South Australian Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1858 - 1889), Tuesday 25 April 1876, page 6


POLICE COURT-PORT ADELAIDE.

MONDAY, APRIL 24. [Before Mr. S. Beddome, P.M.]

Thomas Warren, seaman of the Peri, was charged by Captain Hurst, with wilfully dis- <*> obeying the lawful commands of his superior officer on board. The informant stated that

the defendant aiksd him for 30*., and on witness refusing to let him have the money, on the ground of some of the ship's stores having been stolen, he refused to do any more work. i The defendant said he did not ask for the money, but requested the captain to advance it to purchase seme birds, which be offered to leave in charge of the captain. The captain then, accused him with others of the Arew of stealing stores, whereupon he refused to do any mote work until he had seen a Magistrate. Be had for some time been laid op, and during that time he had been robbed of some of his Bropsrty. His vforahip said it was no doubt very hurtful to a man to be accused of stealing, but that did.not justify him in refusing dui^. He most return to his vessel, and do hU duty, and If he had any complaint to' prefer against the captain, His Worship would be happy to listen to it. Peter Biehardion, steward of the Dilbhcr, pleaded guilty to a oharge of absenting himself from the vessel without leavo, but stated that he was unable to pleue the captain, and ho thought It better for them to part. bom. mittod to gaol for one month, with hard labor. Ellen Roach, single woman, servant in the employ of William Begg, was charged with stealing a gold ring, value £5, the property of her employer. William Begg stated that pri-soner entered his service as a domestic servant on the 15th Instant. On the evening of the 17th tt was fonnd that she had left the house without permission, and that her room was empty. A few days after Mrs. Begg missed a ring from a trinket box in her bedroom, and gave information to the police. The ring pro-duced was his property. No person had per-mision to remove it. Sarah Eleanor Begg, wife of the last witness, said she engaged the prisoner as servant on Saturday, the 15th inst. She was missed about 8 o'clock on the following Monday evening. Her clothes had been taken away. On Friday aftercoon, on going to a trinket-box for the ring produced, she found it missing. Mentioned the loss to Capt, Begg, and next mornisg gave information to Con-stable Sbanahan. Had also missed two aprons

and a pair of cuffs. Placed the ring in the box on Sunday evening. The prisoner was clean-ing the room on Monday morning. Michael Shanahan, Police Constable, stationed at Lefevre's Peninsula, deposed to the arrest of the prisoner at Mr. Aberg's boarding-house, in St. Vincent-street, on Saturday. Told her the charge and cautioned her. She gave witness the ring produced, which she took from a pocketbook which was in the pocket of a dress hanging in Mrs. Malone's bed-room. She said the nursegirl had upset the box and she picked op the ring. She put it in her pocket and forgot to give it to Mrs. Begg. The prisoner, who was crying bitterly, elected to have the case dealt with in that Court, and pleaded guilty. She said she quite forgot to gin the ring to Mrs. Begg, and had not seen it since she left until the morning she was arrested, when she found it in the pocket of the dress she had been wearing when cleaning the room. In reply to His Worship, she said her parents lived at Fremantle, and she came from there about nine months since. She had lived five months at Mr. Bulk's, at Norwood, and left to come to the Port for the holidays. His Worship ex-pressed himself loth to send her to gaol, and Mrs. Begg said she had no desire to punish her. The Magistrate warned the prisoner with regard to her future behavior, and ordered her to be imprisoned until the rising of the Court.