MAGISTERIAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5094, 30 August 1884, Page 3

MAGISTERIAL.

CHRISTCHURCH. This Dat. (Before E. Beetham, Esq., R.M.) Drunkenness. — W. Smith was convicted and fined 10s for this offence. Moke Shoplifting. — Aaron Melville Musworth, alias Thomas Musworth, was accused of stealing an overcoat and a pair of trousers, value .£3 ss, from Messrs Parker and Tribe's shop, Cashel street, on August 21, and a coat and vest, value £2, from Mr T. Jacobs' shop, 193, High street, on August 19. Parker and Tribe's case was not gone into, because the owners of the stolen goods did not appear to prosecute. S. Bath, an assistant to Mr Jacobs, said he saw the coat and vest outside the shop on the evening of August 19. Shoi'tly. after this he missed them. The manner in which the theft was brought home to accused was rather peculiar. It appears that some few days ago Detective O'Connor, when on the look out for some stolen property, came across a swag at Parker's Kogistry office, for which there was no apparent owner, and took possession of it. An examination showed that the . swag contained the articles stolen from the two drar>er's shops above-mentioned. Last evening the accused Musworth saw the detective, and making a bold move in the game, complained that his swag had been stolen from Parker's Registry Office. " Oh/ said the detective, " I've got your swagfj you come along with me." When shown the overcoat, &c, and accused of stealing them, Mus- ■ worth said, "I don't know what this

is coming to." In court he made an ex- ! planation to the effect that an old friend of his, who was going^ to Wellington, had sold him the goods for £2 ss. There was i no doubt about the identity of the coat and vest in Jacob's case. The Bench did not deal with the case, pending the hearing f of the second charge on Monday.