MAGISTRATE'S COURT

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 286, 22 August 1918, Page 8

MAGISTRATE'S COURT

THEFT OF THREE DIAMOND RINGS ADMITTED BY YOUNG DOMESTIC A young girl named Oareen Dowesbury pleaded guilty before Mr. F. V. Frazer, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court Yesterday to a. charge of having stolen on August -l hist, from the residence of Dr. t\ F. M'Evedy, where she had been employed as a domestic, three diamond rings, valued nt i'Bs, the property of .Mrs. (.'. MM-lvody.

Chief-Detective Boddam prosocuccd. and Mr. i!. H. Webb appeared for tho iieeu-ed.

Dr. M'Evedy stated that tho accused was engaged at his house as a domestic from July 24 until August 3. Tho latter day was her Sunday oft' duty, Iml she did not return that' nicht. or (lie following day. On tho Monday evenitii> his wife missed thrco rings from her dressing-table, and witness reported the matter to the police. The rings produced were identified by witness as belonging to his wife.

In reply to tho Magistrate, Hr, M'Evedy stated thai, accused was subnormal in her intellect. She was somewhat dealt', but otherwise her general health appeared' to be good.

Henry l'ercy Yarrell, indent agent, re siding at Brooklyn, stated that he had known the accused for about eighteen months. Accused first called at in* house, and on behalf of the Mount Cook School asked for contributions to some patriotic object. She said sho was a lonely girl from Home, and witness and his wife, being Home people, invited hoi to visit their house when sho felt inclined. On August 4 last accused called at witness's house, said she had had a bit of luck, and that her deceased mother's jewellery had come to hand Three packages had arrived at the same lime, and she had opened them at Dr. M'KvEcly's. Accused showed witness and his wife' two rings, and witness asked hci if she was disposed to sell one. _ She asked witness to place his own price on the ring, but after said she would tf.ke las. fur it. Witness told her that sho was a very silly girl to ask so small a sum, and said he would give her £2 19s. In the meantime he would have the ring valued, and if it was wcrth more than that amount he would give her tho difference. Witness subsequently bought tho two rings for ,£'s.

Poplying to Mr. Webb, witness said- ho would consider, that accused was by no means normal. Still, lie was surprised at what bad occurred respecting the rings, because, although she was not always truthful, ho did not think accused would iie over such matters as her mother's death, and so forth.

Detective Torrance said that on August 7 he recovered two of the rings from Mrs. Yarrcll, and on the following evening he aw accused outside a theatre in Courtenay Place. Ho asked her if her name was Uewesbury, and she replied, "No; my name is Dorothy Hall." la further conversation, she said she some times went under the name of Dewcsbury, and had been employed at Dr. Xl'Eved.y's. She admitted stealing Hie three rings, and was arrested by witness and charged with the offence. At the lime of her arrest she had (ho sum of JH Is. -Id. in her possession, and said Hint was all the money she had left out of the J:5 she had received from Mr 'i'arreil.

Accused was committed to the Supremo Court for sentence. CHARGE OP THEFT DISMISSED. A waterside worker named John Bird pleaded not guilty to stealing on or about April L' 7 last", at Wellington, threo bottles of whisky, valued at £\, the property of the Union Steam Ship Company, and to a further charge of having on .lime i committed tho theft of eight tins of Pex cheese, of the value of Bs., also belunging lo the Union Company. Mr. J. Scott appeared for tho accused. Chief-Defective Boddam said that accused's house was searched by DetectiveSergeant Cox and Constable Clevorley or. .(line 1(1 last, and the three bottles of whisky and the eight tins of Hex cheese were found on the premises. When asked for an explanation regarding the articles, accused said he would refusn to say anything about the matter, and would not say whether he bought them or stole them. Un the dates of the information, accused was employed on the steamer Mapourika, engaged in transhipping goods from Iho Moeraki. Subsequent inquiries by Detective-Sergeant Cox went to show conclusively that a c-tso containing bottles, of whisky had been opened, also cases of Rex cheese.

After the evidence for the prosecution had been heard, accused went into the witness-box and slated that ho had bought the cheese, of which he was very fond. Bird said ho was married on i\lay had got his house slacked beforehand in prepiiration. His Worship: Did you have nothing but cheese for the honeymoon?—" Mo. sir. i had some whisky at Ihe house, too.

Chief-Detective Boddain: That is Ihe subject of another charge. ilis Worship: Oh, well, we will say nothing further about that. ilis Worship said that although he was not perfectly satisfied of Bird's in nocence, yet he did not think that Hie charge of stealing the cheese had been proved sufficiently for him to enter 11 conviction. The charge of stealing the cheese w.\« dismissed. "If I were you. Bird, 1 would bo very careful in future," observed Mr. Frozcr. In regard to the whisky, accused said lie bought the three bottles from tlio Brunswick Hotel, the brand of the liquoi being "Canadian Club." Edward Palon, barman at the Brunswick Hotel, said the accused was a regular customer at the hotel, and he had often bought bottles of whisky there. Thomas Kingston, licensee of tho Brunswick Hotel, gave similar evidence. The charge of stealing the whisky was also dismissed. OTHER CASES. A young Maori named Hori remanded until August 28 on a charge of having forged the name of A. Vella to a cheque for ,tS 175., at Oraki, on June 17. Phillip Trelor Lidcly was further remanded until August 2S on a charge uf forging, about March 11 last,, an ordei for the issue of a railway ticket, and uttering the same to the statiomnasler at ilasterton. For insobriety, Arthur Laming was fined 10.3., in default forty-eight hours' imprisonment, one first offender was ordered to forfeit the amount of his bail, .£l, and another was lined 55., in tho alternative twenty-four hours' imprisonment.