MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 578, 5 August 1909, Page 8

MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

)';■?■; (Before Mr:;W.>G.;Riddell,'iS.MO:-;...,, "■V ; rv.THE POST OFFICER BURGLARY^'.S : i The : charges against' Arthur Frederick Wimsett, therein it. was.' alleged' that he was-a; confederate in the crimes of James-, Hemingway, in the Parcels Post Office burglary, .were heard-yesterday. ■' Tire- 'appeared 111 answer!' to: iis bail; arid, after thp charge's Ifad been read,'was allowed to sit besidei.his counsel ".'ini'Court.-. ■■■'■.■/■,'.'.'■!.■•''.'':: ~.'; ' . The .chai-ges were as follow:—(l)' That;' on January 11,: 1909,' at; Wellington, he ' did aid and abet Jas. Hemingway; to break and enter the Parcels Office of the G;P.O. at Wellington, and did steal jewellery, four cash boxes (containing i£3l 19s. 9d.),': and 408. cancelled- banknotes and- postage stamps, -valued at ;i!6cr:7s. 2d., goods and chattels., the. property of'the'. Postmaster-GeneraL' The: act =_bf. abetting'as described in the charge was that he did lend Jas. Hemingway the keys'of the said Parcels Office to have duplicates made. (2) Tkat; : on September 15, '• 1907, •■ he did .receive:,goods,' the property; of Faudel Phillips, knowing them to:• have, been' dishonestly- obtained.' '( (3): That on September • 1,: 1907, he- : did.-receive goods; the, -property.of C. H. - Dickinson, 'knowing, them to have been; dishonestly obtained. (4) That on January: 11, .1909,: at Wellington,-.-he' did break and enter.the Parcels Office of the G.P.0., 'at Wellington,'- and/steal the goods" mentioned in the 'first charge. , (5) That-,'on December 14, 1907, ho did receive goods, 'the property of Whitcombe and' Tombs, knowing them to have been dishonestly, obtained.: -.'•'.-'■■•: Mr.: Myers, for the prosecution, intimated that.ho proposed to ■' take charges one and four dealing- with the Post: Office burglary first. Mr. Hislop, who appeared with, Mr., Petherick for the - defence,/agreed to this course. ;• '■.';,'■' The first witness called was George Chesterman, clerk, in the Public Trust Office, who gave evidence as to sending registered goods throughthe Parcels Office.. The' articles produced; ap- § eared tobe those" which' he' sent. Other', eviehce ■ as ■ to' the' stolen i goods' being -in the. safe onthe daj\ before the burglary, was given by- Henry : James Cartwright,-' Albert Victor Williams, Arthur Adams, Alexander''Proctor, and Matthew Wm. Cummins. Norman Coad Andrews also-gave evidence. Isaac Crichton, officer in chqrgo of, the Parcels Office, said that, at-.' the time- of-,'the'; burglary, accused as a senior clerk had possession of/a kev .of the safe, a key of the door, of the parcels room, and a key of the building, which he kept in his possession during a ! 24 hours' shift. . . ...... Harry Arthur Ekins, locksmith, said that from an examination "of - the safe after the :burglary he ascertained that, it had been opened with a key or else had been left unlocked, an explosive , being used,' afterwards. He did not remember'Jas.' Hemingway coming into:his shop, but he believed ,ho had-done work for him .He had made duplicates of two keys produced, either in November or Deicember of last year, The keys were biongbi

