RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

West Coast Times, Issue 233, 18 June 1866, Page 1 (Supplement)

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

(Before G. G. FitzGerald, R.M.) Fbiday, June 15, 1866. Dkunjc and Incapable. — Patrick Matthews was fined ss, or in default 24 hours imprisonment with hard labor. Thomas M'Grath was brought up on remand from yesterday, charged with steal; ing four panel doors and sOlbs of coal, of the value of £2 2s 6d. The prisoner had been remanded, to allow him to produce witnesses for his defence. Two witnesses were called by the prisoner ; the one had not seen him on the night in question, the other stated he was present; when the owner of the Maid of the Mil) gave pri^ soner permission to pick up pieces of the wreck lying on the beachv • The prisoner could not account for the doors being in hip tent. The magistrate said there certainly was a possibility that some one else had put the doors in his tent, and ' discharged the prisoner with a caution. Assault.— William Bell was charged by v Joseph Easton with assaulting him on Gibson's Quay, on the 13th instant. There was no appearance of complainant or defendant, the information wat consequently dismissed. , y „ ,

UIOUIIDSCMi . i i 1 AssAutT.—Riohard Dyer, a sergeant of polico, was charged by John Aldrldge with pointing a pistol at his head, on the 1 Oth instant. Mr Button appeared for- the • complainant, and Mr Rees for the defen T .- dant. John Aldridge, sworn— stated thai, on the night of the 10th instant, when he and his wife'were in bed, a person knocked " at the door of his house*, and on his asking' who was there, a 'voice 'answered- a constable. The witness then got up and, opened the door, when , the , defendant! . asked him why he had not a light, and at the same time presented a pistol at his head. The defendant was iti plain clothes, and was accompanied' by another con- ■ stable, who was also in , plain clothes. , Mrs Aldridge, complainant^ . wife, was , next called, and "corroborated her husband's evidence. Sergeant White was called for the defence, and stated that he t had accompanied Sergeant Dyer to the complaiuant's house, for the purpose of, ascertaining whether the two men— Burgoss and Kelly— -fbr whose arredt a'warrant had been issued, were in the house. 1 " The witness saw a pistol in the defendant's • hand,, but did not see the defendant present a pistol at complainant's head., Con- • stable Keating was also called, who stated that he had accompanied the two sergeants to complainant's house, and corroborated Serjeant White's evidence. Ifrwas brought out in cross-examination by Mr. Rees that Kelly and Burgess were in the habit of frequenting the house. The Magistrate considering that no assault had been committed, dismissed the information. ; r Mr Commissioner Sale, R.M., and Mr Warden Schaw, J.P., hero took their seats on the bench. Breach op thb new MunsteeEjectmb'nt Ordinance.— Mark Sprot was charged by '■ James Walter Waller with- being in illegal occupation of section numbered 3^2, situv ate in Fitzherbert-street, without right, title, or license. Mr Rees appeared for ' the complainant, and Mr Button for the defendant. Tho action was designed by , the plaintiff to procure the ejectment 0f,,-. T the defendant from the land in question, , and the defence set up was a claim of : right under agreement. The • ordinance gives magistrates no power to decide . disputed titles, but makes . them , judged whether the defence set up is a bqna Me claim of right amounting.to a counter title. In this case the magistrates decided that the defendant had proved sufficient title to require the jurisdiction of a superior Court for the decision of the conflicting claims. The magistrates mentioned that under the present proceedings'the defen- , dant was under the disability of giving evidence on his own behalf, and dismissed tho information. , . EKibezzlemknt. — John .Ridley was- ' brought up on remand from 7th instant on this charge. James Higgins dworh, deposed that in the month or November last hj3 had charge of Mr Binzer's business in Revell-street, Hokitika, and .that Ke had bought certain goods from the prisoner, ,, who was then managing J. C. Brooke and Co.'s business; as chemists, in' Rcvellstrect. The witness stated that the prisoner called upon him and demanded payment for the goods, amounting to £4 13s. 6d., which he paid him, and obtained a receipt from the prisoner signed "for J. C. Brooke and Co., per J. Ridley." John Charles Brooke was called, and deposed that the prisoner had never accounted for , this, as well as several other suras, of money received by him oh his (witness*) 'account, and for which' he held receipts signed by the prisoner. The witness further stated that the prisoner had left his . employment suddenly, and without giving , any notice of his intention of .doing so. Tho prisoner reserved his defence^ and, " was committed to take his trial at the ensuing criminal sessions of the Supreme Court. > j

Two other charges of a similar nature were brought against Ridley. In the one , case he had received L.*32 Bs. from Benjamin Lyons, and in the othor L.3 14s. 3d. from Joseph William«, both of which sums the prisoner had also failed to account for aud hand over to his employers. The prisoner was also committed for trial on both those charges. The Court was then adjourned until 11 o'clock to-day. , ,

Saturday, June 16. . ji Drunkenness. — James Thornton was< ■ fined ss, or 24 hours ipjprisomnent.' < Michael Miller was nlso fined 5s for being dvun]c and incapable, or the usual alterna- . tive pf 24 hours imprisonment. ' Breach of the Steam Act. ■ — Jojni and Rody Kennedy wero charged with 'obtaining a passage froni Okarita to Hokitika by tlie steamer Bruce, / and refusing to pay for the same. They "were each .ordered to pay L 6, being double fare from' Okarita to Hokitika, or one month's ' imprjsonment with hard labor. ' . '• • The Court was adjourned un,til eleven o'clock on Monday, the 18th.