MAGISTERIAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XIII, Issue 2536, 7 December 1891, Page 2

MAGISTERIAL.

ASHBUR CON—MONDAY.

(Before Mr A. Harrison, J.P ) Alleged Malicious Mischief.—John Leary was charged with having wilfully mid maliciously broken two windows at Winslow, tho property of the Railway Co.nmHsioners, and one window the property of the Education B.nrd. As the man appeared Lo We weak minded, he was remanded until December 10. Drunkenness.— John Tundra, a man who was before the R.M. Cjurt on Thursday last, aft j a remand for a week for medical treatment, and who then promised to go back at once -> work, was again broMght up charged with drunkenij«s.s. tie had also neen found at two on .Sunday morning sleeping in a loo« 3 box at tho Commercial Hotel stabler. Th'i police g.ive evidence as to making every effort to get the man away to his work, and to friends doing the same thing, but Toirlra declined to go. The Magistrate convicted Tondra on both charges, and pointed out the danger of men like prisoner taking refuge in stable* among loose straw while in a maudlin state, as he believed many fires arose from such conduct. On the charge of drunkenness the conviction was entered up and for being il'cgally on i realises Tondra was sentenced to a month's imprisonment with hard labor. The term would be increased on every future appearance Tondra made before the Court to answer to a similar offence. Three weeks ago, Tondra came into town with four months' wages in his pocket—£2o 10s. When discharged last Thursday he still had 21s 6d left. To-day his whole stock' of cash was 2s. He had paid last Thursday in fine and costs, 25s ; so that during the three weeks he must have drunk 766 pints of beer, as Mr Tondra always drinks a full six penn'orth at a at a time, and never shares with anybody or pays for anybody else's drink. Neither does he pay for beds or meals, but sleeps | out anywhere, andj feeds on scraps from the hotel slush tubs. A week's abstinence —the time he spent in gaol suffering a recovery—and 766 pints of beer for fifteen days' drinking is the shocking record.