenvses of the complai'aat he saw a small quantity of manure there, and without thinking that ho was doing wrong: he drove up to tbe (■jpot whevo tho manure lay, and proceeded to place it in his cart. He was so ewraged when a i<olicem*n arrived and arrested him. It wis broad daylight at the time, and there wora a number of people about- If a load of manure was worth Is 6d, the quantity taken by the accused would only be worth (3d or 9d.— Mr Watt : I will take into consideration the circumstance of his taking the manure in daylight and in view of all the people, and likewise the smallness of Us value. The prisoner is found guilty of the offence, but discharged. Insulting Language.— Annie Carra and OhorMte Rose were charged, on remnnrt, with minpr ineultin? language to Ann Gunning — Complainant did not appear.—The Clerk of 'he Cou t s-id the magistrate before whom the case fir t c.imo adjour.if d it till the 12th instant, which was .Sunday.— Mr Watt s«d'in that ease the information fell th.-ough. A Book-Agkst's AiTAiiis —Adam Gordon Seymour, a bO k*agcnt and general coinmlcaion agent, was charged with embezz ing tho suras of £2 14 i and£l 16s, belonging to James Russell H-tinillou, on or about ihe 20th A uirust last.— He pleaded not guilty — Inspector Mallard »"»id the case would hlnue on lh» question whether the accused w«s an agent or » servant at the time of the alleged embezzlement — George William Mu-on said he acted undor * p..wer of attorney on behalf of Mr Hamilton, of Sydney. He latoly Hnploted the pris >ncr to take books out for him, and sell them upon coinmis-ion. Prisouet's duties were 110S to collect accounts— ho liad only to receive first deposits. The books were to be paid tor by monthly instalments In August last the prisoner took out a book called " n\\ Knund the World" to dispose of in the usual way. He told witness shortly afterward* that he had sold it to a Mr Mflguire, of Port Chalmers. The price ot tlie book was 40jj, and it was to be paid for ia .monthly instalments of 6-=. Prisoner re^e ved the commission on this transaction. Ou the 16ch St-ptember wit oess rec ired a letter from the accused stating that he had sold Muguire " All Eounu the World" for 30s cash, but that bo mu*t huve got drunk at the time and fiquanrlore'i tb»» money, »s he hidno 1 eaollection of wh->t bee .me of it. Iv consequence of th : s letter witness went to the Port and saw Maguire, who showed him a receipt for £1 15s naned by the prisoner fir the s-ale of the books. — In answer to the Bench, witness stUl thittheprisoiwr was at liberty to sell books for others at tlw time of the aUejje't offence. —His W> rAip ruled that prisoner rtas an swent, and not a servant, and the charge of embezzle- | ment wou'.d therefore bJ di-missed. -A charge of ! larceny aa a bailee was then preferred a^ainsc ' the prisoner, but tho evidence entirely exculpated him, and tho information was dismissed —A third information— one of forgery— wns ' next laid against the pi woner— Bridget Co)l, domostic servant at OtaUaia, snid that a few months ago she pawned 0, Bible for the prisoner. She never bought' a book from him — G. H. Mason said that thn receipt produced was uiven to h'm by the prisoner, who fitatedi tint he hid disposed of a Bible to Bridget Col', for J.Os. and ih >t th« receipt vrm signed by her.— Prisoner denied hivinx said that the receipt was signed by Col], saying that

he had t^lclMr Mason that it was his own huiidwruiug. He had frequently signed receipts for deposits himself, and did not lake any trouble to conceal the fac: from Mr Mason.— The case was adjourned till Wednesday, the prisoner being allowed bail in two sureties of £25 eaoh.