RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

West Coast Times, Issue 324, 6 October 1866, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

(Before G; G. FitzGefald ; Esq., R.M.)

Fhioay, Octobeb 5. Samuel Hamilton was fined LI for committing a breach of the peace In Revell stoeet, on the evening of the 4th inst. Brkacii of Police Ohdinanck.— John M'Beath was charged with obstructing the footpath in Revell street, on the 28th ult., by allowing eight packing cases to remain thereon, after having been warned by the police to remove them. Fined 10s. A similar complaint was made against Peter Calderell, charging him with refusing to remove a fern tree hut, which was an obstruction to the thoroughfare. A fine of 10s was also inflicted, in this case, or in default 24 hours' imprisonment. Breach of Destitute Persons Relief Ordinance.— John Augustus JDetlaff was charged, oii the information of his wife, Margaret Detlaff, with deserting her, and her five children, they being his lawful wife" and children. The police had not • been able to effect service of the summons. His worship ordered the date of the sum. mons to be enlarged to the 19th inst. Embezzlement.— Thomas Audley was • charged by the police with, on the 4th inst., feloniously stealing a certain letter, the .property of the Post master- General, the letter so stolen then containing a one pound, note. Charles Townley Brown, being duly sworn, said he was a constable of police stationed at Hokitika. On the morning of the fourth instant he wrote a letter to a person named Thomas Wils ,n, and directed it lo Tanner street, Richmond, Melbourne, Victoria, enclosing in it a One pound Bank of New Zealand note, numheied'ss,2B9. and dated the 2nd of January, 1866. Previous to posting the letter witness showed it " to Mr Dick, the postmaster, who also took the particulars of the note and tore a piece off the corner, which he pined to a piece of paper aud kept in his own possession. After having placed the note - in tIM letter the witness .closed the envelope, affixed a four-penny stamp to it, and posted it-. That would be at about a-quarter past nine in the morning. The witness then went round to the* window and enquired for, letters, and when doing so he aaw the prisoner in thepost office. r When the witness had * waited outside the Post Office 'for about an hour he saw the'priaoner come out and go to the watercloset, at a distance of about fifty yards from the Post Office. Witness then made enquiry of tho postmaster whether the letter he had posted was missing, and was informed that it was. Witness proceeded to the back of jhe • closet, and watched until the prisoner came out, when he told, him that he was a detective, and- suspected, him of stealing money from a letter that he had posted' that morning^ . Witness also gave the prisoner the usual caution. Prisoner replied, 41 Good God, man, do you think I would do such a thing ?'' Witness then took the prisoner into, the postmaster's' private room, where he again jasked him whether he had taken the letter, but the -prisoner denied it, and also denied having taken any money out of a letter that morning.' Witness _then asked the prisoner what i money he had about him, when he stated that he had only eleven shillings,, which amount he pulled out of his pocket and "returned to it. The postmaster asked him where he .got the eleven shillings, and, the prisoner replied be had borrowed 'it from the billiard-marker at tho Post' Office Hotel. Witness then searched -the prisoner, and found upjan him the Ll note now produced, a L 5 note, and 11s in silver. On examining the Ll note, he found it was the one he hail posted that morning. After conveying the prisoner to the lock-up, the witness returned to the closet at the Postorfice, and bn searching it, Ire found, the parts of , the letter (produced). They were parts o*f the letter posted by him. — Sydney - .Johnston Pjck, being duly sworn, said he was postmaster at Hokitika, and knew the prisoner, who, up to the morning of the 4th insfc., had acted as chief clerk in the , Post-office. Abdnt nine o'clock on the morning of the 4th inst., witness was at^ the Police- camp, Revell street, and saw there in Constable Brown's possession a ■ letter, addressed to' Mr Thomas Wilson, Tanner street, Richmond, Melbourne, Victoria, in which a Ll note jvas enclosed, in the witness' presence. He ' took dow;i theMiumber_and date of the note, which hud been issued by the Bank of Kew Zealand, Hokitika, , numbered 5J,289, and dated 2nd January, 1866. He' also tore off a piece from the corner of the note, and pinned it to a piece* of paper, which he retaiued iv his possession. He afterwards saw the letter in the Post-, office, at aboat fiyc minutes past nine a.m. The prisoner was then in the Post-office, but left it about half-past ten. The witness immediately after prisoner went out searched for the letter, but found that it was missing. Shortly after the prisoner was brought into witness 1 room by Con- v stable Rrown, when witness asked him what money he- had on him. -Prisoner replied a few shillings, which he had borrowed from the billiard-marker over the way, alluding to the Post-office ilotel. Witness was present when Constable Brown searched the prisoner, and found a Ll note a Lo note, and 10 or 12s in silver upon him. Witness examined the ouo-ponud note, and found it to be the same tlnU he had-seen enclosed in a letter at the Police Camp-; that now produced in Court was the same note he. saw enclosed in the letter,- and taken from the person "of .-, the prisoner. Louis Busii, billiard marker at the Post Office Hotel, was next called to prove that he had not lent the prisoner any 1 money. In reply to the usual question from 'the Bench, prisoner said he would reserve his defence. The Magistrate committed jhe prisoner for trial at the ensuing Criminal Sessions of the Supreme Court. Prisoner here applied to the Bench to be admitted^ to bail. The Magistrate stated that he would decide the amount when the Court rose. \

CIVIL CASES.

Black v. Ryan.— Judgment .was given th.is morning for the plaintiff, for LlO and costs. * v ' - Bartlett v. King and Yewers. — Judgment was given for the plaintiff for the full amount claimed, LSO and costs.

M'Farland and Co. v. Thompson. — The Magistrate refused to grant Mr Bir ton's application .for an adjournment, and gave judgment for the amount claimed, LBB Bs. l.d*-and costs.

Ryan v. King. — In this case there was no appearance of the plaintiff. Case dismissed, with costs of counsel's fee, La os.

In tlie case of Ryan v. Gilhooty, and Hickejt v. Brown, there was no appearance of plaintiffs or defendants.

At Piacewza a small powder mill blew up, and communicated the -fire to a fa<>. * Tory of cartridges, which likewise exploded. About sixty young women, some soldiers, and several civil laborers, who were employed on the premises,' rtere all buried in the burning ruins.