RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Westport Times, Volume 1, Issue 138, 9 January 1868, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Before J. Giles, Esq., M.D., E.M. Wednesday, January 8. BAIL FORFEITED. Julia Lewis, for being drunk and incapable, was fined, but having been admitted to bail, she forfeited it°rather than appear. ASSAULT BY A FEMALE. A special sitting took place yesterday afternoon for the purpose of investigating a charge brought by Mr Tyler against Mrs Haines, of the Royal Oak Hotel, of having violently assaulted him with a stick on the proceeding afternoon. The case of the assault was adjourned till Friday ''tomorrow), and the particulars were only so far gone into as was necessary to have the defendant bound over to keep the peace. The charge was for having committed an assault and used threatening language towards the complainant. Mr Campbell appeared for the defence. Mr Pitt, for the complainant, having alluded to certain privileges supposed to be granted to counsel, said if threats were not tolerated by the Courts, how much more reprehensible would be actual violence. In this case there had been not only abusive language, but menaces and the use of violence. He called— Edward Tyler, who said he was a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of N.Z. About 4 o'clock on Tuesday afternoon he was going to his office and saw defendant standing near the door. She followed him in, and placed before him on the table a paper writing, asking him if he knew it. He said he knew the handwriting and knew the name mentioned iu it. It purported to be a Deed of Separation between herself and her husband Chilcott. She said she was now Mrs Haynes, and she had come to horsewhip him. She then took out a supplejack about two feet and a half long which was concealed under her

cloak, and said "There are now three times that you have alluded to me in, Court, in an improper manner, and I'm going to horsewhip you." She further said she'd got £2OO to meet all the consequences. She then struck him several times with the supple-jack across the shoulders and neck. She used other expressions to the same effect, and made four different attacks on him. Outside, he heard her say, " I said I'd horsewhip him, and I've done it". Between 9 and 10 o'clock he was in company with Mr Downes, the Clerk of the Court, at the bar of the Ship Hotel, Freeman-street. Defendant came in and said " I've been looking for you for some time. I've been to the Empire Hotel. I intended to horsewhip you there when there were a number of people to see it." She had a stick two and a half or three feet long, by one inch in diameter, with a knob at one end of it. She said " I've a good mind to give it you now ; but as there's only a few persons present, I don't think it worth my while." An hour after that complainant was sitfing iu the iront room of his house when something struck the iron chimney of the house Avith great force. Shortly after, a stone was thrown through the window into the front room. The stone was afterwards found in the curtains. It was about four miles square. He could not find anybody near the house who appeared to have thrown the stone. Constable M'Gruire accompanied him to the Royal Oak Hotel, kept by Haynes. He (complainant) had no quarrel with anyone else in "Westport. Found Haynes and two other gentlemen with defendant in a little side room. Asked Haynes if he had been throwing stones at com. plainant's windows. Defendant said, as he was leaving the house, "Do you want another thrashing ?" In consequence of her threats and what defendant had already done, he (complainant) was in bodily fear that she would do him some harm, to himself, his wife, or his property. Cross-examined by Mr Campbell— He had never prepared a deed of separation from her former husband for defendant. He had no knowledge of it whatever. Defendant had shown him the document the day before. He saw that it was in the handwriting of Mr Drury, who was then clerk to hig firm. "Was not aware of its having been drawn in their office. Mr Drury was a clerk of his in July, 1866, but not in July last. Had never known till yesterday that defendant's name was Chilcott. Never saw defendant until a case he had in Court yesterday. Couldn't say if the deed was drawn in his office at G-reymoufch. Thought it was Mr Drury's signature, but 'could not be sure.

Thomas Henry Castles, an upholsterer, residing next door to Mr Tyler's office, confirmed the previous evidence. Defendant said to hiin " I think I thrashed him, didn't I?" Witness replied, " I rather think you did." Mr Campbell said he was not going to attempt to deny the assault, but surely Mr Tyler could not pretend he was in bodily fear of a woman. He had chosen to make observations quite irrevalent to the question that had been before the Court, which was a simple matter of debt.

The defendant was bound over to keep the peace for six months—herself in £4O and two sureties of £2O each.

IPJSTPORT DISTICT COURT. SITTINOS tJJSTDifiB THE DEBTORS' AND Creditors' Act. "Wednesday, January 8. Francis Harris, Esq., as Clerk of the District Court, held first meetings of creditors in the matters of Patrick Einn, and of H. Bradley; further hearing in both cases was adjourned to the 10th February.