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POLICE NEWS.
At tho City Court yesterday, before Mr. Call,
P.M., and a full bench, eighty cases brought
forward l>y the police wero dealt with, tho ma
jority being charged with drunkenness and
other minor offences. James Wlielan was
charged with stealing a pair of trousers and a
vest from tho shop of L. Ooodliflo. Au employ#
of tho prosecutor saw the accused at eight
p.m. on Saturday take the clothes from the
door, where they wero fixed up for sale. Ho
pretended to he drunk and violently struck the
man who held him as he was carrying away the
goods. A crowd collected at the door whilst
prisoner was struggling to got freo, but no ono
attempted to interfere in the scufilo. Wlielan
vainly endeavored to mako tho bench believo
he was an innocent man, who had accidentally
staggered against tho goods, which he was
picking up from tho ground when ho was seized
and treated as a thief. Ho was sent to gaol for
ono month with hard labor.
A loafer named William Hamilton was pre
sented at the samo court yesterday for wilfully
and malioiously breaking a door lamp at the
entrance of tho Model Lodging House. His
only excuso was that being out of work and
hungry he wanted to get into gaol whero he
knew he would get his meals. He went to tho
Lodging Houso on Sunday evening with the
deliberate purpose of smashing either tho lamp
or tho windows. To tho magistrates ho pleaded
that he was tho worso for drink when he did it.
He was sent to prison for one month, in default
of paying a fine of £2 with 20s. damages.
John New, an elderly vagrant, was charged at
the City Court yesterday with assaulting Alfred
Israel, of Elizabeth-street. Prosecutor, a
commission agent, said accused, who was a
stranger to him, struck him a violent blow, and
knocked bis hat oil in the street on Saturday.
Ho then seized and held him until a constable
u.LuJ. When asked by the policoman why
he had assaulted Mr. Israel, accused said " he
had oniy 1: nocked off a swell's belitopper."
Several previous convictions being on record,
prisoner was sent to gaol for threo months in
default of a fine of £5 inflicted.
Charles Alfred Marsden Jenkins, for
merly a solicitor in England, a notorious
forger, recently discharged from Peiitridgo ;
George Jackson, nf«« Brown, another notorious
criminal, bis companion ; and John S. Spiking,
his accomplice, wero brought up at the City
Court yesterday, ou three separate charges of
forging the signature of William J. Malpas,
squatter, to threo cheques for £40, £44 and
£50, and uttering tbo forgeries. Scrgeant-
dctectivoO'Donnoli having described the nature
of the alleged fraud, how the money was ob
tained from the bank, and tho arrostof the
three alleged offenders, asked for a remand for
eight days, to which Jenkins objected, saying
that tho detectivo's story was only an exjmrte
statement, and not evidence. Mr. Call said lie
considered the statement prottv strong ovidenco
gainst the accused whom he remanded until
the 26th inst
Edgar Hope, who at midnight on Saturday
created a great disturbance at the Baths Hotol,
Bourko-street, where ho was smashing the
bottles, striking tho waiter with his walking
stick, and noisily shouting, causing an idle
and disorderly crewd to congregate round the
door, was brought beforo tho City magistrates
yesterday to answer for bis outrageous conduct.
One of tho hotel attendants who was struck and
nearly rendered senseless by accused, described
bis conduct as resembling tbat of a madman.
At threo minutes beforo midnight, just as tho
doors wero about to ho closed, ho entered and
demanded a drink, which, as ho was tipsy, was
refused. He then took possession of the bar,
. creating a violent scene, and causing much
damage beforo he could be scoured and taken
away. Ho was let off with tho altogether in
adequate fine of £3, the alternative being four
teen days' imprisonment.
A curious instance of how tho law can bo
stretched when tho police desire to got a per
son punished whom thoy have unwarrantably
arrested tvas afforded at tho City Court yester
day, when a respectably dressed lad named
Edwin Brown was charged with obstructing
the thoroughfare. At half-past eight p.m. on
Saturday this lad, with a groat many others,
was offering a pigeon for sale in Russoll-streot
The arresting constable said he was on tho foot
path, just outside tho door of tho Protestant
HalL The youth declared he was not tliero at
nil, but was near tho intersection of Collins-
street, a good distance away, when arrested, and
there being no traffic at the time passing he alone
conid not possibly bo obstructing so wido a
thoroughfare as Russell-street. Iu support of
the charge tbo constable called tho caretaker of
the Protestant Hall, bnt tho latter, although
lie complained generally of boys with pigeons
in their bands standing outside the hall door,
could not identify accused as ono of them,
sv. Tho bench convicted the lad, and fined him
V 10s.
Edward Hebbitch, an elderly man, residing
in Cumberland-place, Carlton, was charged at
tbo City Court yesterday with assaulting Mrs.
Gambles Ho bad some months ago lived with
complainant, but the latter refused to cohabit
with him any more. On Saturday afternoon
lie followed bor about wherever Bhe went, and
tried to induce her by intimidation to go and
live with him, which she refused to do. He
then struck her two or three severe blows,
which a constable observed, and ho was ar
rested in Madeline-street The woman
Bcrearaed " murder," and ran away when he
struck her in Cumberland-place, but on seeing
a policeman approaching she came back and
gavo Iter assailant into custody. The bench
fined him £3, the alternative being one month
tn prison.
A wharf laborer named James Grant was
prosecuted at the City Court yesterday aftor-
A noon ou two charges of stealing a quantity of
wearing apparel, valued by the owner at £6.
