SERIOUS CHARGES

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2839, 2 August 1916, Page 9

SERIOUS CHARGES

ALLEGED THEFT OF PATENT MEDICINES , ] ( Mr. D. G. A. Cooper, S.M., presided j at the Magistrate's Court, yesterday, j John Thomas Morris, grocer, Cambridge i Terrace, was charged' with receiving from 1 Jamea Henry Bray certain patent "medicines and soaps, of the value, of £181 16s. i 6d., the property of Sharland nriu Co., i Ltd., knowing the same to have been < stolen, . Chief-Detective Boddnm conducted the prosecution, and Mr. H. F. O'Lcary ap- ( peared for the accused. < Walter F. Larkin, manager of Sharland < and Co., gave formal evidence of the dis- i covery of the loss of goods. ' - " ' James Henry Bray, who was storeman i at Sharland s, and "who pleaded guilty . to the theft of patent medicines from the i warehouse, gave details of the alleged ] sales of the stolen goods to aocuscd. He said he made the acquaintance of accused in November last. Accused told : witness that he would take all the stuff he could get hold of. Witness detailed the delivery of goods beginning in December, 1915, to June, 1916. Some lots were alleged to have been delivered by witness, and others by expressmen. He saw accused after he (the witness) had , been arrested and admitted to bail. Accused said to him: "There is trouble over the goods; you will have to watoii yourself." William John Barker, carter in tho. employ of tho Wellington. Box Company, gave evidence as to having.deliverecLtwo lots of goods to Morris at tho request of Bray. He refused to take payment for tlie work, but Morris gave him half- 1 ( a-crown to have a drink. He saw accused after the latter bad been'arrested. He saw him in a private roomi at the back of the shop. Morris asked him not to say that he had taken goods there. John Sprowlo and Thomas Henry_ Watson, licensed carriers, also gave evidence of delivering goods from Shurlaud's to "Morris. William Henry Townshend, salesman in the employ of Messrs. Johnston and Co., Ltd., stated that he had searched through the records of the firm back to June, 1915, and eould-find no entry of sales of sand-soau to accused. Deteotivo Mason, who arrested the acoused, said that when he called ou Morris <uid inquire! about patent medicines. Morris stated that lie had not purchased patent medicines from anyone under wholesale prices. When ho arrested accused, on July 10, the latter denied having received goods from Bray. In company with Detective, Carney, he made a rough search of the premises. ' Except for a bottle or two he found no patent medicines. He. took possession of ■_ 37 cases of "Champion" sand soap, which accused said lie had purchased at an auction sale, and also 5G cases of Pearson's sand soap, which accused said he had purchased from Johnston and Co. six, months previously. This concluded the case for the prosecution. The accused, who reserved his defence, was committed for trial. Bail was fixed at JBIOO and ono surety of i£loo. OHAKGE AGAINST HELLAWELL. Edwin Hellawell, grocer, Courtenay Place, was charged with receiving patent Medicines of the value of .£143 Vs. 9d., the property of/Sharland and Co;, Ltd., knowing the same to have been stolen. Several witnesses in, this ease gave evidence last week, and yesterday afternoon the following witnesses were examined:— William Slater Saundcrson, manager in New Zealand for tho Dr. Williams Medicine Company, stated that his company used an identification mark which was affixed to every"box of pills. The mark was a. combination of letters and figures, and no two firms were supplied with the .same identification mark. On August 12, last year, his firm executed an order for Sharland and Co., the identificatioiwnark on this lot being A.G9 Gl; on the'goods «ild tn the same firm in December the identification mark was A.H. IG.aud the' goods sold to them in April, 191U, carried the identification mark Ai 17. He had examined all the pink pills produced in Court .and they all showed.the identification marks identical with these sold to Sharland and Co. AValter V. Larkin 1 , manager of. Sharland and Co., Ltd., stated that two checks of the stock were made, one in June last, whon discrepancies were shown amount- . ing to at least .£350. The recoveries made by the police would reduce this by •1-150. He gave details of the purchase of pink pills, and corroborated the evidence of theVprevibus witness as to identification marks.. He. also furnished particulars of purchases of Doan's Backache l'ills and Beecham's Pills, with their re- , spective identifieatioft'marks. He examined the goods produced in Court, and they boro rhe same marks 'as the goods purchased by Shariand's. James Henry JJray, until Tecently storeman at Sliariand's, said that he had pleaded guilty to the theft of goods from Saarland's,' which included all the goods produced in Court. '\ Joseph Kenny, manager for Messrs. I'airbairn, Wright and Co., said the accused hau been in the habit of making purcltaaes from his firm of patent medicines and groceries. He was a fair purchaser of patent medicines for a grocer. Accused mitde a purchase of Pink Kite in October lost, and had not purchased any since. He also purchased 12 bottles of Baxter's Lung preserver and two dozou bottles (small) of Irish Moss in November, '.there were no other purchases of patent medicines since then. .uaieci.ive Mason stated that on June 11 ho arrested James Connor and charged nii.i witu tue theft of some of the patent medicines which were identified as belonging to Sharland and Co. On June 22, in company with Detective Uurney, he visited aceusod's shop and questioned ,him as to where ho got the pills he sold to Levin and Co. and the pills Hint James Connor was selling accused stated that, he had not .supplied Connor with any patent 'medicines. He had known Connor lor 12 years, but had no business transaction with him whatever. Accused stated that in January last he supplied Levin and Co. with about .1:33 worth of Pink Pills and Doan's l'ills. He stated ho had' obtained the pills from a traveller who was going round. Ho did not know what firm the man represented.. He had the pill/s in his storo for about seven mouths. Ho said he paid lor these in cash, and it was the only transaction he had with the traveller. Accused said he had not • purchased any goods from Connor, and had no business with him. He had received no money lrom himj but may i have cashed u cheque for him. I Continuing, the detective said tha/ : later in the day the accused was shown all the goods produced in Court except one ca6e, which was subsequently recovered iu Palmerston North, but he said he had no further explanation to make. In company with Detective Carney and Mr. Larkin, witness made a search of accused's shop. They found the place stocked with patent medicines varying in quantity in each line from a dozen ■ bottles downwards; but in no instance was there a surplus stock. Iu the backyard there was a stock of kerosene tins, and witness took possession of lour boxes of Pink Pills and 13 of Beecham's Pills. Those pills carried the identification mark, and were included in the exhibits in the court. Accused was arrested on July JI. This concluded the case for the Crown, and tho accused, who reserved his defence, was committed for trial, bail being allowed in .£IOO and one surety of JMOO. OTHER CASES. • For insobriety, Alexander M'Swanay. who had oncpreriotis conviction against him, was lined 10s., in default '18 hours' imprisonment. I'rancis Conway • Allen. who was charged with being found helplessly drunk in Uhu/.nee Street on July 25, was convicted and ordered to pay medical expenses 17s. Cd„ the alternative being ■IS hours' imprisonment. Leslie George Eraser, a youth, pleaded guilty to the theft of a bicycle value .£lO, tho property of tho Vacuum Oil Company. Inspector Hendrey pointed out that the accused stole the bicycle and sold it. for a few pounds to a secondhand dealer, and was pajd «C|. The dealer communicated with the police, and the theft was discovered. The Inspector pointed out that there were two previous

