SUPREME COURT.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11505, 11 February 1903, Page 3

SUPREME COURT.

CRIMINAL SESSIONS.

The criminal sessions of the Supreme Court were continued yesterday fefore Mr Justice Dennieton. ALLEGED THEFT OF STAMPS.

Walter E. Rose (Mr Byrne) pleaded "Not guilty on a charge of breaking and entering on August 21et, 1902, tne promisee of V. Q. Fryer, and stealing a gold watoh and gold seal, and used and unused etarane valued at £150.. • The circumstances of the case showed that the premises had apparently been entered by means of a key. Rose and Fryer were friends, and both were stamp-dealers. The former was often in Fryer's office, and sometimes hod possession of hie key. Suspicions _were strengthened against Roee when Fryer found himself buying stamps from him, or which originally oame -from him, which he ■thought he could identify with portions of hie etolen stock. A search warrant executed on Kose'e premises two days alter the thefVhad failed to find any traoe of the stolen stamps, but as the result of these later suspicions a second search was madia some tune after, and a great number of stamps which were alleged to have belonged to Fryer were found. Mr Btringer, appearing for the Crown, detailed the various private marks, special marks, and signs .of rarity, etc., by which different varieties of the stamps bad been allegedly, identified, and stated that none of the varieties found were included in Rose's stock on the 22nd August. ; C. G. Fryer, in giving evidence, described Wβ friendly relations with Roee, the Joss of bis stock, and his reasons for identification. The morning after the burglary everything on bis uremisee was upside down, the box in which he kept his most valuable stamps was'broken open, and a Chisel which he had missed three months before wee lying beside it. A bundle of receipts for registered letters which he. had missed at the same 4>j>me .was'jfound afterrorde vm Roee'e pi«-' mises. - Boles of stamps had been emptied, and. altogether quantities to the value of from £200 to £300 were taken. The lees valuable varieties hod apparently' been examined and put back. . He identified a> bundle of New Zealand fourpenny stamps, initialled by one Mcfiiscock, from whom witness iad.originaliy, bought them, one of Errington and Martin's sheeU of stamps, bearing witneee'fl rubber stamp impression, twenty-two "fiscal stamps, a slightly oxy'dised etamp of a valuable variety, bearing a special mark, and a large number of individual etamps bearing his initials and private marks or otherwise recognisable, .

Mr Byrne was conducting thecrose-exami-aatfon, when the Court adjourned until 10-30 tkis morning.