Please wait. Contacting image service... loading

Article text

Sofala News.
——♦——
POLICE COURT ITEMS.
The Police Magistrate, Mr. J. B.
Graham, visited Sofala yesterday for the
purpose of hearing and deciding a number
of police court cases.
No cases of importance were set down,
and the time was taken up principally in
hearing disputes between two families
named Kennedy and Hanslow, of Grudine.
Kennedy opened the ball by sueing Han
slow for using threatening words towards
him, and evidence pro and con was given,
the result being the dismissal of the case.
Hanslow then proceeded against
Kennedy for using insulting language, but
the Police Magistrate, who saw that the
whole affair was a feud which had been in
existence between the families for years,
insisted on the withdrawal of the case.
A third case in which the same parties
appeared, Kennedy being complainant
and Hanslow defendant, was also with
drawn.
A. Hoffman proceeded against H. Gross
for assault. The evidence given showed
that the parties were local residents, and
a few evenings back journeyed to Wattle
Flat with the intention of having an
evening's enjoyment. When Hoffman
was preparing to leave for home he found
that the sulky in which he had driven was
turned over. He was naturally en
raged at what he looked upon as a
practical joke, and being under the im
pression that his fellow-townsman was the
perpetrator, he opened his fountain of
wrath and poured forth a volume of
epithets more forcible than polite. He
used some very strong language towards
Gross and became insulting in his man-
ner. Notwithstanding this Gross kept
his temper, and in no way resented the
treatment to which he was subjected.
Hoffman admitted to the Court that he
was told by a bystander that Gross was
in no way responsible for the condition of
the trap, but this did not satisfy him and
his violent language was continued.
Ultimately a start was made for home,
Hoffman leading the way. Gross was
driving a colt, and when going down the
mountain he was overtaking by Hoffman,
who was being driven by a companion.
Without a moments warning, and in a
narrow part of the road, the leading trap
was pulled up suddenly, but fortunately
Gross was an expert driver and succeeded
in clearing the obstruction without acci
dent. Having done so he pulled up and
asked Hoffman why he had not put up
his hand as a warning that he was stop-
ping. In reply Hoffmen said 'I will put
up my — —leg, it you like.' Gross feeling
that this was an additional insult to those
which he had already quietly submitted to
and he was not sparing in the compli
ments he heaped upon Hoffman. One
word brought on another until something
more substantial followed. Hoffman
asserted that Gross struck him on the
face, but the blow was not sufficient to
dislodge the cigar he was smoking. This
was the assault he complained of, and the
Police Magistrate, without hearing any
further evidence, dismissed the informa
tion. The complainant indignantly asked
if he was to be submitted to this treat-
ment, and the Police Magistrate informed
him that action had been taken by the
wrong man.
The parties then left the court.
One or two unimportant cases under the
Small Debts Act were called. One was
dismissed, and the second— Sing Ye v.
Winspear — for value of watch, a verdict
for plaintiff was returned.
$