Magesterial.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 701, 22 August 1870, Page 2

Magesterial.

CHRISTCHURCH. This Day. (Before C. C. Bowen, Esq., R.M.) Vagbanct. — Mary Mitchell was brought up under the Vagrancy Act, charged with having been guilty of improper conduct in a' public thoroughfare. The case was proved, but prisoner having but recently come out of gaol, and promising to be more careful in future, wsb dismissed with a caution. Dbunkknnebs.— John Callister, for having been drunk and disorderly, was fined 10s. Lakcent. — James Ross, alias Hoare, was brought up in custody, charged with having stolen a chain, the property of W. Morgan. Detective Feast proved to having arrested prisoner, and finding the chain produced, and since identified by prosecutor, upon him. Mary Mitchell said she resided at theKaglan boardinghouse, and that prisoner, as also a man named Morgan, had occasionally stopped there. The chain produced belonged to the lutter, who

gave it to her to take care of. She last saw it in her bedroom on Wednesday. She saw prisoner there the same morning. At the Police Depot, prisoner asked her, in presence of the police, whether she had not given it to him, and she said she could not say. Prisoner had previously asked her to say that she gave it to him. W. Morgan identified the chain as his, and said its value was about three or four shillings. Last witness was not to keep it, but return it to him. Prisoner, in defence, said Mary Mitchell had given him the chain. This witness was then recalled, and denied having done so. She said she paid one night's board ■md lodging for prisoner, and in the morning he had asked her not to press the charge against him ; that was the reason why she said at the Police Depot that she did not know whether ehe had given him the chain or not. His Worship said the evidence was not quite satisfactory, and he would give prisoner the benefit of the doubt, and discharge him. Prisoner was then charged with having stolen a watch, and £8 in money, from the same boarding house on Saturday night. Detective Feast said a man named Steele had reported such a loss at the Depot, and although prisoner denied the theft, he, witness, believed that he had taken the articles and planted them. Inspector Pender, on this, applied fora remand, in order to enable fuller enquiries to be made ; and his Worship, regarding prisoner's conduct as auspicious, granted the request, the 26th inst. being named for the further hearing of the case.