MAGISTERIAL

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 11700, 8 March 1902, Page 4

MAGISTERIAL

TIMARU—FRIDAY, March 7th, 1902. (Before Mr C. A. Wray, S.M.) WILFUL DAMAGE. Two boys, John Hammond and Henry Barker, both of Kingsdown, and aged nine and fourteen years respectively, were charged with wilfully breaking 83 4-inch drain pipes, the property of J. R. Davidson, of Kingsdown. Both boys pleaded guilty. Sergeant Warring stated that the boys attended the Kingsdown School, and on their way to the school they sometimes crossed through Mr Davidson's paddock. Recently the pipes which were valued at 13s lOd, were broken, and Mr D»vidson claimed for the time occupied in carting more pipes from Timaru. J. Davidson, the complainant, stated that the pipe* were stacked in one of his paddocks, and were to be used for drainage purposes. He had 210 pipes altogether and 83 had been broken. The pipes cost 2d each and he also claimed 15s, cost of sending a team to town to replace them, and 5s which, he paid a man for counting the pipes in order to find out how many were broken.

Sergeant Warring said that nobody had seen the pipes broken, but the matter had been reported and Constable Crawford made enquiries and saw the boys, who admitted committing the offence. Henry Barker said that he was going through the paddock, when he met Hammond, who suggested that they should break the pipes. He said that he was only there about half an hour, that he only broke about a dozen. It -was the only time he had been in the paddock. Did not know whether Hammond had been there since. The pipes were packed up in heaps about the paddock. The boy Hammond, who shed tears upon going into the witness box, was too much grieved to say much. He said that he had been ordered out of the paddock by Mr Davidson. Mr Davidson said he had never ordered the boy out of the paddock. Mr Hammond, father of the boy, said that life «in had told him that Barker had threatened to give him a hiding if he did not. help him break the pipes. The parents of the boys gave their sons good characters.

His Worship said that it was most objectionable behaviour, and as far. as he'

could *ee both the dots were to blame. They would be fined' 5s each, an dordered to pay 10s each as damages.