Local Intelligence

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 8, Issue 456, 26 November 1864, Page 3

Local Intelligence

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE’S COURT. . Before D. S. Durie, Esq:, R.M., and T. Waters Esq., J.P. , ■, November 23., Geo. Walker v. John Sullivan and James Hearne. The prisoners were charged with desertion from the schooner Jc-pfie by complainant who is master, who said that these men had jumped into the boat the previous day and cut the painter, that he had jumped'over after them, that Sullivan swam to the other side, but he got 'hold' of the other man and gave'him in charge; both men sigued the articles (produced) in Sydney. Richard Pugh, chief officer, confirmed the master’s evidence, and stated that the men had tried to desert before.'. They were sentenced to two months’ imprisonment with hard labour.

Windham Thompson v. George Walker. Plaintiff is Lieutenant and Adjutant in H. M. 57th Regiment, and charged defendant with-having knowingly and wilfully concealed two soldiers on the 22nd inst. on board liis vessel'the Jessie. Defendant pleaded not guilty, the men having been there without his knowledge. J ohn Sullivaii, seaman on board the Jessie, said that two men had come on board the vessel while -the Captain was ashore ; they said that they had made it all right with the Captain before they came off - . Yesterday, the Captain came on board at high water, and ordered the anchor up. Witness asked him where another man was to be got to make up the crew ; he answered that it was all right, there would soon be plenty of men. He (witness) wished to go to the authorities but the Captain would not let him go ashore. He then jumped into the boat and cut xiie painter ; his mate followed him into the boat, which the master tried to lay hold of, but being intoxicated, he fell overboard and was picked up by the boat. Witness swam ashore and reported the case to the authorities. The two men brought into Court lie identified as the men that came on board; they came on board between 10 and II -p.ru. ,- dressed in civilians’ clothes, but they allowed that they were soldiers. John Burke, policeman, deposed that be. had gone on board the Jessie on the previous day, and obtained permission from the master to search her ; found two men, one in the cabin in soldiers’ clothes, the other hidden in the forecastle dressed in ■ civilians clothes; lie brought them ashore ; was told there was. another man on board, and went with Corporal Green and found McCarthy concealed in lumber at the back of the Captain’s cab!-.

The'Oaptain'■■was on board at tiio time, but 'heqirofessed not to- know that tliese men were hrtka vessel. Edwin Green, Lance Corporal in the 57th Regiment, corroborated Burke’s evidence as to the capture of the men; heard the'Captain aunl mate say there were no men on board, but thought the Captain must have known. The case was dismissed. ' , - ■ '

s James Pearce! .vi . -William Kells.—The ■plaintiff; a farmer at Taranaki and agent for the .Government, sought to recover L6O as the value of-a horse belonging to him, un; lawfully detained by plaintiff. Ho sa.d : I am a farmer arid reside at Taranaki. Some' time 1 since! was possessed of a horse at Taranaki which I lost in the latter end of June 1860. ; The last time I saw. it was on my farm at Tataraimaka. It ,\vas in a paddock. The horse was a roan coloured horse, a heavy horse, a cart horse, broke in to harness ; I have no notion how it was taken from my paddock ; I gave no authority to any body to remove it ; the paddock'was a secure one; the bor.se could not have got out without being, taken. Tho value of the horse is LGQ ; 1 could have -got that price for it many times. I have not seen the horse, but from information received I believe it is here. Thomas Foreman aud Mr. Lethbridge know the horse. I made application. to the Government for compensation for said horse as having been stolen from me. LBO was awarded to me as compensa tion. I Lave only received a portion of the coinpcnsatioii-t-perhaps' more than one third but not one half. I have received directions from the Superintendent of Taranaki to come here in pursuit of that horse. F I take the horse to Taranaki I give ir. up co Government, and it will give me the preference of taking back my horse and givingup my compensation. Six. months ago I was informed by a Mr.'Standish that my horse was here, who pursued it up the river ; I have had ho communication with defendant about it.

By Mr. Roberts for the defence : I bought the horse when eighteen months old ; I gave L 22 fpr .it. It was eight and a-balf years when I lost it. I don’t recoilecc my horses breaking out of the paddocks before ; they might have done so, but from-the length of tioe lam not positive, I never had the trouble of going after it. The horse was not branded or marked when I lost it. It is stained with-grey'in several places. I don’t know of any particular spot of color on if extraordinary in a horse. ■ It was sound with the exception of a small knob on the inside of one of its forelegs ; but-none the worse for that.

