Proceedings in the Courts.
Mayor's Court, Saturday, Oct. 18th.
--A man who gave the name of John Neville to the officers who arrested him, for trespassing at the Columbian Hotel, entering a room and taking possession of a coat belonging to another man, told the Mayor his name was Patrick Welsh.
The official said it was very suspicious to see a man attempting to pass under an alias, unless he was conscious of having done some wrong, and, therefore, as the larceny of the coat could not be legally established, he would require.
Welsh to give $150 security for his good behavior, which he did not do.
James H. Ellis, arrested for being without his register, was ascertained to be an apprentice to one Wm. Acree, who had carried him to Petersburg.--Ellis was committed, to be bound out in Richmond.
John J. Crawford and John W. Michelle were arraigned for shooting at each other on the corner of 13th and Main streets last week.
Several witnesses proved the shooting to have been initiated by Michelle's going into Spence's store after Crawford.
Michelle having slipped down on the first discharge of his pistol was shot through the chin and law by Crawford.
The Mayor held Michelle in the to the sum of $1,000 to appear before the Hustings Court, on the 2d Monday in November, and discharged Crawford, holding him to ball to appear only as a witness.
John Sizer was fined $3 for his son's indulging in a rock battle on Byrd street. Young Sizer, on being captured, gave the named of a number of his companions, all of whom were summoned to Court, but as he did not appear, and the officer who arrested him could not identify them, none were fined.
The Mayor announced his intention of putting a stop to rock battles, if the vigilance of his officers could accomplish that result.
The case of Mary J. Smith, colored, for stealing $15 from Tubby Clayton, a ponderous old colored female, was called up and continued till Monday, after the Mayor had listened to the old woman's description of a red back ten which she said was among the notes surreptitiously conveyed away by Smith.
John Beaty was brought up for taking Mary Tracy's clothes.
By Mary's account, he had not only taken them, but had tern them up. It appeared that the parties had been living together without the performance of any marriage ceremony, and, as is usually the case, often had failings out, fights and bickering.
The Mayor committed Beaty in default of security in the sum of $150.
Wm. Caesar, a negro belonging to S. D. Denoon, was up for stealing five pieces of bacon, valued at $16, from Sampson Jones.
The investigation implicated Robert, slave of Mr. Jones, as party concerned in the abstraction of the bacon, and both were consequently sent before the Court of Hustings, for trial, on the second Monday in November.
Bill for their appearance was given.
Betsy and Claiborne, slaves of Wm. Collingswood, were brought up for stealing 14 head of cabbage from Mrs. H. E. Hibble.
The testimony made it appear that Betsy was most to blame, and she was ordered to be punished.
Sundry negroes, including the following, viz.--Eliza Ann Smithers, Mary Fox, Chas. Henry, Dick Meekins, Lavinia Trent, Sally Boasman, free, and Henry, slave of Mrs. E. J. Cill, Charles, slave of Mrs. Dennis, John and Mary, slaves of Mrs. Lavinia Hall, were arraigned for being in an unlawful assembly at the house of Ellen, slave of Mrs. Hall, near the corner of 12th and Cary streets. The parties were engaged in having a ‘"colored fancy ball,"’ and a number of white men were present.
The entry of the police spoilt the fun, as they proceeded to capture the fiddler and the white and colored visitors and carry them to the cage.
As application had been made to the Mayor for permission to have the above ball, and it had been refused, the parties went to Gen. Winder, but met with no better success.
All of the above named parties were ordered ten inches each.
The women part of the crowd were dressed in the most fanciful styles imaginable.
They caused a decided sensation as they walked through the streets bedecked with their tawdry spangles and finery, looking like real belles'd Afrique. Three white men, named John P. Brooks, Seymour Sawyer, and Harvy Huster, were next arraigned on the charge of associating with negroes, having been arrested at the ball while participating in the exercises incident to that festive occasion.
All three were held to ball in the sum of $150 to be of good behavior, and only Huster succeeded in mustering up a friend for the occasion.
District Court.--One prisoner was arraigned before this Court on Saturday for passing a bogus C. S. Treasury note.
His trial will proceed to-day. 