"CRIME AS AN OCCUPATION."

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 897, 17 August 1910, Page 7

"CRIME AS AN OCCUPATION."

HOTEL WINDSOR'CASE,

ROBBER RECEIVES FOUR YEARS.

,'; The case arising out of the robbery at tho-Eitcl Windsor on July 1, was yesterdayTsubinittad, in the. Supreme 'Court, to the'-, consideration ot Mr. Juslicc Chapnian;ahd a.jury, of which' Mr. Willoughby Wright l was .cnosen foreman. . . .

.Jellies 51'tntyre was. charged with the thettvofJir number of'articles of jewelleryeailCa'/sniail sum' in lrione-y, from a roour ja'-.tfo-Hotel Windsor, on.July .l. Tho total, .value of tbo articles was about JcW.

Mr. li, H,: , Ostler- conducted the case for,-.tho,.Crown,..and Mr. E. H. Webb,appeared for il'lutyre.. : ' -. ..■ '■■

'i'lic story, oitno robbery was told at lougtii-.xiunng the hearing in. the Lower Court.' nv -JBrieuy; tho.lacts.are that Airs. I'lrtli, propnecress. of the Motel Windsor;- going ,to her room on tae second floor/.on the .afternoon of.- Friday,. July J, iouiid'a inau bending-.over a drawer in her. llrossing-tab'le, in. which a quantity of'jewellery, had been deposited. ' Accost.stated that ho had made a misjtake,' and was looking for a man named Brosriahan: The intruder' ultimately decaihpeiT.by the but. was seen before-; ho got: uway by Percy Daniell Thompson ahd John Loader, employees at.the -Hotel Windsor... The former saw. a i'golU-,chain with a gold-coin attached lhanging; from the' man's pocket. .Thompson, and Loader .were positive in inden■•tifyihg;,accusc[l as the man. Mrs. Firth ijalsoyindeh'tiiidd'- him as the'-man' [she had -seen in "her room, although .she .•had; been at first unable ■ to swear positively'.to his identity. Angus'. Turner,' tobacconist; whose shop'"in Willis Street, adjoins-the -Hotel;. Windsor, -'sfated that ' oiU.-thej: af teriioon": of July : 1, M'lntyre and/ his'-friend."Brosnahan' were in his ."lihopat about ,1.45. A.cake of "soar) of a variety;-specially., stamped -for- the 7 Hotel 'Windspr.-.was; found in M'lntyre'sposses--Bioii.:when he "was arrested by .Detective Cassells,:.on the afternoon of the robbery. ' Evidence for.the orosecution was given ,bv Catherine Mary "Firth, Percy Dauieil .TnpjiipsonrJoHn:' Loader, 'Angus. Turner,; Bnd_j;Detectives;.Cassells and Hammond. ;, The.-former .■"'stated that he arrested accused 'at 4.30; p.mV on 'the day' of the' robbery, at the Trocadero Hotel, where .he Avas,-staying -under': the name of Dick-' ■■ eoni-i■''■*.■•■■•■-.■;: \. -.■-.■■-' ;.:,■■:-;--. ; :'■....■ ■

His, Honour;..'in summing, up, said' thet evidence' of .Turner; was '. important. The accused said he had been in his room etV.the..- Trocadero all the ■ afternoun, . whereas rTuriier,stated that MTntyre was inliis'shop at.about.two o'clock.; This, .coiitriiflicted.' the,evidence of the., latter, .arid-brought.-him.:near enough , he, if necessary, an actor in >the - scene- which the'ladies had witnessed. ... '".•

