CHINESE TELL HOW THEY WERE ROBBED

Chronicle (Levin), 14 February 1947, Page 8

CHINESE TELL HOW THEY WERE ROBBED

- ' ?ress Associaiibii

By Telegrapn-

AUCKLAND, Feb. 13. Joiiulv charged with rbbbiiig two Chiuese of 1800 American dolldrs valued at £540, three- £50 hotes and jewellery and inoney to a total value of £774 and using personal violence at the time of the robbery, three young men vap peared before Justiees in the Magis t rates Oourt. They were: Benso Scal'abrini, aged 20, 'Amei'ioan seaman. Selwyn Caplan, aged 21, sliip's fire man. Selwvn Low6. a Chiuese:

Charlie Wong Chiiek, pensioherj aged 70, stated that he eiitered his home at Yelverton Terrace; city, with a Chin ese comoanion shortly after -midnighl

on January 21. He suspected something was wrong when hb saw the side • gatt unliolted ahd as he entfered tlife 'kbbh'eiij - of his house a man Caiiie ftfuijhi Jhe: iiedj room and strlick him twicei' lle bfecaihe-semi-conscious but he" saw, sonvedhl cottle ahd search his p'oeketsr' '••He-idetr tified Caplan as the illan who ha! scai'ched him. Fong Hon gave evidence that he was with the f'ornier witnbss When thSy weriattaeked bv twb masked mem "1 was hit with something like a rubber hoso with lead inside it," said Hoh. He tuhi how he fought with the iU'an and roll'ed around the floor. The secotad man catne and held him and kept hitting him on ihe- head with tlie hose. When the men ran out through the back dooi" he weri into the street to get helh"I was in Queen Street when I sav two men comft ruilhiiig odt fi'om d side lane and jump into a pat'ked car;" shid Louis Wellington Parore. He recogitiseu Scalabrim as one of the mfen. In a stdtenient produebd by tlie poi iee, Caplan said dccusbd Lowe had sUp plied Sealabrini and himself with two rubbei- hoses filled with lead ahd bound with silk stbcldrigs. They were short of money dnd Lowe had told thbm of a Chinese in the city who would have a lot of douglt on him: Lowe supplied a plah of the house Wltere- the robbery was to take place. -Caplan Said Cala » brini and himself entered tlie hoiise aild waited fdr the Chinese. He describdd the fight in the room and Iiow he went through the Chinalnan's pockets artd took otit a foll of doliai' bills. The twoJ men then got into a c'ar Where Ldwe was waiting in the strbet near the place and went to a house in the coub try. He stuCk the roll of dollar bills witli three £50 notes attadhed to it; iri his pocket and he and Scalabrihi divid ed a suin of about 1700 dollars betWedn them. They did not tell Lowe of this money or of the £50 notes but they divided the Kew Zealand- money with Lowe. A stateinent by Sealabrini was alsc •produced by the pblice suppol'ting. thc statement by Caplan. The cass was dd.jdurUed.