MAGISTERIAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5461, 13 January 1896, Page 3

MAGISTERIAL.

CHRISTCHURCH. : Monday, Jan. 13. (Before Mr G. W; Russell, J.P., and Mr . G. Tonibs, J.P.)

Drunkenness. — A first offender was cautioned and discharged. — Margaret Maloney, alias Griffin alias Kent, was fined 10s, in default forty-eight hours' imprisonment.

. Vagrancy.— Maggie Wickham pleaded guilty to a charge of having insufficient lawful means of support. She said she had only been down from Wellington for about five weeks, and asked to be given a chance to return to her people. The accused was sentenced to one month's imprisonment with hard laboui\ — Margaret Maloney, alias Griffin alias Kent, was also charged with having insufficient lawful means of 'support... She pleaded not guilty, and stated that she had been living at Opawa with a man named Moor, and had but seldom come into Christchurch. The Bench took into consideration the fact that the accused had not been convicted of vagrancy since 1888, and discharged her with a caution.— Elizabeth Cronin alias M'Kenna, Mary Haynes alias Kelly alias Smith, Ada Gilbert and Alice Clayton were each sentenced to three months' imprisonment with hard labour for vagrancy. In the course of their evidence the police stated that: complaints had been made of these women frequenting Manchester Street and annoyii* both shop-keepers and passers-by. Constable Eamsay stated that one night last week he counted, in Manchester Street, twenty-seven prostitutes of the lowest .class.

(Before Mr E. Beetham, S.M.) Maintenance. — Alexander Malcolm was charged with having failed to comply with an order of the court to pay Annie Malcolm 06I' 10s per week towards her support. The evidence, showed that since the order was made the woman had gone back to live with her hilsband, but had. since left again, ■ and now wished to enforce the order. Defendant was also charged with having threatened to shoot Annie Malcolm. The complainant stated that defendant had been allowing her 15s a week to keep herself and family of six children. He had been drinking heavily, and had threatened to shoot hei*. He had once set fire to her clothes, saying that he would burn her clothes first and then destroy her. Constable Mewellyn and George Malcolm, eleven years old, gave evidence. Defendant said that he had always given his- wife his earnings.-- He had given her .£3 on a Friday, and the next day she packed up and went to Timaru, leaving him with the six children to look after. She said she was not coming back again, and stayed away three weeks. He denied the charge of heavy drinking. He was willing to allow his wife £1 a Aveek. His Worship made an order in accordance with this offer. With regard to the charge of threatening, defendant would be ordered to. find two sureties, of .£2O each binding him over, to keep the peace towards his wife, in default six months' imprisonment,

Civil Cases. — North Canterbury Hospital Board V; Grey Hospital Boardi Mr Beswick, for the Grey Hospital Board, applied for !an adjournment. Mr Lane, for the North Canterbury Board, agreed, and an adjourninentufor one week was made. — Byrne v. Napier, claim £3 2s 6d. Judgment by default.— M'Donald v. Hulme. This was an interpleader case, in which. M'Donald had, under an execution warrant, seized Hulme's furniture, including' a sewing machine, which was claimed as the property of the Singer Sewing Machine. Manufacturing Company. - The value of the machine was .£l2. Mr Maude appeared for the plaintiff and Mr Wilding for the Singer Company. The evidence showed that Hulme had obtained from the company a sewing machine on the hire-purchase system, by which he agreed to pay 2s 6d per week. .£4 2s 6d had been paid -in these instalments, and defendant had been informed that by paying an additional .£8 he could own the machine. Mr Maude contended that a purchase had been made, that the £4 2s 6d was part payment for the machine, with a remaining liability of .£8 on defendant's part, and that any agreement between the plaintiff and defendant should have been registered. His Worship said it was evident that there had been no purchase, and he would order that the machine be handed to the company..