No-evidence was called for tho defence. ahe,,jhry,", after .'a retirement of less than half au':hour. brought iii a verdict of/guilty.' , ; . ' ; '.-■•.', .•. .;• . T-he^j, Crown.'/solicitor stated J thai Srlntyre. had:a'. list, of previous con- , 'victionsV ./Although only, 'twenty-four -age,- . Tie/ has i served : : several' lengthy/ , tcrinsr of ■. imprisonment. At Auckland lie served periods of four and eighteen,months , , , and' at'- Christchurch . terms.;'<jf;-twelve ; months and' three years. Asked.Mf he': , had anything to' say, : prisoner, remarked/that ho was ; a'"mere boys, when' lie-first got - into trouble. ,Had;.h6>theri been 'admitted' to .probation' ho might not'have "offended again. ■' '' In delivering judgment, his Honour -umk prisoner -had evidently ■■ deliberately planned this robbery, arid that just after serving:; a-term- of three years for a eimilnr offence. "I,must look upon you," :eaid:'iis Honour, "as a man who is Jiving byjcrimt', 'und ,has chosen.that'occupation. / , "was: ' contemplatedwhichr would enable-such cases' to be denlt; with more effectually; and' possibly,' give better .chances to young men like the ;the , 'meantime' , sentence; must be imposed under the provision's "or the; Existing , 'law.' 'Prisoner , , would bo Bentenced: to four -years'* .imprisonment withliard-labour, and wonld be declared a habituaT'criminal/' ":"','" " r -~ .■■ ■'■■ '■■ TELEGRAM'toJFIANCE'S FATHER.; '• >' ■ '; ■ mean defence' fails. Arthur Cyril Dowell; alias Schapira, was charged;>vith committing, forgery, on July 2S, : ;andvsending a telegram to one IsaacRead,'at Watevton, near Ashburton, with intent to defraud., '"■ " ■ ■ Mr..:H;H.' Ostler appeared for tho Crofn and Mr. F. Kelly for "the defence.. Ernest .Alfred Thompson,' telegraph clerk, 'deposed that on July 28 a man whom ! ho identified as-the accused dispa'tched \the following, telegram :—"lsaac Jtead, Watertoii— Can, you send me Jtl2 beforelo'clock.,to : day, very urgent; writing to-night, to explain;" • The telegram, was signed "H-A.. Ki'ad.":. , . Evidence was given by Isaac Bead and Agnes -Henrietta Head, ■ di mestic servant, his. daughter. The...:latter.-stated vthat ehe had "not'authorised accused, 'to/dispatch: the telegram.' ' : "-." .... • Tb.'jJlr.; Kelly: .When she answered a certain:'wire from her father witness had'forgotten , 'a ' previous'■; conversation with accused relative to applying to her people/for money. •'•'•■ . ' . ■ Detective Cassells deposed to arresting ; the! accused. . On being, shown the wire Dowell made no reply ior.somo time, but finally-said, "I/admit I sent it without authority; but I was badly in want of money." Subsequently on being charged with' , the offence ho said, "You need not

go ..to airy bother. 1 intend to plead guilty." - . .; :., : . ; .;.,'. ,;' ..,' . Called; to give ovitienci: on his own behalf,accused,- .who> describedhimseif as until' lately a, canvasser' in \ the .Colonial ilutiial''Lifu-liisuraiite;: Company, saiil thathehad been engaged to Miss Kead, and it-'had been intended that , their marriage, should'take place about the middle of 'October. Oii. the night before tlio wire was'sent: he suggested to Miss Head that they should telegraphs to her.people lor money,-to . help pay for , some furniture which he had been offered. Miss K«ad 6aid she would write next day. Accused replied that writing would not'give them , tiiriojhe hailbetter wiru; Iu thu ordinary course of thing's the inoncy. (if sent at all) would havo been sent to Miss Read as her father, did not know his. .(Dowcll's) nd- : dress.' Ho did not make the confession attributed to'hini Ijy the detective.' Hβ had merely said that rather than see Miss Bead'get into trouble over it he would plead guilty. ' • ■'■" s ■ • Constable Gallagher ■■' remembered nvcused beiug brought'into'the watch-house. To ii remark by Defoiitivu Cussolls about going to his room* Dowell replied: "Oh, ifs no use; you needn't bother; I'll plead guilty.":. ■ . v - .; His Hon'our.m.charging'tlii) jury,', remarked that.the•only defence advanced was the somewhat.heroic suggestion that accused had been .actuated by a desiro to save the girl. , As a fact, Miss Read had nothing to fear.. If it had been her telegram- she! had only her father to face, and if :not sho.Jiad still less to fear. His Honour further puiated out that if the fraud.had been successful the money woiild.iiot have gone tu Miss H«ad, as suggested by tho defence, but"'would have either been delivered to Dowell, or he would have been advised' of ' its' receipt The jury, alter rotiring for half an noiir; returned with a verdict of guilty. While the jury was absent counsel for prisoner:entered on his behalf a plea of guilty to a charge of stealing a pair of held- glasses- and- ease from. the., dwelling of Mr. D; M. Findlay. • ' -.. : The Crown Prosecutor stated that concurrent sentences of one montn's imprisonment .and seven days' imprisonment ;Tiad previously been imposed on Dowell in the Magistrates Court. Prisoner's age rwas. stated to.bo twenty-five years. In pronouncing sentence, his Honour, speaking inter alia with regard to the telethat prisoner had committed an offence- that might .easily have got Bomebody else into trouble. This was suggested by the fact that prisoner had been mean enough to go into the box and try to get a girl into trouble, taking his chance.' of getting out of it at her expense. This imparted a shabby aspect to prisoner's offence. He would be sentenced , : to three months' imprisonment on the charge to which' ho had pleaded guilty, and upon the other to twelve months' imprisonment in Invercargill Gaol, the sentences to, be concurrent. It -was'ordered that the stolen field glasses be returned to Mr. Findlay on his relaying a sum of £$ advanced by a pawnbroker.