From Western Post & Mudgee Guardian 11 September 1861 POLICE COURT Friday, September 6th Before the Police Magistrate, and E MARLAY, Esq. Richard BROWN, charged by Constable MOREN with being drunk and using obscene language in the public streets, was fined twenty shillings, or three days, with the promise of two months the next time he appeared before the Court. Post Office Robbery Charles RIDGEWAY, of Windeyer, was charged with stealing a letter containing four five pound notes, the property of the Postmaster General. Mr CLARKE (for TEMPLETON) conducted the case for the Crown. J P EWING, corporal of the Western Patrol, said he apprehended the prisoner on Wednesday, upon warrant, for stealing a letter containing twenty pounds. On the way to the lock up, prisoner said that he took the notes with no felonious intention, the letter was posted too late for that mail, and he intended to make up the amount and dispatch the letter by Friday's mail. He further stated that sixteen pounds of the money was put in an old store near the post office; he searched the place in prisoner's presence without success. Upon searching prisoner he found two shillings and a piece of paper. He produced a receipt and a five pound note he had received from Ah Kay. Prisoner had for some time past acted as postmaster. Had never heard any complaints respecting the management ! of the post office. Prisoner had paid him four pound for a trader's license a short time after the mail started on Tuesday. Ah Kay, Chinaman: The usual oath having been administered, Ah Kay blew a lighted candle out, expressive of his wish that should he tell a lie, that he might be similarly extinguished. He then stated that the prisoner was the man he charged with stealing the money. On Tuesday morning he called upon Mrs STRIKE for the purpose of getting two five pound notes for a ten. The note produced was one of them; could swear to it by its being sewed up. After obtaining the two five pound notes he went to Mr KEPPIE's store and asked SMITH to put them and two others in a letter and direct them to Sydney. He next took the letter to the post office. Prisoner gave him a receipt for it. Some time after Mrs STRIKE gave him one of the notes (the one in Court); he immediately went to the Corporal about it. R H SMITH, of Windeyer, said he knew prisoner; had enclosed the notes in a letter which he addressed and sealed for the Chinaman, who afterwards took it away; he went in the direction of the post office. Mary STRIKE, storekeeper, deposed that she had exchanged a ten pound note for Chinaman; one of them was cut in two; she sewed it up in Ah Kay's presence, with black thread; could swear to it, had tied a knot at the top and made a double stitch at the bottom. Later in the day, prisoner presented the note and asked her to give him change for it; she at once recognized it and said it was one she had given to the Chinaman in the morning; he exclaimed "Yes, but you see I have got it now"; she then changed it for him. The note before the Court was the same. Henry TEBBUTT, postmaster of Mudgee, said he had known the prisoner some years; he had lately had the management of the Windeyer office; letters addressed to Sydney would have to pass through the Mudgee office. The list before the Court was one he received on Tuesday; it contained a list of two registered letters, both of which he received and forwarded to Sydney. The receipt produced was, he believed, in prisoner's handwriting; it was the usual receipt given for registered letters. The letter mentioned upon it, was not included in the list, and had not been sent to Mudgee. The Windeyer mail had been conducted with great regularity. This concluded the evidence for the Crown. Prisoner declined making any remarks and was committed to take his trial at the next Quarter Sessions. Bail allowed, himself £100, and two sureties £50 each. Saturday, September 7th Before the Police Magistrate, His Worship the Mayor, and E MARLAY, Esq. Edward COLLINS, William COLLIER, William BURNS, James CHAMPION, and John GIBSON were brought up charged with having committed the late robbery of the up mail. Mr CLARKE (for TEMPLETON) appeared for the Crown. Captain Edmund Montague BATTYE, on oath, said that he was a Justice of the Peace for the Colony of New South Wales, and resided at Bathurst. On Saturday night, the 30th August, he received certain information that the Mudgee Mail Bag had been stolen, and at the request of the mail contractor at Bathurst, he proceeded with him on the following morning to LEIGHTON's public house, situated near Cherry Tree Hill. He arrived at LEIGHTON's on Monday evening. From information he subsequently received, he apprehended the prisoners in the bush, about three quarters of a mile from LEIGHTON's, on the Mudgee side. He found three of them near a camp, the other two about two hundred and fifty yards from the camp. The prisoners were searched in his presence, and only one silver! coin was found on one of them. He had chief constable TAYLOR, some police, and blacks with him; he employed them in making a search of the neighbourhood, shortly afterwards Mr TAYLOR cheered, and held up the parcel now before the Court. He examined the bundle and found it to contain four gold rings, which were in a percussion cap box, rolled up in paper as they then appeared,. He also found old notes of the Bank of New South Wales to the amount of five hundred and fifty-four pounds; amongst these notes are forty, five-pound notes. He then confined the prisoners on a charge of robbing the mail. He produced the Crime Report on the second September. He then found a report of the mail robbery. He had examined some of the notes produced, and found the numbers to correspond in description with those in the Crime Report. He also found that the four rings corresponded in description with four rings stated to have been sent in a letter to Mr MILLS, of Mudgee. He told the c! harge to the prisoners; they made no reply. The prisoners COLLINS and COLLIER afterwards stated that they never left the camp the whole of the evening, not did the prisoner CHAMPION leave it. They also said they never left the camp for some days, but that prisoner GIBSON and BURNS left them on Thursday and did not return again to the camp before late on Friday night. Samuel TAYLOR said he was chief constable at Rylestone; on the 4th of the present month he proceeded to LEIGHTON's public house. He there joined Captain BATTYE, and acted with some blacks drew his attention to the bundle produced; the end of which only was visible; it was forced into a hollow tree lying down. He took the bundle down - the one now produced, he then cheered to the party, having discovered that the bundle contained money. He afterwards with Captain BATTYE examined the bundle and found the notes and rings produced. The prisoners were given into his charge by Captain BATTYE, and he escorted them to Mudgee. This morning he showed the rings to Mr MILLS who claimed them as his property. The whole of the prisoners were remanded until Wednesday next, in order to obtain witnesses from Sydney. Monday, September 9th Before the Police Magistrate, E MARLAY, Esq., and Captain BATTYE. J COUGHLAN was charged with being drunk. Upon being asked what he had to say, he denied being drunk; he was merely over excited with the treatment he had experienced from his wife. He had only drank a glass of wine, which would not affect him. The lock up keeper said the prisoner was incapable of taking care of himself when brought to him. His wife had likewise applied for a summons against him; she said that he had not done a day's work since he was last discharged. The Bench said that he had had ample warning from them; however, as he did not heed it, they had determined to write to Sydney and have his ticket cancelled. ***END*** N.B. All care has been taken to transcribe the above accurately, however errors may have been inadvertently made. Spelling of names/places should be as appears in original. Transcribed from microfilm available from the State Library. Annette Piper Coolah NSW