convictions against the youth. The Magisistrate formally sentenced the accused to a month's and ordered him to be sent to an industrial school. Henry Holland, alias Simpson, was remanded to August 3 on a charge of the theft of a shaving outfit value 10s. 6d. at Trentham, the property of William Smith. Alfred Charles Brown, on two charges of indecency, was, on the application of Mr. P. H. Putnam, remanded to August 4. Charles Lawson, for whom Mr. H. F. O'Leary appeared, was remanded to Au- - gust 0 on a charge of stealing 207 sparking plugs, of the value of £s'i 125., the property of some person or persons unknown. , The case against Bertha Ogden, charged with being a TOgue and a vagabond, in that she has insufficient visible means of support, was further adjourned to August 8. I Michael Boyle, a young man, was charged with being an idle and disorderly person, in that he has insufficient visible means of support; also with consorting with reputed thieves and vagabonds. He was described by the police as a "speiler,' a guesser, and a bhidger." Accused conducted his own case witli a degree of intelligence, and told a plausiblestory when giving evidence on his own behalf. However, he w<is convicted and sentenced to three months' imprisonment. CIVIL CASES. Mr. W. G. Eiddell, S.M., heard the civil actions, when judgment was given for plaintiff by .'default in the following undefended civil cases:— , John. Heyworth v. Charles Kite, 55., costs only; Joseph Ivess v. }\'. Wakefield, 203.,' costs Bs.; Agnes Lameston. Bromley v. Thomas Jones, £2 175., costs 18s.; C. and A. Odlin Timber and Hardware Co., .Ltd., v. Andrew Reid, Bs. 3d., costs 75.; James Mu6sell, assignor, and Philip Harry Putnam, assignee, v. Miehncl Lynch, .£25 10s. 10d„ costs 165.; H. Price and Co., Ltd., v. W. G. .Lindsay, -C 5 Is. Gd.ocosls 235. Cd.; same v. Mara Bros., ;f37 Us. .Gd., costs £2 145.; T. , Hole v. w. Ward, .£25 3s. IL, costs M 145.; Gideon Lamb v. H. White, 7s! 6d., costs 55.; Gamble and Son v. J. D. Steele, -JS7, costs Bs.; David Eoche Lawlor v. Job. Sullivan, £i, costs 55.; Dominion Clothing Co. v. John Hiko, £i ss„ costs 145.; M'Eldowney Bros. v. Albert Holinan, £te 15s. M„ costs .£1 10s.; Edith Gray v. Joseph Edge, 21s. 0(1., costs 55.; Wellington Woollen Co. v. Alexander D. Gibson, ,£33 9s. 3d., costs £2 145.; same v. William Henry Cooper, .252 13s. 3d., costs £5; "New Zealand Times" Company, Ltd., v. G. G. Nightingale, 105.,. costs lfls. JUDGMENT SUMMONSES. Judgment summons cases were dealt with as follow:—Ernest Hdnry Rodd was ordered to pay John Bryant "the sum of M 12s. lid., on. or before August 15, or serve 24 hours in gaol; William Arthur Jones was ordered to pay David Duthio the sum of .£4 10s. 7d. on or before «iiho same date, in default to suffer four days' detention; D. J. MTvay was ordcre'd to pay.Henry Thomas Pitcher the sum of £2 18s. on or before August 15, default being fixed at three days' imprisonment. ! . , DEFENDED CASE. J. Boucher and Co., for whom Mr. F. E; Pethorick appeared, claimed £lb from Cyril W. Palmer (Mr. Kennedy) for a bicycle which it wa» alleged defendant agreed ,'to buy. The/plaintiff stated that the bicycle was delivered to the defendant in. the morning, and was re. turned later in the day covered with' mud. For the defence it was stated that the purchase was subject to approval after a trial. The machine was -tried, but did not satisfy the defendant. . His Worship reserved his decision.