[Editor: These are extracts from reports on trials at the Police Court in Benalla; a report on the trial of Ned Kelly for assault, reported in the longer article, has been included elsewhere. Published in The Benalla Ensign and Farmer’s and Squatter’s Journal, 29 October 1869.]
Benalla Police Court.
Friday, October 22.
Frederick W. Hoisted was charged with furious riding and being drunk on the previous day, for which he was fined £1, in default imprisonment for
Tuesday, October 26.
(Before Mr. Wills, P.M.)
Patrick Maloney was charged with vagrancy.
Mr. Nicholas told the Bench that prisoner gave himself up to the police in order to obtain food and shelter. He had been some weeks an inmate of a hospital under treatment for paralysis, from which he now suffered. He also had made a very extraordinary statement to the effect that he had set fire to a fence on Mr. Turnbull’s run. Mr. Turnbull’s fence had been burned down, and he would proceed with that case another time.
In reply to Mr. Wills, prisoner said he had worked on a station woolwinding, and was very well able for that work, but could not get anything to do at it. He could walk about 7 miles a day. He was in the employ of Mr. Clark, Long Lake, near Swan Hill, and since August went about the country begging.
Mr. Wills said, unless the charge of incendiarism was brought forward he must let prisoner go.
The police being unable to proceed at present with the case, Mr. Wills told him he was discharged.
Prisoner. — There’s no use in discharging me.
Mr. Wills. — But you are discharged.
Mr. Wills thought it was a case for the hospital, and expressed a hope that some gentleman, a subscriber to the district hospital, would give him a ticket for admission.
The man left the court reluctantly.
Source:
The Benalla Ensign and Farmer’s and Squatter’s Journal (Benalla, Vic.), Friday 29 October 1869, page 2
The Institute of Australian Culture
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