MAGISTERIAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6721, 16 February 1900, Page 3

MAGISTERIAL.

— ■■ — "♦ — CHRISTCHURCH. Friday, Feb. 16. (Before Mr W. W. Collins, J.P., Mr W. H. Cooper, J.P., and Mr J. Connor, J.P.) Prohibition Order. — On the application of a friend, a prohibition order was issued against a man, to take effect in the Christchurch and surrounding districts for one year. Assault and Drunkenness. — Edward A. Neilson was charged with being drunk on the Christchurch railway platform last evening, and with assaulting Benjamin Pilkington, the station-master. The evidence showed that the assault was of an aggravated nature. The accused had come on the station at 11.20 last night in a drunken state, and made himself very obnoxious. He was ejected from the station twice, and, returning, committed a sudden and unprovoked assault on the station-master, cutting his face severely. The accused said he remembered nothing about it. The Bench said that this was a more than ordinarily serious case and the accused would be sentenced to f ourteen days' imprisonment with hard labour. He would also be fined 10s and costs, with the usual alternative, for drunkenness, and ordered to pay 255, the amount of damage done to the station-master's uniform. Theft.— William Warner pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing a handsaw and a pair of garden shears on Jan. 23, value 10s. He was sentenced to one month's imprisonment with hard labour. — In the case of John Miller, charged with having, on Jan, 5, stolen £1 from John Cook, there was no appearance of the prosecutor. The accused had been brought before the Court two days ago, «id remanded because the prosecutor did not enter an appearance. Mr Donnelly, who appeared for the accused, said that he had been instructed that there was not a particle of evidence to support the charge. The man Cooke, who was a notoridosly bad character, had gone to the police with, his case in the first place, but they refused^to ?ave anything to do with it. He had then educed a Justice of the Peace to issue a warrant, and as soon as the aoctped was apprehended, he had cleared out &nd left "n* to get out of his difficulty as best «e pould. Counsel submitted that the Bencn dismiss the case, and grant costs against the informant, to teach Mm a le»SOn - The Bench decided that they had no power to mulct the informant in costs, I and dismissed the case.