ALLEGED THEFT OF STAMPS.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11486, 20 January 1903, Page 2

ALLEGED THEFT OF STAMPS.

Walter Emeat fioae, * local commkainii agent and ttamp deeier, appeared at the rPoliae Court jrwterday, on remand, charged with having, on Auguat 21*t kst, broken into and entered the ofioe of C J. Fryer, and atoten one rolled-gold watch, a gold *eal, and « quantity of wed and «n----used poatage atatnpa, of * total value of JS3OO. Mr RtufceU α-ppeared for the profecotion, aad Mr McConnell for tbe acnieed. • Cbarlea James Fryer etated in eTideaoa that daring tbe last two yearn tbaaoooaed had carried on bia twinaaa two doom below hia own, in Cbanoary lane. Bom bad beta in tbe habit of vipttog bJa cAm «rery day. On the night of Auguat 21«t Bom lodud up the picmiaea for him, for KoM had been aMietiifg bint ia tie inner rwam daring the afternoon. Before leaving'he bad t«4d the accuMd, in reply to * tyMttion, that to wm not wanrng backihat, nUdii. On Mteral occaeSobi tbe aocoeed had bad boaaeaaion of tbe front door key,' but be bad had no authority to bar* tbe key away from hia powessian. When be went back tbe next toorning he found tbe outer front dooc Secured, bat the inner front door waa ajar, with the lock aewwvd back. The centre door «« open, olid tbe bade door waa locked. , The bock window wm aecuped, tim the front , one. " Everything inside wm pnctkally upaide down. Boxes of ateaaie Bad been remoTed f mm tbe &d*m f attptW of their contante, and left on the oounter. The ataana bad gone.. From £200 to £300 worth of atsußpt had been taken, together with « rolled-gold watch, vetoed *t £4, and a gold-mounted w*l, icalued at 50a. A packet of dockets beanng hie private mark were in hta office on tbe nuM of tbe robbery. Many of the atemnjMHtat were stolen bore his print* dot. On Auguat 23rd 'he wm present with the 'detectivM at 'the acsueed f a houae, when a •taroh warrant waa executed. A kfge quantity of ateapa were fovnd, but none ttfiougmg to w'HneM. Tb* aooued ateteil thft he bad ben at bia offloe after W tfdock on the evening of t*w2l*t. and that Ma wife h*d been oet at Papanui that «vw»i»g. After the robbery Row came to Me Urn aeveral tlmee, and on* one oocaaion aald there wm only otn man who could have oomaittod the theft, and be named the mau At that tiny) Rote owed him over £30. After the robbery he bought aeveral lot* of etemp* from Rote. In one lot tbree of t-be etwnna bor« marks wmilar to his private On tbe night, of the rdbbery he lo*t atempa •imilar to those fc* purch«a»d from Boae, Which bore hie mark. The 5* N«w Zealand stamp produced had a took ain£«r to' hia private mark. That atsi&p he bought from a boy on October 31et. That stamp wm in bia poawaaion before the robbery. The mount on the atemp wm alao jumilar to tbe one* be wed. On Auguab 14th he had reoedved « regetewd letter containing a draft and aome atempa. Thia letter be put ia bia box, bet it disappeared on tbe

night of the robbery. The part of tBKB mvekm prodnoad, -which ra shown lilh at the Polk* Station, wae • portion OfiaW envelope f«i«i**ining » letter written by hfefl to the Mcretery of the PbHaMlio Society aB Wellington. Tbe bundle of steaM ?*»■ duoed tm aanttar to several bundles be" wl bought from a men at DunedJa,' far ftfcfl tandie wm initialled and sunlwwd bjr Hi vendor Jα the Mmc my m other tMpO)aS had been. Sever*} of the* tasrissi wettd taken on tits night «f 15)* l'uhbwy. ifrfl new ako identified • number of ahents JM atamps and otbtr philatelic rtinl.i i> .ktM which had ton in hi. omoa prior ttJU robbery, end WbJoo had dieieseeeWMkie^B tin 21* of Augttrt. s • t-£S»M Sidney Thorpe Myem, of JiwiiMlMW 1 evidence Hit*' ia Jin* lni v WftitflH ! stamps pwduoad to Fry*** bad *fjjH •old mar «tean» to Uμ aocttsed ' J| M£S Wikwn M«*iMrir, J*Nt»A» eWIfH i DmMditt, *ko>*teted 4liafc»iM«daftf MajiH l.pmdaoid ban hi* initials, and wene aiMJMM to other bundkft wbioh fee ted. ori^lS William L. Hooper, «temp dealer, jfl Dunedra, vafaed tb* ataon* the* tedtWH •hown to him atthe Pofk* Station W^tffl Ktanetit gtrutbem WHUmm, cfadc liH Bank of AwtmlaaU, .tatM ■ that to Fiy«r aboet mx months ago fUuuw 8H lar to those already produced.-- - mjWm ■oM ffim* , ?!* ttUunpe i« -motitff fjewwav^^B XJforniull Ooopw, accunnUßt church, Maibad that the acconed v> (Mwl l»at teWbt him tb» dqoed. H* advuwed •oo»moaay lOft'tiHl B»ty Fl.t«* B ,.lockanah, CliiliLbial wid that tW wcjwttl toward* tklli Jilly «an« to bjm and <wked iiirn 4a JHhH duplicate of H« key, «*> produced. The McUMd woeli tbe key, and gave ao pmuoq for tog it. ~ Hβ took fa top«*e«i i*#mmm «od afterward;! joaide a duplicate bfS/Hm inpNMMon, whwb the eoguied paid fgti^W Jmmi £. B. RobiMon «id tiai WH K«w Zealand rtßffvr prodwwd 3w from Mr BoatTatJar X. .Kmt'a aoM Uw *t«np on October Slat tolH TboDuui Kent, cerio dealer, B. Ohkay, ataap OfciigliaSMW g»r« «nd«ioe. - ■;■-?• 'V J M| Det*cttw W*rd «t*t«d tiui on i|H 23rd ht mtitUi m eeoetine * rant *t Ko»'«hw«e. A ttonmAlfl| wu made of the premiM** <ad*4(*jiMl oi ettuape v(n found, but wHfthifffFjflßM .ing to Fryer. - Bow explained thaftMiMß b««n'at li. own offio«'tiH *ft«r ftilW thy erening of the 21#t. Oβ DiPl9B 15th he arrested the eectmd, «al o6MH him with stealing the rtamp*. ABtiWMB hihiM rehitass to «tanpa pot in d*rtiMg|H bearing of t&#cate tnwe focnd Jβ ttraH of the accused. '* v^^^H The accuaftd T«erv«d bit deianM r awraHH committed to tb* Supreme Gmctt Jer" JMH BaX w«# alowed eccoaed In gIOO, •nretiea in £50 each or one of &M> r.r^BMj