MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 11102, 17 December 1897, Page 2

MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

at 1 ins 14 a. v Friday, December 17.—before Mil R. L. Stanford, S.M. Five young men named Ron AllefJ, 1 Charlos Bleasol, Thomas Kelly, Harry Leary, and George Henderson wero ichargod with having interrupted a condatt iti tfee Upper Kent Kaad School on the 7th inst by walking and talking aud playing le'ip itotf. The accused,- for wi'om Mr Weston appea'fed',' pleaded not guilty,' arid Sergt. Stagpoole, wfro prosecuted on behalf of r the police, called the' Rev. G. P". Hunt, wbo'stated that there

was a disturbance oii the evening in ; question, and he could uot swear tn.it the accused caused it, though he knew' tKtey were there. In answer to His Worship, tho witne»3 said he did uot think tho i interruption was of such a -nature as to ' prevent fifty oi tbe items being heard. \ To Mr Weston tbe wJtnoss Slid he knew a 1 constable was e^pefctec^ btft did not linoV? he wan there. Cnirle3 Barker swore that tno gccWafcd had walked in dvd 1 out of the porch rfnd called out, and also played' leap frOg, and Mr W. Chatttrton, who Md been inside, also gave evidence, saying ho healM Mr Hunt remonptrate once with some young" men who were making a noise. Constable Lynd, who had been present in plain clothes, also gavo evidence. I*or tbe defence, Mr Warren stated tbut he considered the concert was a most orderly one, and he personally had rot i-uifiered any annoyance. Tho whole dlstiict, bo said, was indignant at the information being laid against the accused, who were all re poctable yonng men. — To Sergl. Stag«.oole, che witness said he had lived ou tho Kent Road for about 12

months, but had been many years iv the district. W. Allen, who had alSd been at the concert, faid that to his mind titefe was no noise at all out' of the way.— Cross lexarnined by Hergt. Stagpoole, he said thero were some boys who had to sit on the floor by the door, and they seemed to be sitting on top of each other. Witness was sitting right tip in front. Joseph Houlahan also stated he considered the meeting an orderly one, and what noise there vas had not been made purposely. Jhis concluded the evidence, and His Worship thfen said he gathered that the case was the culminating point of a eories ot disturbances, bcit it was n'tft for him to take previous matters into consideration. The evidence did not point practically to' any of the defendants having been guilty of the charge. The identification of the person who had called out was incomplete aud it had not been proved that the five a cuaed had caused any serious disturbance. Ho didn't want the youug men to go away with (be impression that they cotild with impunity disturb meetings without fear of being prosecuted, simply because he intended to d!smi-s the cas-c The lino wan not eaf>ily drawn trefivvceu hiirrnless noise, and uunecrfl^ary and deliberate noise, but on this particular occasion he thought tho five young men had kept on the liyht side, smd had not been guilty of any offence in the eyes of tho law. Re would therefore dismiss the case. No order for costs was made.