RESIDENT MIGISTRATE'S COURT.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXII, Issue 9158, 8 July 1880, Page 2

RESIDENT MIGISTRATE'S COURT.

I ■-.■ Wbd»ksday,..7th July. (Beforo W; H. Watt and^Gilbert King, Esqrs., J.P.s) CRIMINAL. _Db[Jnkenness — Michael O'Brien, for -being drurik and .disorderly on the 6th inst. was fined 10a, or in default seven days' imprisonment.-^- ■■„— .-..,■ ■■...... Larceny. — John Sinclair, second steward of the ps. Manawatu, was charged with stealing, on the 6th inst, five one-pound_ notes, the property of -Walter-Frederiqk'TChite,.pafser-of-the-f Manawatu. Mr Barnicoat appeared for j the accused. Inspector Goodall opened j the case, and stated that Mr White had sailed in the Manawatu in the morning, • and therefore could not attend. — Detecitive Sullivan deposed that he arrested prisoner, who is second' steward of the Manawatu. He found on him four £1 j notes and a;:key.i Prisoner; also b'ada' , cash-bos. He said, in the presence of . witness and Capt. Doile, that he would ;.make up the balance of. the money.— ; Prisoner stated that he did not steal the money, and made the/ offer' to- avoid l the disgrace of the chargej-r lnspector • Goodall applied forV remand till Mon- . day next, which was granted, bail being '< allowed— prisoneriin £50, and.twpsUre-, 'ties in £25 e,a.ch,,., . . . . , Abson.'— George Thomas,' an elderly 'man of dissipated appearance, was : charged with setting fire"to ! a' certain ! stable in llngestre-stteet,: on /the sth j instant, the property, of ;Her< Majesty I the Queen. Inspector Goodall "prosecuted, and the prisoner was undefended,iThe following evidence was taken:— , Joseph Francis Fabian deposed : I am i telegraph lineman stationed at Wanganui. I have a stable situate in a i paddock:: off ilriuestre-BtreeV belonging to the Telegraph Department. It hag two stalls and a store room on the ground floor. There is a loft over the stable, in which hay is kept. I saw the priisoner on; Monday, sth j July, lyirig'on\, !the hay.'-"He hWd' blin'kets 'also? ' "I 1 I asked him what he was doing. He said he was tired, having travelled from Wellington, and had not eaten anything for three days. I told him to be off as soon as possible I ,' abdnbt to come there again, or else he should be imprisoned. He said something to the effect that he would be glad if he was imprisoned— *£ -iH <?£?« ed °f. K al ¥' m %, -about, doinglnc-thing.^ He',saM nofcinV more.' About haltpasTE' ißnd!olboE theiCn'exti morning I camo down to the stables,and found that the upper part had been burnt. I consider that £35 worth "of damage has been done by the fire. I last saw the. stables at 6 p.m.,ion. the sth. T>e stable, was .all right then.— 1 Christopher Smith Cross, deposed: j am a merchant, residing in Wanganui. A few minutes before 7 o'clock on the morning of the 6th instant I saw a man , leaving from near the Btsble belonging to i the Telegraph Department iujngestrestreet. He we'nfacross the 'field towards : the Industrial School ground. He was ( walking. 1 could not tell who he was - . He seemed to be dressed in a light suit. ; The prisoner is dressed in a light, suit now. I noticed smoke' coming' ouVof the roof of the stable at the time I saw the man going away, and immediately, after the flames burst out. I never went down to the stable. I cannot say how much damage was done. ; I live in a direct line with the stable. The man was walking towards the- fence a? the flames broke out. s-^Hugh' painter, deposed : it 10.30 o'clock on the morning of the 6th I was in- company with Detective Sullivan. I saw prisoner looking at the Chbonicle office. I and Detective Sullivan were going up the Avenue. As I was passing the . .Hotel I saw. in company with Detective Sullivan. I heard prisoner say to the detective, " I have-set-fire to the stable;" - He said," "I had to do it, I-could not starve." He said he would, take us to the stable and show us where it was. He did so. On the way he said that he went to sleep in the stable on the previous evening, about B".o'clock ; that he woke up cold about daylight, and put a match to it. Afterwards I went with prisoner and Sullivan to the Police Station, where prisoner made a statement, which was taken down.^-rMaurice Sullivan, detective, deposed to meeting prisoner.in the. Avenue on the 6th inst. , Prisoner beckoned to him and said, " I suppose Sullivan you are looking after that fire 'matter. I can' tell you' all" about ' it— l did it." Prisoner said ; further, " I slept in the loft amongst the hay. , I woke up. in the grey dawn of the morning, and struck a match and ' set fire to the hay, and then left. I have, been in Wellington some time out of ' work, and walked overland from' there. lam starving. Ido not mean to starve. I will' be better in the hands of the police." ' Prisoner also said that he had ' slept in that stable on Saturday night, land every night subsequently up to thej time of the fire. .In answer to the jCourtj prisoner said, " I hare nothing ;to say," and was then formally comjmitted to take his trial at the next I sittings of the Supreme Court. " : - .