to him between 9 and 10 in the morning, nnd lio had' to have tho duplicates raado by two o'clock in tho afternoon. He had thorn .ready, and gave them to his'customer, who 1 returned later in tho day in a great state.because ha had been' given a wrong'key.-; . , ' '• James Hemingway, who was next called, said that on the : night' before tho offence ho had otopped nt Wimsott's house, nnd for some tiriie previously in 190S also. They had talked together, naturally,'among other things, about the Parcels Post Office'. On the Sunday before the burglary, accused mentioned that there was a parcel of bank notes in the office. He (witness) got into i the -office through the front door, having keys, two of which he had had had made at Ekins's sometime in., November. He got the originals from'Wimsett, when ho was in tho office, tho Yale- key for the.outer doox nt ab'ont 2.30 p.m., and the Chubb's key the next morning. When he got.the keys from; accused, ho told him' that he wanted them' in order 1 to get duplicates made. He'had had conversations" with Wimsett previous- to this date regarding strong-rooms. He had asked hint whether there was anything worth stealing in the strong-room of tho . G.P.0., . andWimsett ! hud told him what tho contents.were. Witness | himself had made a duplicate of.,the key of the safe from/impressions taken in wax by himself and accused. Ho had given this, key to acoused' to try, if it fitted, and accused had returned it, saying that tho shank;was a bit too thick. -After: he had altered it, he tried it himself at night twice and found it fitted. Wimsett had given witness the keys because he had asked- for, them. ~lt was an stood thing'that accused .should receive a share of the spoil; but he never'did so;// < In the course of-'a' lengthy/cross-examination by Mr; HislopV witness gave-details of .the burglary, and r the'process ;of f-manufacturing .the safe.key-.'.■'"■-■•'-. •' '■ V : -.' '"'•/■• ■'•■■ '■•'' "',//' ',Chief-Detective.Broberg said that, he saw accused after .the burglary;. und questioned him on different matters . concerning the.■ offence.. Accused said he,could not suggest anyone;who" was .likely to have been 'responsible'for the crime. ■■" ; When interviewed later by .witness, accused gavo his answers with great:relu'ctance. :' Accnsed pleaded' not', guilty 'to the charges,, and was committed to,tho. Supreme, Court' for trial;..' He reserved-,his defence^' Accused was allowed bail-as'-before. , : . ; :•-:".•,'' - . ■/, ■ ( :.':.' ; CHARGE -'.6p''THEFT./-':'/''' '." A man .who ; was charged- on Tuesday' with j pocket-picking,-. Ernest King,-alias Keenan, alias "Martin, was- further charged.with stealing,, on" July 10, at Wellington, one goldrmg set with five diamondsi. valued at JE22:los'., theproperty of Horace. W..Lloydi 'On. the application of Chief-Detective! Eroberg, a.remand was;granted to i August,.ll. bail, being /allowed, at:; the;Ye.quest'.of Jlr;.P,i Jackson,;in,an additional £iO. and 'one. surety. ~ v," '"''://, '/-'i-V: ,-,i.',': . :■;.. .-'. Gny ..Cockb'urn;;who had -beenyremanded on, a charge of.being.'/a- rogue' and;vagabond;:,in order.'-. that,' statement's 'which l he ■ .'Shad','■-'made might be; inquired into,:.was-; brought,: forward. Sub-Inspector Norwood .'said'that on inquiry he had found .that; accused liad'been'working ui)"till'' a' few :s days ago in', the ..Ngaliauranga Meat Works.' A sentence of: 14 days',imprison: m'ent was' imposed; •':' "\. ,- ; ,'//-. '~ . ■■' ■'■:•' V '"■ .' Clara Algaiy brought' up oii/a : chnrge ;: .of ,vag-, .'rancV, ;was convicted, and ordered td. come;-_up. ;for sentence ,\when'-' called V-upon;. : on ■ 'condition' that she'.wentjto.. tUe„ Magdalen; Home;/and.remained thoi'bfor one year, i ; ~ ' V- '.' -j .'.'\ A: charge"-of -vagrancy,": preferred ...against'a I'respectably-dresse'dyo-irag.mnn, was dismissed,' Sub-Inspectoi-yNorwood. intimating■■'.that; the; police would-call;ho evidence/':■ *'.■'."■".-'!''v'-';-..'■ .'■'•■'■ ; /One first ..offender : -• for ! .,was con-. '■ victcd. and 'discharged! ',anothei\-,was .fined. 55., .and. a tliiM ; lQs.,in default 24- hours', imprison-; meut;',;;.*V;. '■'-■ ■■;."■.<-.';\;fV.-::.--;■ -''s- : /. : ." : ;V- : 'v - .;" t"-':'.; .v- ;-; ,j