WAITING AT THE CHURCH.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1441, 16 May 1912, Page 4

WAITING AT THE CHURCH.

BRIDEGHOOM ROBBING A HOTEL. (Br Teleeraph.-Press Association.) Auckland, May 15. Keith Russell' Jones, n. well-Orcswd young follow of 23, who had coino only recently froni Sydney, admitted to Mr. Cutleii, S.M., at the I'olioo Court tins morning, that he had stolen £! 10s. from a room in one hotel am! cluitjuc-book and purse containing ,C 1 froia bedrooms in another hotel.

The history of tho man given by Chief Detective Marsack was unusual. He had arrived in Auckland about threo months ngo, and had been for some time employed canvassing lor a photographer, and later as steward on a small coastal boat, lie had arranged to be married to a young lndy on May 1, but the bride waited for him at the church, and he failed to turn up. Ho stayed at a hotel for a time, and, while there (also ou the fateful Muy day when ho was duo to be otherwise engaged), he entered another boarder's room nnd stole JC7 10s. He moved to a hotel in Newmarket, and while there took a room-mate's cheque-book, and also stole from a servant girl's room a puree containing £1. At one period of hie Auckland experience h*> took a fancy for motoring, and ran up a bill of .£5 10s. with a taxi-cab owner. He paid the bill with William Wooden's nsoney, captured at the AVaverley Hotel.

The accused, who appeared to have little senie of responsibility, explained that ha committed the thefts because he Was stranded, awl Hie tnxi-cab wan was pressing in his demands. He added incidentally that ho • had private reason/! for not meeting his expected bride at the church, and said he had given her notice in time to have prevented her going there. He said he was a traveller, but he had been studying accountancy, nnd he hod been drawn to New Zealand by a desire to fee n voung lady in the South Island, His Worship said ho could not help a young , man who committed theft after theft in the way the accused had done. He would bo sentenced to thrco months imprisonment with hard labour.