.By Mr Boberts—l have not many horses. It was a lump like the joint of my finger, not moveable.

I signed a paper when I received the money from Government, but have no copy of it. I signed a receipt, but don’t. remember what was in the receipt. I received the money in different instalments ; the horse was not mentioned more than other property. The receipt stated" I had received so much money in compensation for property lost. I did not see or read, any amnesty. I know the horse when I see him. I think there were some spolSf on the legs. Ha .was 17 hands high. . By Mr.. .Ross, for the prosecution—l had lhe horse seven years before I lost him. I know my horse (jso well I could not be mistaken if I saw it ; I would recognise him in a moment. •

Isaac Bayley said —I am a farmer at Taranaki. I know the plaintiff ; I have seen him at Taranaki, many years. I know his horse. I saw him about six months ago in this town in . the possession of a Maori. I claimed him as a Taranaki horse, and walked up with the Maori riding on him to the Court-house to get Mr. Woon to interpret for me, but as we got near the Court-house the Maori, galloped off. Mr. Frank Standish, who .was with me got a horse from another Maori and galloped after,him, but did not overtake him. On the -same day Mr. Stan dish-and I rode up to Aramoho, and found the horse ; we were bringing him away when some Maoris cut the rope, and one got on his back and galloped up the river we followed him nearly as far as Kaiwliaiki, where he crossed the river. .1 know’the horse well and.had no difficulty in recognising him ; .had no particular authority . for interfering, jbtib it as a horse stolen from Taranaki. I believe the Governor lias issued a proclamation at Taranaki not more than three weeks ago, bu t don’t recollect any other proclamation. I should have given the Maori in charge, but did not like to cause a panic in the place. . By the Court 1 -When I saw the Maori with .the.horse lie was offering lion for sale, and asked LSO for him. I should think the horse is worth more than L6O at Taranaki. G. Y. Lethbridge and, Thomas Foreman identified the horse as having belonged to Mr Pearce.

Charles Robinson deposed that lie had been-driving the horse in a cart for five or six.weeks for Mr-. Kells; and that there was nothing particular about him by which he could be recognised. John White, 11. M., said that he had received information from the Government as to the horse, and instructions to look after him.

Judgment for plaintiff Ju6o, or the horse to be given up to the. plaintiff.

.WAMfEii Tkicice?.-.—ulite sentence passed on this unhappy : -man has been commuted by the Governor into • penal servitude for life. We had expected that the convincing proofs recently forwarded to the Governor of the impossibility of the crime having been committed at the time alleged on the trial, and the petition just now .signed (by 246 persons in this locality) would have obtained the prisoner’s liberation. . We have ho doubt that those interested in the case will not give it up till this is effected;

GENERAL: -MEETING OF THE AVANGANUI STEAM NAVIGATION COMPANY.

An Extraordinary General Sleeting of the Wanganui Steam Navigation Company was? field yesterday, at'which a large number of the. shareholders was present. Thomas Waters Esq. took the Chair, and, having read the advertisement palling the meeting, called on the Manager to .read the Report for the half.year ending-'lltli October, 1864, which was read as follows

The Directors, in presenting their first half yearly report to the shareholders of the Wanganui Steam Navigation Company, Limited,' although unable to recommend a dividend as the I‘esult of the six months’ operations of their steamer the Wanganui, consider that the effort to maintain a suitable steamer for the trade cf the place has been on the whole successful, and" will have repaid the community indirectly by the increased facilities she has afforded for the goods and passenger traffic between the ports and places she has been running and the impetus she has given to business of a general character, more particularly the trade in cattle

ami live stock, as well as in the reducing to a moderate rate*.both.freight and passage money, the latter of which up to a recent period had been unnecessarily high. They • further draw 7 attention to the fact that as,- with the exception, of the coals, almost the whole of the supplies to the steamer arc obtained in Wanganui, the place is further bonefitted by the circulation of the amount of such supplies, .a not inconsiderable item which the community contributed indirectly towards ’ other steam vessels previous to the arrival of the Wanganui without receiving any advantage. The Wanganui since she commenced to iun - appears to have given l universal satisfaction both as a vessel for carrying stock, general cargo,'and the conveyance of passengers. She commenced to-run at the winter season of the year, and during the six months has made—--12 trips to Wellington, calling at Picton on her way back. 6 trips.to Taranaki - * ■ 2 trips; to Duneclin 2 trips to Manukau 1 trip to Nelson 1 trip to Raglan

