PETERSFIELD.
PETTY SESSIONS, Tuesday, 21st instant.—Present: Hon. J. J. Carnegie (Chairman), Sir A. K. Macdonald, Bart., Sir J. C. Jervoise, Bart., M.P., G. Forbes, Esq., and J. Waddington, Esq.
NEGLECTING TO SUPPORT HIS CHILDREN.—William Hill, formerly of Eastmeon, but late of Portsea, was brought up in custody, charged with neglecting to support his four children, whereby they had become chargeable to the parish of Eastmeon. It appeared from the evidence that as long ago as the 7th of October, 1859, the children became chargeable to the parish of Portsea, from whence they were removed by order of Justices to the Petersfield Union Workhouse, where they have remained up to the present time, their maintenance being charged to the parish of Eastmeon. A warrant was issued for the apprehension of defendant, but his whereabouts has not been discovered till now; he was convicted and sentenced to one month’s imprisonment, with hard labour.
ANOTHER CHARGE.—John Cooper was brought up in custody on a similar charge of neglecting to keep his child, a girl, about eleven years of age. This case was also from Eastmeon. Defendant had left his child with some relations and gone to Portsmouth, and is at present employed in the Dockyard. His defence was that he thought the child would be kept by the persons with whom he had left her, for her services as nurse girl, and was not aware till lately that she had become chargeable to the parish. It appeared, however, that since he had been apprised of it that he had done nothing towards removing her. He pleaded hard against being sent to prison as he should in that case lose his work in the Dockyard, and promised to take the child from the Workhouse in a few days, and to reimburse the parish the expense of her maintenance by remitting 5. a week. Mr. Weeks, as Overseer, consented to this, and the Magistrates gave the following judgement: a sentence of 14 days’ imprisonment, with hard labour, the execution of such sentence to be suspended so long as defendant kept his weekly payments made.
WHICH IS THE TENANT?—Emery Emm charged Stephen Shepherd with an assault, and deposed as follows: On the 13th of this month I was at work in a garden at Weston, belonging to Mr. John Aburrow, digging rock, when defendant came and used very bad language, and threw nearly a cart load of the rock into the pit where I was at work. I told him to mind who he hit; he said, I should get out of the way. The stones came down with such a ‟vengeance” that I was obliged to leave my work; several of them struck me on the leg. Defendant said complainant had no right on the premises, and produced a paper, from which it appeared that the house and garden which he occupied had been sold to Mr. John Aburrow, and this paper was a notice to quit in September next. As, therefore, his tenancy had not yet expired, he contended that Emm was trespassing, and that he was justified in hindering him from digging the rock. The Magistrates having consulted, the Chairman stated that their jurisdiction was barred by the disputed claim, and dismissed the charge.
SOMETHING MORE OUT OF THE SAME QUARREL.—The Same v. the Same.—This was a charge of wilful damage to a shovel, and involved the same question of disputed right as the former case. This offence was alleged to have been committed on the 10th, when defendant seized the shovel from complainant and threw it violently away, breaking the handle. The Bench held that in this case the defendant had unwarrantably taken the law into his own hands, and adjudged him to pay the costs, 7s. 6d., and damage, 2s.
SQUIRREL HUNTING.—Charles Stapley was charged with committing a violent assault upon Henry Luff, in the parish of Idsworth, on Sunday, the 5th inst. Defendant did not appear, but service of summons was proved. Complainant, who is gamekeeper to Sir J. C. Jervoise (the hon. bart. retired from the bench during the hearing of this case), deposed to hearing a holloaing on the day in question as he was in a copse called Stein, and on going to the spot he found several young men squirrel hunting, and as they had no right there he told them to leave. Defendant did not do so, and he (Luff) quietly put his hand upon his shoulder, scarcely touching him, when he struck him violently in the face with his fists two or three times, giving him two black eyes, and cutting his lip so that blood ran down his clothes.—Fined £1, costs 9s. 6d., or 21 days’ imprisonment with hard labour.
DOING HIS WRITING.—George Wells, of Greatham, appeared to answer a charged of assaulting and beating Jane Wells, his wife, on Saturday last. Complainant’s face bore evident marks of severe punishment, one eye being fearfully blackened, her lip cut and bruised, and some of her teeth loosened. She deposed as follows: On Saturday evening last, about seven o’clock, myself husband went out saying he was going to his brother’s, and finding he had not been there I went to his father’s, who keeps a beer shop, and there I found him playing at dominoes. I asked him if this was what he called doing his writing, and enquired when he was coming home. He said he should come when it suited him. I went home, and about half-past ten I again put on my bonnet to go after him, and met him just outside the door. As soon as he got in doors I complained of his being out so late, and said I would try and prevent his father’s seeing his house open so late. He then struck me twice in the face with his fist, and gave me the black eye I have now, and cut my lip and loosened several of my teeth. He has struck me several times before. Defendant alleged that his wife irritated him by calling him all sorts of bad names, and called James Hughes, an apprentice, who deposed to the use of very strong language by the wife, but as he only heard this by listening at the door, and was not in the house, he could not speak to the assault either way. The Magistrates convicted defendant, and the Chairman, in passing sentence, remarked in severe terms on the dastardly character of the offence.—Fined £1, and costs, 8s. 6d.