MAGISTERIAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6521, 26 June 1899, Page 2

MAGISTERIAL.

1 . CHRTSTCHDKCH. (Before -Mr IST K. Bbwden, J.PT, . and ■ Mr- ! WTL Ballmger; J^»)'. 1 Drunkenness. — Two- male first' offenders^. land'Marv Bell and Mary Bannister were? Wch' fitted ' 5s and costs— LoruiSa; F&lnertykneaded" guil'f v to having been dronk oitx j^aturdav. Siib-Tnspeetor O'Brien- saidi: tWs 'woman-Lad been- before the >Court on: jSaturday, and Mr Beetham tad then eiven^ •her-an- opportunity- of "going to- th"c Salva--jtion-Army Home. She bad" gone to the> iHome, but hnd only- remained for t> few • IhoUFit,- and" then "one-- out and" got dramlc;. r ignin.~ He understood" tßaf th>- woman'&. ■husband ■was prepared 'to-send'htr into the* icnnntry and take oat a prohißifcfon order* Isirairisfher. The Bench sentenced the ac--Icnsed" to seven days' ' imprisonment, with", jhhrrt labour. John Martin Smith pleaded: jsrnilCyti> a chare©- of " Baring- Been found; dr"«nk" in Poison Sfreet; A'daiijgton, on th'et previous: night. A* Salvation- Army officer- , explained that tlie-mari had ; b]een admitted' ) ix> their" Home on-Sattirdav nigljfc, but onv | Sunday Be had become restless-and had'left 1 . He -was> prepared'to taKe-chitrge- of the; mam \ agauV. On the understanding- that tfie ac-cused-returned to -the Salvatibn-Armv Homes for a week, the Bench 1 convicted hint- and!, ordered him to come up for sentence- whenj j called upon. AfcfcEGED IKCEOT>tMHSM7-"«obert- BOW-[maft-was charged," on- warrant-, with Havibgv !on- June 16, ■mKttl!y-sefrflre-to:a buildingiift- Eichfield Street^ tfte- property of Joslhia ■Strantre WiHiams: ' SulJ-Insnector- O'Brien applied for a remand' for afc 7east two dkvs, in- order that' the- poli'cis might fbrther- investigate tKe case;: IMS'. Kiippenbenrer, who appeared fdr- tbe- accused, objected to a remand being granted?, unless so?ne- evidence could be brouehfrsbowinp the acrused's connection: with" the caae. Tte Beach, decided fe&at. it would; Br necesstM-v t<x ttear some evidence first. .. Rowlandi Partridge, Jeweller, stated" thafe- Be carried on business in a I small sßor> in- Licbfield 1 Street, vnea-r High . [Street. There- was p, small doorway lead- . I ing into the- backyard, but prior- to June , 1 15 this had' not been secured at aiierht time. Whten he returned to Ris s'luop.on the morn- „ ing of Jun* 16 he saw sign* -of fire on the ground by: ttoe back- door, aad.' found that •- the weatherboards ob the side of the build*'-, ing hjad been on fire. To Mf'-Kippenbertrer v . He could" not say if the aocusecj knew him, nor whether he bore, witness any ill-will. - He couttt not see- any l^eason. for the act. < The accused had! no interest!- in the in- . surance> Henry Paget, liigfi*; watchotan, stated 1 that, abont 1.35-arm-. ton Jun*--16j'. ; while near Strange's new- buirdinp, he- saw ! the reffection of a fire. oa-t-He Dunlop Company's, buildings. He" crossed over- and' .found" that -the fire w*is-afc the back -of Mi*^ jParbridge's shop, and ' saw the accused 1 * ■stattdfn.tr in front of • a small fire, whichs (was bpniing- the conner- or some pwfecting 1 " jpa-rt.of the building;- The accused wasv jpitsliing some -nieces of paper and lenther* sharin<rs into the fire* 'Witness ask«<l htnv wfrat he was doing, wkJ the accused then* stood back. Witness- tore somn of ' tJlTe> boards off the buiTdfttftj, and while he wa» looking for som*>t.hii«r with which to ex*t'"n7uish the flames- rbe accused - mad« ofif; "Witness started" t*> chase tlie^ accused); buis had some difficulty- in. getting the' gate^ open, and did noe- seo the 1 accusedJagain, thougli he heard footsteps going in tTio direction of High Street; Ho met Constable* Bvown, with whom- lio went back aiidp.xtinguished the fire-. H*e had seen the accused twice bkrfore- that night. He was aofc drunk, but lie- was- far from being sober. To Mr Kippenberper-r He ha dr, to bis- knowledge, noverseen tha man before the n%?jt of June 15. His snbscquent observation led him to believe thnt tln're wrs a direefc glare from, ih& fire on to the D»m)np Cfe^pany's buildinp. The yard ttb full of smoko when witness entered. The accused had about three seconds siitvb of him getting out of the yard, and witness, though* he must Lave run past him in the dark. He did not think it was possib&i-thatr he had- made a mistake in his observation, of the identity of tha man in tt»» yar.d. Constable Browfi stated he ss^w thU« v accuajed- aboijt twelve o'clock, ©n the oightof June". i$ lying in. Strange^ doorway, in Lichfield Street. He

Paget to tbfe scene^of .the fire^-. Two of. i w&ither-boards: irom the building, he M taken with him to the police station. I tective »Fitagerald . stated, that, whetiH rested, the accused, said that he kn< nothing about the lire. He had got hoi about '12.15 that night- Sub-Inspect O'Brien then renewed Jiis application for remand. The accused..was.-reinanded^till p.m. on Fi-iday. The existing .bail was i newed. " Before Mr R. Beetham, S.M.) . Civxl Oases. — Judgment . ior .plaintiff 1 default was given in the following cases :- J. Thornton v. W. Francis, claim £2 9s D.I.C. v. S. Wilson, £1 16s 6d.— Auls brook and Co. v. F. L. Muncaster, clai £31 11s 3d, was adjourned till July 3.R. W. Gibb v. J. Delamain, claim £16 10 "" was adjourned till June 29. During the civil business at the Magi ' trate's Court .this morning, after a few ol age pension claims had. been .disposed o: Mr Beetham., S.M;, remarked that he ha set down the pension business for ever alternate Monday, thinking he would b . able to dispose of all the claims before 1 a.m. , at , which time the Civil Court sal But he, found that it was no longer possibl to deal with the applicants for pension o: Mondays' without interfering with the rou tine business of the Court. At the pre^en sitting there were twenty-five, pension claim set down for hearing, and it was impossible to get through them and take the dispute civil cases also. He would, therefore, se aside eveiy alternate Friday on which, t< deal with pension claims, and in the, presem instance all disputed civil business would b( adjourned till July.