It is probable her -passenger traffic will increase very much dining the summer months, and it is to be hoped the bulk of the wool to leave the port this season will be skipped by the Wanganui. On the whole, the prospects of the Company (.appear encouraging, and the Directors hope that they will be able at the termination of the next six months to recommend the payment of a dividend to the shareholders. A promise-has been received of good support if the Wanganui calls at Havelock as well as Picton on her return from Wellington. The Wanganui was well -provided, with everything useful when she left Dundee, and brought out with her a - quantity of .spare machinery. The Directors consider the cost of the steamer, as shown in the balance sheet, to be very much below her value, and they are strengthened in this opinion by a .knowledge of the fact that the builders would not-have-undertaken to build a similar-steamer on the same terms after tha Wanganui was completed, so great w 7 as the demand for steamers of Lew description. ' ■ The Directors desire to draw the attention of the shareholders to the fact that the Wauganui is only at present insured for L 3900, which insurance expires in April next, aud the question as to whether, or npt it is prudent to effect an extra insurance is one that they think should receive Hie serious consideration of the shareholders. It is right to mention that in tlie balance sheet there appears as an asset the sum of LIOO 4s. Gd. represented as a claim upon the Nelson Provincial Government. . This amount was! the sum expended in repairing damage to'the : Airedale . steamer bycollision, the Wanganui, being at the time the unfortunate affair happened under the charge of the Nelson pilot, Mr. Cross ; and ’ the Directors are sorry to report that without instituting proceedings at law—a course they have been reluctant to'adopt—there seems to be no redress.; the pilot, although paid for the services of guiding the vessel safely to a secure anchorage repudiating liability in respect of the Occurrence.

Thcs, Waters, Chairman. - Wanganui, November, 1864. The Chairman requested the Auditor to read his Report, which was as follows I have now to report for the information of the shareholders that since the first trip of the steamer Wanganui 1 have exercised a careful supervision over the accounts of the Company, and I believe that the statement now published is a true and faithful accouut of their assets and liabilities at-tlie.close of the half year ending the 11th October last. I take the liberty of mentioning that the amount shown to the credit of profit and loss account, L 172 ISs, has been earned during the last two mouths of the half year, from which fact the shareholders may reasonably assume that if the steamer he kept equally well employed during the present six months there is every prospect of her paying them a moderate rate of interest for the capital they have embarked in her.

W. It. Boyle, Auditor. Wanganui, November 22, 1884. ■ The Chairman said he would be happy to Mve any further information that might be wan ted regarding the affairs of the Company, and then moved the adoption of the Report-, stating chat the better result shown in the balance sheet than that, announced at tlie last meeting was not to be attributed to good fortune so much as to the determination .of tho shareholders generally to support their own steamer.

'Mr. Roberts seconded tlie adoption of the Report, which was then, put and carried unanimously. • A motion was made by Mr. E. Lewis, and seconded by Mr. Ross, That a further insurance of LSGOO be effected on the Wanganui Steamer.

An amendment was moved by Mr. Taylor and seconded by Mr. Owen, That a further insurance be.at once effected, of L3OGO. Ti i e ame ndmen t was put to ch e m eeting and carried by 21 to 9.

A. poll having been demanded by five shareholders, Messrs. Boyle and Christie wore Appointed -scrutineers, and they afterwards reported the result of the poll to be, For the insurance'of L6GO.Q in all .185

For do • LBOOO do ...201 On the motion'of Mr. Handley, seconded by Mr. Alexander, and carried unanimously, it was resolved that shareholders haying ten shares should be considered as qualiued to act- as Directors. A motion by Mr. Reynolds, seconded by Mr. Gower, that tlio Steward should, not receive any pay, but have the profits arising from the sale*of refreshments on board, was not carried. It was resolved, on the motion, of Mr. Beaven, seconded’by 1 * Mr. A. Williamson, That the next meeting of shareholders be held on the third,.Monday in June 3865. A vote of thanks having been given in the Chairman, and duly -acknowlodged, tuo meeting separated. .