CHRISTCHURCH.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 94, 1 September 1868, Page 2

CHRISTCHURCH.

This Dat. (Before C. C. Bowen, Esq., R.M.; his Worship the Major, and E J. Wakefield, Ei*q.) Drunkenness and Assault on the Policb. —Martin Mackay was charged with having been drunk and disorderly yesterday, and assaulting the police whilst in the execution of their duty. Constable Pratt said about a quarter past ten last night he was on duty in High atreet, when he saw prisoner near tbe White Hart Hotel, conducting himself in a very disorderly manner. Witness requested him to desist, when he turned round and commenced to curse and swear in a violent manner. Witness again cautioned him, und requested him to go home, but not doing so, he was taken into custody. He offered great resistance, and struck witness several times on the face and side of the head. Witness was rolling about iv the street with him for some time before he could succeed in conveying him to the watchhouse. He was in a state of intoxication. Sergeant M(Knight said he waa at the watchhouse when last witness and prisoner arrived there. The constable was bleeding at the mouth, and his clothes covered with mud. The prisoner appeared to have had some drink, but he was not so much intoxicated as not to know what he was doing. In reply to the Bench, prisoner said ho had nothing to plead in extenuation, and his Worship remarking that interference with the police in such cases could not be permitted, fined him 40s. Licenses. —The following applications for licenses were refused. The first four had been similarly dealt with before, and the Bench declined to alter their previous decision : —Hotel —Edwin Coxhead, Marketplace, Christchurch. Country hotel —Charles Fisher Hallum, Caledonian road. General — Joseph Coles, corner of Colombo and Cashel streets, Christchurch ; James Edwin Graham (Provisional trustee in the estate of Joseph Coles and Mark Thompkins), corner of Colombo and Cashel streets, Christchurch. Wine and beer (received too late) — James Ferguson Douglas, Boggy Creek. Conditional —Thomuß Henry Ranger and Co, house adjoining Rolleston Railway Station. Forgery.—Hobt. Willoughby was brought up in custody for having forged an order for delivery of letters frora tbe Leithfield postoffice. Detective Feast said : I arrested prisoner yesterday, on the warrant produced, at Barrett's Hotel. After being cautioned, he asked who had laid the information, but that was all the remark he made. George * harles Rivers, assistant postmaster at Leithfield, said : On the 29th of last month prisoner called at the post-office, and tendered the order produced for letters addressed to Mr W. M. Masked. I gave him three bearing tliat address on tbe strength of it. I do not

' = remember whelher he made any remark at the time. I afterwards saw Mr Maskell on the matter. Thomas Parker -. I am barman at the Leithfield Hotel, where I saw prisoner on the 29th ult. He had dinner, for which he paid, and on going away he gave me a letter and a newspaper addressed to Mr Maskell, requesting that I would deliver them with his compliments, and say he would be up again by the coach on Wednesday. . Previous to giving me the letters, I saw him go and return from the Post-office. W. M. Maskell said: I am a sheep owner, residing near Leithfield. lam not personally acquainted with prisoner, and never had any conversation with him about applying for my letters at Leithfield. The order produced does not bear my signature, nor is it a good imitation. Ido not know of any other person in the province bearing the same name as mycelf. No one ever, to my knowledge, authorised prisoner to apply at the Leithfield Post-office for letters addressed to me. I received the letter produced from prisoner yesterday. Sergeant McKnight said: I waa present when prisoner was brought to the watch-house yesterday, and paw bim write the letter produced to Mr Maskell. He bad previously been cautioned. Prisoner declined to say anything, and he was committed for trial at the current session of tha Supreme Court, the Bench offering to accept bail in two sureties of £100 each Larcent.— Hannah Duggan was charged on two informations with the commission of this offence. Each case was taken separately. Constable Jeffrey said : From information received, I went to the house of Mr McKellow, in Madras street, about one o'clock this morning. In reply to my enquiry, Mrs McKellow pointed out a box belonging to prisoner, and at the bottom of it I found the earrings produced. Prisoner was present. I charged her with stealing them and arrested her. Tn reply to the charge, she said she bad found the earrings in the fire-place at the boarding bouse; in High street. Emma Mitchell said : — 1 am living at Mr McKellow's. During the Ufit fortnight I missed a pair of earrings which I h*d left on the mantelpiece at the boarding house in High street. Prisoner was servant at Mr McKellow's, and I asked her if she had seen them. She replied in the negative. The earrings produced are those which I lost. I gave 25s for them. I never authorised prisoner to take them. Mrs McKellow said: My husband keeps a boarding house in High street, and our private house is in Madras street. Prisoner was in our employ up to this morning. She generally remained at the private house, but sometimes went to the hoarding house in the morning, and stopped until afternoon. She never told me she hnd any earrings in ber possession. Prisoner, in reply to the Bench, said she had found ths earrings and put them in her box with the intention of returning them, but had forgotten to do so. His Worship said the Bench would convict on this charge, but would hear the second before passing judgment. Constable Jeffrey said : When searching prisoner's box for the earrings concerned in the last case, I also found the locket, brooch, and earrings produced. I oharged prisoner with Btealing them, and Bhe replied that she had found them' in the private house. Albert Hyman said : lama general dealer, and live at Mr McKellow's private house, where I keep all my boxes. I have recently missed a pair of earrings, and in looking over the list since prisoner's arrest, I have rais-ed a 10-ket and brooch. The articles produced are mine. I identified them when shown to me by Detective Feast I value them at £1. Prisoner was servant in the house. By prisoner : Yoa purchased a brooch and pair of earrings from me, but they are not the fame as those produced. Prisoner repeated her statement of having found them, and in reply to the Bench, said she had been two years in the province, during which time she had occupied sever.d situations. In&pector Pender said there was no previous offence against prisoner, but she appeared to have moved about a great deal during her residence in the province. His Worship said it was a very serious matter for servants, who necessarily occupied positions of trust, to be guilty of such proceedings, and it was requisite that a severe penally should be enforced. The Bench would however consider that it was prisoner's first appearance, and hoped that it would be a warning to ber. She would be sentenced to three months' imprisonment at hard labour for each offence, the second period to date from the terminat ion of the first.