MAGISTEEIAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6597, 22 September 1899, Page 3

MAGISTEEIAL.

CHRISTOHIffiCfI. Friday, Sept. 22. (Before Mr J. M. Thompson, J.P., and Mr S. Lawrence, J.P.). Drunkenness. — Two male first offenders were each fined 5s and costs, or in default twenty-four hours' imprisonment. — Christina Lawson was sentenced to one month's imprisonment with hard labour. — Alice Smith pleaded guilty to a charge of drunkenness, and was handed over to the care of the Salvation Army Home. Soliciting Prostitution. — Julia Brown was charged with soliciting prostitution near the Occidental Hotel, and also with being without lawful visible means of support. She was sentenced to fourteen days' imprisonment witb hard labour. The Bictcle By-laws. — George Scott was fined 5s and costs 7s for riding his bicycle on the footpath. Larrtkinism at Addington. — George Kinnimouth, Ernest M'Ewan, Maurice Archer, Cecil Hardingham, James YYilloughby, Ernest Willoughby, and William Joyce, all boys, were charged with having, on Sept. 10, at Addington, committed mischief, by wilfully wasting certain grass-seed and grain, value 10s, the property of Mr G. G. Stead. Evidence was taken that about 4 o'clock on Sunday afternoon the boys were observed playing about a stack of bagged grain and grass-seed outside Mr Stead's store. After they left is was found that the bags had been thrown about promiscuously, and three of the oat sacks had been cut open and about two bushels of grain taken away or thrown about the ground. The boys had filled their pockets with the oat-seed, and amused themselves by petting each other with it and putting it down each other's necks. One witness for the prosecution said that it was the wind which had knocked down the stack, and not the boys. Mr Donnelly appeared for Archer and Hardingham. For the defence, it was denied that any of the boys had committed the mischief, which was done before 10 o'clock in the morning. The Bench dismissed the case. A Trivial Prosecution. — John Pitcaithly was charged that, being a pasbeing a passenger by the Lyttelton-Christ-church train, he refused to give up his ticket when requested to do so by the guard. The witness for the prosecution did not put in an appearance, and Sub-Inspector O'Brien said that the defendant was the holder of a season ticket. The guard had asked for it, but the defendant was not able to produce it that morning. There was no suggestion that the defendant had intention to defraud the railway, but the by-law provides that a passenger must show his ticket when requested to do so by the guard. The defendant had not done so in this case, and a technical breach of the regulations had been committed. In defence, Mr Pitcaithly said he was a constant passenger on the line, and on the morning in question he had left his ticket at home. He told the guard of this, and offered to bring the ticket next morning and show him. He could not again* see the official, who in the meantime laid the information. The case was dismissed. Non-attendance at School. — For neglecting to send their children regularly to school, James Clutterbuck and Thomas Priston were each fined 4s, Stephen Barrett was fined 2s, one case was withdrawn, and two were dismissed.

One of the cruellest remarks made by a musical auditor i3 reported from California. A vocalist was warbling, to her own great satisfaction, " Oh, would I were a bird'!" when a rough miner shouted out, "Oh, would I were a gun!" Persons in Britain say "As black as a fiend," the French say ' "as blue," the Spaniards say " as green," the Italians say " as grey," and the Chinese say " as white."