On Saturday evening, shortly before 9 o'clock,
be was discovered down in tbo forecastle of tho
steamer Franklin, where be had no right to be.
tie had— whilst unobserved in tho darkness —
tansacked tho sailors books, and finding a chest
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Li. -ti:u !-. I'vuiiimnnlv dealt with ratlu r than
I-. —nt lor trial, n- .-.l . I. wh.w exc io. f.,r let
conduct wa, that ho v.uu tin. wi.fi.. fur drink
and jiiistnuk tin. ship, « :n iitenct'd to thr. o
uijiitlnTciri! l abor.
A vlurs'.' of larceny of n bin., silk liandker-
eln.-f, value If.., avav preferrral at the Citv
Court yesterday afternoon by the owner, all
acrobat named ParlnUi, again, t John Sisaon.
Tho eyi.leueo of the prosecutor and of the
arresting constable being taken, Mr. Call dis
missed the caee.
Charles Hill was prosecuted at tho same
court yesterday on a charge of assaulting
Robert liorton, carpenter, of Bourke-street
west. Having refused to comply with an impu
dent demand for 3d. by prisoner, who wattled a
cheap drink at his exiense, prosecutor was
knocked down on tho footpath by a violent
blow which nearly stunned hint. Prisoner, who
has twice tven convicted of larceny, was let off
with tho lenient tine of 10s.
( In thu District Court yesterday, beforo Mr.
i'auton, P.M., uud otlior magistrates, a woman
of had reputation, named Charlotte Kane, was
prosecuted by tho polieo on a charge of being
tho keeper of a houso in fitephen-street, fre
quented by idle and disorderly characters. Mr.
Gillott appeared for tho defence. Tho police
evidence was to tho effect that women of im
moral character resided in tho house, causiug
dissohito young men to visit it at all hours of
tho night. For the defence, it was shown that
tho house had been tolerated for nearly two
years, and wits not complained of in tho neigh
borhood. Several persons gavo ovidenco that
it was conducted in an orderly, quiet manner,
always freo from disturbances. The bench
dismissed the ease.
A case of assault, in which Georgo Feenoy,
of thu Ilolyliead Hotel, Flinders-street, was the
complainant, and John Good, the defendant,
canto on for hearing in tho District Court yes
terday. During tho wharf laborers' strike
several men who took a warm interest in the
affair, assembled on tho 11th inst. nt tho hotel.
Hero they quarrelled, and almost canto to
blows. Ono man, whom tho landlord con
sidered tho noisiest and most quarrelsome of
tho crowd, bo attempted to eject with a view to
preserving peace aud order, wheruupon the
defendant abused Fecney, called hint offensive
names and struck him, challeuginghimtocomo
into tho yard to fight. The bonch fmed tho
defendant 10s., and ordered him to pay 20s.
costs.
At the Fitzroy police court yesterday a
middle aged man named William Gray, pro-
sout on a charge of larceny as a bailee, was
committed to tako his trial at tho General
Sessions, to bo held on tho 1st proximo.
At the Essendon police court, yesterday, a
case under tho Local Government Act cropped
up, in which a ratepayer named Alexander
Mills of Essendon, was proceeded against for
breach of a by-law, No. 13, regulating tho
distance from dwelling houses at which it shall
bo lawful to erect buildings for tho purposo of
burning elay. After several technical objec
tions raised by Mr. TV. Hadden, counsel for
defendant, tho bench remarked that thu case
was a most important ono, but after the
evidence givou by the principal witnoss (tho
Inspector of Nuisances), expressed thoir sur
prise at the totally unprepared manner in
which tho caso had been got up by the officers
of the council, and suggested its withdrawal
with a viotv of bringing it before them
next week. This course was adopted. Two
brothera named A. Beauchatnp and F. Bean-
champ, were charged with assaulting Constable
Asbton, on tho 9th inst, at Essendon, and fined
60s. and 3s. 6(1. costs, and 40s. with 5s. costs
respectively or in default ono month's imprison
ment. The former, on a second charge of being
drunk and disorderly on tho same date, was
fined IDs. with 2s. 6d. costs. A butcher named
Harry Waters was charged with embezzlement
from his lato employer, Mr. Andrew Swan. It
appoarod that Waters bad received £11 19s.
9d. from ouo of Mr. Swan's customers, which
had not been accounted for to his employer. On
the application of tho police the caso was ad
journed for a week, bail being allowed in pri
soner's own surety of £200, and two others of
£100 each.
At tho Port Melbourne court yesterday
beforo Messrs. Turubull, Edwards, Dow-
sett, J.P's.,|John Barry, licensoo of tho Marino
Hotel, and Win. Bailey, Southern Cross Hotol,
wero each fined £3 for having sold liquor on
Sunday, the 10th inst. Several carters wero
liued 40s. for removing sand from Crown lands,
aud one, who had been several times mulcted
for tho samo offenco, was fined £5. John Kolly
was remanded till Thursday for embezzling
cargo belonging to tho ship Maylasinon on tho
1st inst.
At tho Footscray court yesterday a charge
of attempted criminal assault "was pre
ferred by Eliza Holding, a laborer's daughter,
against four youths, named respectively Albert
Giorck, James Russell, Frederick Lucas ana
John Mackay. Tho girl alleged that about ten
o'clock on Sunday evening she was returning
with her sister from a visit to tho local railway
station, when the prisoners accosted them in
Victoria-street. Ouo of the quartetto then
came up to her, and after dragging her behind
a fence, pat his hand over mouth and attempted
to commit the offenco. At this juncture hor
brother came up and the accused then all went
away. Sergeant Rutledge requested tho beuch
to remand tho prisoners till Monday week to
admit of the production of further evidence.
Bail was allowed in two eases. During the
hearing of tho charge tho court was cleared.
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