CHRISTCHURCH.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 2595, 19 July 1876, Page 3

CHRISTCHURCH.

This Day. (Beforo G. L. Mellish, Esq., R.M.) The Oourt opened at four minutes past 11 o'olook. Dbunxbnnbss.—Two inebriates, who appeared for the first time, were fined 6s eaoh.— John M'Kenzie, for drunkenness, using obscene language, and resisting the police, was fined 203. Labobny ov a Coat.—Edwin Turner was brought up on remand from Timaru, oharged with having stolen an overcoat, worth £5, tho property of a passenger on board the Wellington, named Peters. Mr Thomas appeared for tho defence. The ovidenoe takon at Timaru was read, showing that prisoner sold the coat to Dr M'lntyre at Timaru for £4, stating that ho had brought over ono hundred,of them from Amerioa, but, when arrested, prisoner informed Deteotive Walker that he bought tbe coat at a shop in Queen street, Auokland. The following additional evidenoo was thon taken. John Petors, oommeroiol traveller, said, while on tho voyage from Pioton to Wellington, and when near Wellington Heads, ho missed ono of Goodis' patent life-preserving coats. He loft it in the smoking-room while he went on deok. Prisoner was in the room At the time, professing to write a letter. When proseoutor returned the coat was gone, and ho asked prisonor if any one had taken any luggage out of the room. Prisoner said either a carman or'bus man had dono so four or five minutes oro, to whioh proßeoutor replied that it oould not be as the vessel was not near the wharf four or five minutes bofore. Proseoutor next saw tbe ooat at Deteotive Feast's offioe. He identified the ooat produoed as the one he had missed. It was worth £4 10s, and prisoner had no right to tako it. By Mr Thomas: Ho purohased tbe coat in February from Butterworth, Bros., Dunedin, and tho salesman said they had no more. Ho was quite certain as to tho identity of the coat produced. There wae something poouliar in tho sorew of tho ooat whioh prosooutor notioed whon ho bought the ooat. Ho notiood tho samo peculiarity in tho ooat produced yesterday. He did not travel to Auokland at all. Somo pheasants woro also roported as having been stolen on board tho Wellington. ThisJ occurred before proseoutor missed his coat. Ho did not toll prisoner that ho would*know the person who took the luggage. He was on deok with the captain till the vessel was moored. F.W. Liohfleld, commission ogent, Ohristohuroh, said prosooutor had an office on the same floor as himsolf. In Juno last proseoutor oomplainod of tho loss of a coat. Witness had seen tho coat more than onco, and would know it again. Tho coot produood was the one. By Mr Thomas: I oould not piok it out from others of tho samo mako. For tho defence Mr Thomas oalled Frank Houghton, who said he resided at Akaroa. He visited Auokland about two months ago and saw coats in Queen street similar to the one produced. Thoy wore called Boyton's life preserving ooat. By Inspeotor Foast: He only saw the coats out sido a shop. Annie Turner, daughter of prisoner, said she knew her father purohasod a water* proof ooat in Auckland. It was a blaok one. In Auokland hor father brought homo a now ooat and blew it up with a tube. Witness beat it with a stick. Her father packed it in a medicine chest. They came from Auoklond to Ohristohuroh. Hor fathor had his medioino cheat in Ohristohuroh. Sho would know the coat again. Tho ooat produced was liko the one hor father had in hAuokland. Mr Thomas addressed tho Benoh Xt behalf el his cliont, oontonding that no

oaso had been made out. His Worship thought it would bo advisable to obtain evidence from Auokland as to whethor ooats liko tho ono produced wero for sale in Queon stroet at tho timo mentioned by the prisoner when arrested. Inspeotor Feast said ho oould do bo, and would ask for a remand to onablo him to ootnmunioate with tho police at Auckland. His Worship granted thorequost,and prisonor was remandod till Friday. Mr Thomas anplied for his client to bo admitted to bail. Inspeotor Feast said he must oppose tho applioation, ond as one reason for this might state that when Deteotive Walker went to Mr Gosling's, at. Timaru, ho saw a gun, left thoro by prisoner, whioh answered to tho description of one stolen from Ohristohuroh, but after prisonor was admitted to bail it disappeared, and oould not sinoo bo found. Mr Thomas said this mattor was very different from one in whioh a oommittal for trial to tho Supromo Oourt might ensue, and therefore he did not think tho Benoh should refuso baf, tho more so as his mont was a gontloman who had oooupied vory responsible positions, and hold many oortifloatos of oharaoter. He had como out in medioal ohargo of a largo steamship— the Maogrogor— carrying upwards of 300 passengers, and only the othor day reoeived an appointment to the Carnatio. Ho (Mr Thomas) had several testimonials whioh had boen given to his client while aoting in a medioal capaoity on shipboard, and would submit thorn to tho Bonoh. Inspeotor Foast said thoy might bo forgeries. Mr Thomas : What, when one of thorn contains a largo number of signaturos f Inspeotor Feast : Yob, they might he ; suoh oasos havo ooourred before. Mr Thomas oontendod that a noli a viow of tho mattor was absurd, and again requested the Bonoh to aocopt bail. Inspeotor Feast said he would strongly oppose it, and might toll Mr Thomas that even wero the prisonor admittod to bail, ho would at onoo bo arrested on anothor ohargo ; also, that he oould produce a man in Court to state that prisoner's name was not Tumor, but Oebaldiston. Prisonor addressing the Bench, said his name was Tumor, and that ho was a son of Dr Turner, Birmingham. Ho had brothers in Melbourne or Adolaido, and Lady Franoes Turner was his mothor. He had not communicated with his family for six years, and although bom in America, was of British desoont. His Worship said, after what Inspeotor Feast had statod, he could not admit tho prisoner to bail. Mr Thomas said that Mr Gosling, who had been reforrod to by Inspeotor Foast, desired to mako I a statement to tho Benoh. By leave of tho Benoh, Mr Gosling thon stepped forward, and in a very exoitod mannor mado a statement to tho offoot that ho had been oharged by tho doteotivos with having sheltered a thief, and otherwiso ill-treated by thorn. Ho referred more particularly to Inspeotor Feast, whom he stated that ho met near tho mill bridge that morning. Inspeotor Feast warmly denied tho ohargo, assorting that he never saw Mr Gosling near the bridge, but had beon in his offioe all vho morning until ho oamo to tho Oourt. This was corroborated by persons in Oourt, and Deteotive Kir by came forward to say that ho saw Mr Gosling near the bridge when tho latter said ho knew that ho had made a mistake — that Dotootivo Kirby and not Inspeotor Feast was the man he had referred to. He still, howover, persisted in tho ohargo of ill-treat-ment, ana asked tho Benoh to take some aotion in tho matter. His Worship said Mr Gosling had made a mistake in the identity of j the person he oharged with having used the ' language complained of, and it was very probable that he had also mado a mistake in tho oxaot meaning of what was said to him. Inspector Feast said in justioe to himsolf and tho offioers of his department, ho would ask the Benoh to say whether any blame attaohed to them. His Worship said he thought it must havo been entirely a mistake on Mr Gosling's part.